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Talk The Talk, Walk The Walk
January 25, 2009
Jesus both "talked the talk, and walked the walk" of righteousness and obedience to God. We are to walk in His footsteps. If we do, walk the walk of the Christian. We walk in light, when we hear Him and keep His commandments, for He was in the light of understanding of God's will and commandments, the chief of which are to love God completely, with all of our being, and to love our neighbors to the same extent that we love, protect, and nourish ourselves.
Bernie Parsons
Talk The Talk, Walk The Walk
By Bernie Parsons
Presented to Globe church of Christ on 01-25-2009
There is a common expression these days that goes like this, “You can talk
the talk, but can you walk the walk?” It is easy to say something, but often
it is harder to actually follow through and do the things that we talk
about. As Christians, we are faced with this same situation. Often, we do a
good job of talking about what is right, and what we should be doing. In
reality, it is often more difficult to practice what we preach.
Jesus both talked the talk and walked the walk. Let’s look at His
talk.
John 12:48: “44: Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth
not on me, but on him that sent me.
45:
And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.
46:
I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not
abide in darkness.
47:
And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came
not to judge the world, but to save the world.
48:
He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him:
the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
49:
For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a
commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
50:
And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak
therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.”
Jesus spoke for God. It is
critical, when speaking for God, to pass along only what He said.
Jeremiah 23:30: “Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the
LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.
31:
Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues,
and say, He saith.
32:
Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do
tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness;
yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit
this people at all, saith the LORD.”
Jesus delivered the words of God, and informed His followers that if they
loved Him, they would keep His words, which were also the heavenly Father’s
words.
John 14:23: “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will
keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and
make our abode with him.
24:
He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is
not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
25:
These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
26:
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my
name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your
remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
The
spoken word was informational—that is, it carried a message. The message was
that something had to be done. What deed is described by Jesus? The keeping
of His commandments.
John 15:10: “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as
I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
11:
These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and
that your joy might be full.
12:
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13:
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his
friends.”
Jesus did not just talk the talk, He walked the walk. After saying that
there was no greater love that a man can show than to give up his life for
his friends, Jesus proceeded to do just that.
1
John 3:16: “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his
life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
In
like manner, we must learn to walk the walk, and not just talk the talk.
John 11:9: “Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any
man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this
world.
10:
But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in
him.”
It
is important for us to be able to see where we walk. In our case, it is
easier, because we can walk where Jesus walked, following in His footsteps.
Romans 6:4: “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that
like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even
so we also should walk in newness of life.”
We
are first baptized, as Christ was baptized, and are resurrected in the
likeness of His resurrection. We embark upon a new life. Many people
misunderstand this. They think that baptism is the end of the journey, when
it is actually the beginning. They are under the mistaken impression that
being baptized into the church requires only regular “church attendance”. It
is much more than that—it is the way that we live our lives daily.
Ephesians 4:21: “If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by
him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22:
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is
corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23:
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24:
And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness
and true holiness.”
Conversation, in the KJV, means the way that a person conducts himself in
his daily life. When we are baptized into Christ, we put off the old fleshly
life and embark on a new life.
Philippians 3:20: “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we
look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:”
Our
new lifestyle is rooted in heaven, as we studied last time. That is, we
listen to God and Christ, and follow their instruction and teaching in our
lives, as citizens of the kingdom of heaven!
1
Peter 1:15: “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all
manner of conversation;
16:
Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
Our
entire life is to be centered around holiness.
Galatians 5:13: “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use
not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
14:
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself.
15:
But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one
of another.
16:
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the
flesh.
17:
For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh:
and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things
that ye would.”
According to the apostle Paul, to walk in the Spirit is to walk in love
toward our neighbors. If we want to walk the walk, we must walk in love. Our
entire life must be built around love. It is central to who, and what, we
are as believers in Jesus Christ, and as children of God.
Ephesians 2:10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto
good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
We
walk in good works. That means that we must concentrate upon doing good in
every aspect of our lives. We need to keep our eyes open for chances to do
good for others. By doing so, we make the world a better place. We are the
salt that preserves this world, and our culture, and we are the light that
is seen by the world in its darkness.
Ephesians 5:1: “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
2:And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for
us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
3:
But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once
named among you, as becometh saints;
4:
Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not
convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
5:
For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man,
who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of
God.
6:
Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh
the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
7:
Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
8:
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as
children of light:
9:
(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and
truth;)
10:
Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
11:
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather
reprove them.
12:
For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in
secret.
13:
But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for
whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
14:
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and
Christ shall give thee light.
15:
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16:
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17:
Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”
We
talk a good game, but we must walk the walk, and not merely talk the talk.
We put the fleshly walk away from us, and walk in righteousness.
We walk as children of light. We bear the fruit of righteousness,
displayed in how we adopt goodness, righteousness, and truth into our lives.
When things get tough, and the world grows evil around us, that is all the more reason to stand up for what is good and right. We have a responsibility to reprove sin, and not embrace it, or engage in it. We are not to walk foolishly, but wisely. We are to make the best use of our time, precisely because the times are evil. We have an obligation, as children of God, to understand what God wants us to do, and then, to do it.
