Christians Walk As He Walked
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Key Scriptures: 1 John 2:1-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:1
1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God;
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Christians Walk As He Walked
Introduction: More Than Just Steps
Introduction: More Than Just Steps
Have you ever short stepped on stairs?
One minute you are doing something you have done thousands of times before, then you find yourself scrambling to catch yourself as you fall up the stairs.
When we hear the word 'walk,' we usually think of the physical act of putting one foot in front of the other. It's something most of us do every day without a second thought.
The Bible often uses simple, everyday terms to explain profound spiritual truths. We read about eating the Bread of Life, drinking Living Water, and, as we'll see, walking with God. This isn't about physical locomotion; it's about our conduct, our lifestyle, and our relationship with Him.
Our foundational scripture in 1 John 2:6 puts it plainly: 'he who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.' This is our obligation, our debt, our sacred duty.
The Christian life isn't a frantic, panicked sprint (rat race), nor is it a lazy, aimless stroll.
It is a paced, purposed, and progressive walk with our Lord. He gently leads us in paths of righteousness, just as He led Israel with a pillar of cloud and fire.
The Greek word for 'walk' used here is peripateo. It means to tread all around, to live, to conduct one's self, or to be occupied with.
So, the question for us is: What should our lives be occupied with? How are we to conduct ourselves?
Let's open God's Word and find out how we are to walk.
1. The Right Path - How We ARE to Walk
1. The Right Path - How We ARE to Walk
God's Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. It makes the way clear. Let's look at the specific paths God has called us to journey on.
Christians Walk in Newness of Life - Romans 6:4
4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
This "newness" speaks of a complete renewal and freshness. When we are born again of the water and the Spirit as given in Acts 2:38, we become new creatures. Our old life is buried in the waters of baptism in Jesus' name, and we are raised to live a completely new kind of life, empowered by the Holy Ghost.
Christians Walk in the Spirit - Galatians 5:16
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Now that we are Spirit-filled, we are to be led by the Spirit. Our daily decisions, reactions, and desires should be governed by the Spirit of God within us. This is the only way to overcome the pull of the flesh. Romans 8:4 says the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Christians Walk After His Commandments - 2 John 6
6 This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.
Our love for God is proven by our obedience to His Word. This isn't just the Ten Commandments, but the whole counsel of God's Word applicable to our lives.
We are to walk according to the "rule" or the kanon (assignment)—the standard of faith and practice—which is the Word of God. Galatians 6:16
16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
Zacharias and Elizabeth had a powerful testimony: they were "walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless" (Luke 1:6). If you want the favor of God, walk in His commandments.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
Christians Walk in the Light - 1 John 1:7
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Sin is darkness. Salvation is being called out of that darkness into His marvelous light.
To walk in the light means to live openly, honestly, and righteously before God.
It means having no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness and shining as lights in a crooked and perverse world (Philippians 2:15).
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
Christians Walk by Faith - 2 Corinthians 5:7
7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
Walking by sight means relying on human reasoning and what we can see, touch, and feel.
Walking by faith means trusting God's Word and His Spirit even when it contradicts our natural understanding. It is the ability to see the unseen, which is eternal.
Abraham is our father in the faith, and we are called to "walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham" (Romans 4:12).
12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.
Christians Walk Honestly - Romans 13:13
The original word means to walk decently, honorably, and becomingly.
Our lives should be defined by truthfulness, integrity, and sincerity, especially before the unsaved world. We are to walk in wisdom toward outsiders (Colossians 4:5).
5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.
Christians Walk in Love - Ephesians 5:2
2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
Love is not just a feeling; it is an action and a way of life. It should be the powerful motivator that guides our every interaction and decision.
Christians Walk Worthy of Our Calling - Ephesians 4:1
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
We have received a holy, heavenly calling!
We are called to be saints, called out of darkness, called to peace, glory, and virtue. Our conduct must be appropriate and fitting for such a high and holy invitation from the King of kings.
Christians Walk in Good Works - Ephesians 2:10
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
We are not saved by our good works, but we are saved for good works. Grace through faith is what saves us.
But true, living faith will always produce the fruit of good works. Faith without works is dead! (James 2:26) These works are the evidence of the salvation that is already within us.
Christians Walk Circumspectly - Ephesians 5:15
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
The word circumspectly means to walk exactly, diligently, and carefully.
The Christian walk is not on a broad, liberal, anything-goes highway. Jesus said the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life (Matthew 7:14). We must be careful, precise, and diligent in how we live our lives according to His Word.
14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
2. The Wrong Path - How We Are NOT to Walk
2. The Wrong Path - How We Are NOT to Walk
Just as a roadmap shows you where to go, it also shows you which roads to avoid. God's Word gives us clear 'Wrong Way' signs for our spiritual journey.
Christians Are Not to Walk Disorderly - 2 Thessalonians 3:6
6 But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.
What does this mean? This refers to an unruly, insubordinate, and irregular lifestyle that is contrary to scripture.
We are to avoid this behavior ourselves and not keep company with those who persist in it.
Christians Are Not to Walk as Men - 1 Corinthians 3:3
3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
Paul rebuked the Corinthians for acting "like mere men"—that is, like unconverted, worldly people.
When we allow carnality, envy, and division in our lives, we are not walking in the Spirit, but as the world walks.
Christians Are Not to Walk in Darkness - 1 John 2:11
11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
This is directly linked to our love for the brethren. Harboring hatred or bitterness toward a fellow believer places us squarely in spiritual darkness.
Christians Are Not to Walk by Sight - 2 Corinthians 5:7
7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
We must not rely on our own intuition or tangible evidence. Trusting what we can see over what God has said is a lack of faith and a dangerous path to walk.
Christians Are Not to Walk in Craftiness - 2 Corinthians 4:2
2 But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
This means avoiding trickery, cunning, or deceit.
Our lives and our presentation of the gospel should be open, honest, and transparent before God and man.
We should never be perceived as being “crafty” individuals.
Christians Are Not to Walk in the Vanity of Our Mind - Ephesians 4:17
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
This speaks of the emptiness and profitless-ness of worldly thinking.
Our minds must be renewed by the Word of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (Ephesians 4:23), so we don't follow our own flawed human reasoning.
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
The reason we must be spiritually minded (Romans 8:5-9) is so we can pull down the strongholds of Satan. These are: (1) imaginations/arguments, (2) every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ, and (3) bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (II Corinthians 10:3-5).
Human reasoning often runs counter to God’s Word; therefore, we must not walk after the vanity of our mind. God’s remedy for this problem is found in Philippians 2:5: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”
We Are Not to Walk After the Flesh - Romans 8:1,4
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
To walk after the flesh is to be governed by our sinful, carnal nature. It leads to death. But to walk after the Spirit is life and peace. We must choose daily to crucify the flesh and follow the Spirit's leading.
Conclusion & Altar Call
So we see God’s Word has given us a very clear roadmap. The path we are to travel is well-defined.
All the things we are to walk in—newness of life, faith, love, light—are found on that narrow way.
All the things we are not to walk in comprise the broad way that leads to destruction.
The choice is ours every single day. The challenge before us is to order our steps according to His Word.
It's impossible in our own strength, but through the power of His Spirit, He enables us to follow Him.
Examine your own walk. Are you on the right path? Are you walking as He walked? If there's an area in your life where you've strayed, the Lord is here to gently lead you back.
The promise for those who overcome is found in Revelation 3:4.
4 You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
I am determined…I will walk alone in this life if it means I walk with Him.
Let's commit ourselves afresh to that walk. Let's pursue Him, follow His steps, and hold to His unseen hand, so that one day we can hear Him say, 'Well done.'
It’s impossible to ignore the heavy feeling in the air this week. Our headlines are filled with news of tension and unrest, and many of us are grieving the shocking and tragic death of conservative voice and fellow Christian, Charlie Kirk.
His assassination is a painful reminder of the deep brokenness in our world. And in moments like this, when we feel anger, confusion, and maybe even fear, the most important question for us as followers of Christ is this: Where will we fix our gaze?
It is so easy to be consumed by the 24-hour news cycle, to get swept up in the currents of outrage and division. But as believers, our first and final anchor is not in the events of this world, but in the unshakable truth of God’s Word.
Jesus, standing before the powers of his day, declared, “My kingdom is not of this world.” This is our foundational truth. It means that while the earth feels like it’s giving way, our true citizenship is secure. While the world places its hope in politicians and political solutions, we place our hope in the King of Kings, Jesus Christ. Our God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in trouble. He is not surprised by this chaos, and His throne is not shaken.
So, how are we to respond? I want to leave you with three simple, powerful actions:
First, we must PRAY. Instead of just worrying, let’s be a people who bring everything to God. We pray for the Kirk family in their unimaginable grief. We pray for our nation’s leaders, for wisdom. And we pray for our communities, that we would be peacemakers.
Second, we must LOOK UP. This means we must intentionally turn from the noise of the world to the truth of God’s Word. Let’s spend less time scrolling through feeds that stir up anger, and more time meditating on Scripture that gives life and peace. Anchor your soul in the promises of God, not the punditry of man.
And third, we must BE THE LIGHT. In a world that is growing darker and more divided, our calling is to shine brighter. Let our conversations be filled with grace. Let our actions be marked by love. Let us show our neighbors and our coworkers a different way—a way of hope, stability, and peace that can only come from knowing Jesus.
Church, the headlines will fade, but our foundation in Christ is eternal. Let’s be a people whose hope is secure, whose peace is unshakable, and whose focus is fixed on Him.
May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
