3.031 Is Walking With God Lonely?

In Matthew 5, Jesus calls us the salt of the earth and the light of the world, reminding us that our lives are meant to preserve, illuminate, and point others to Him. This season on Savory Salt, we'll walk through the Old Testament, one verse and one thought each day. Perhaps these moments will add greater savor and brighter light to our lives as we seek to truly live as Savory Salt.

Hello, my friends. It's a new day with new opportunities. Choose ye this day whom you will serve.

Have you ever been called names or left out of a group because you were just trying to do your best or choose the right, or maybe even share testimony of Christ? I think Enoch's got just the message for any of you that have experienced that or have yet to experience that and may experience it down the road. We are close to wrapping up our week here with Genesis chapter 5 and Moses chapter 6.

And in it we have such an interesting view. I hope that this expansive story of Enoch has helped you in your life. I've got another thought about that tomorrow.

But first, our message for today. Let's take a look, and before we get to our verse actually, we need to remember something. Spoiler alert for those of you that haven't read Moses chapter 7.

You got to keep that in mind. Just file that away as we get into our verse for today. Because what we see today is the other side.

We don't see the city that believed in Enoch's words. We don't see the people that said, "Yes, Enoch, I want to be around you more." Instead, we see a quite different reaction, and one that if you've served a mission or really borne testimony publicly, there's a chance you've experienced some of these reactions as well. Our verse for today is going to be Moses chapter 6, verse 39.

But before we get there, I just want to point out a couple of words and phrases in verse 37 and 38. We see that Enoch in verse 37 is going to go forth. He's going to follow the Lord's command and start to preach, and he's going to preach everywhere.

He's preaching publicly with a loud voice. And we see that the first reaction listed in verse 37 is that all men were offended because of him. That's a word you hear quite often today: "I'm offended at what you said.

You're offensive. I'm offended. We're all offended.

Everybody's offended." Hold that one for just a sec. And then in verse 38, others start to come around and they start to gather around. And the reason they start to gather around is because there's something strange happening.

Verse 39 says, "And it came to pass that when they heard him, no man laid hands on him. For fear came on all of them that heard him, for he walked with God." Now, our third piece there, did you see that fear came on all of them? And I think it's interesting that we're using "all men" and "all of them." We're getting an all-inclusive here.

They're all offended. They think he's a wild man. They're all afraid.

And they're afraid for what reason? They're afraid because he walks with God. Now, in that moment, I have to imagine Enoch a little bit.

I try to picture him preaching, trying to teach the word, and it's going to get into what he preaches here in verse 40 and beyond, those verses, as he starts to lay into his testimony of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. But it wasn't easy, and it certainly appears to be lonely, if it wasn't for that phrase in verse 39 at the end: "For he walked with God." My friends, I think that sometimes us bearing testimony, especially publicly, can absolutely leave us in the minority, if not the solo situation, where we are alone, seemingly looking around for anyone to support us in our testimony bearing. Never fear and never doubt, because in those moments, you and I, we walk with God.

As we testify of Him, as we seek to follow His commandments, as we make covenants with Him, we walk with God as Enoch did. So in that situation, is it a lonely path? Well, I've certainly felt lonely sometimes in trying to bear my testimony amongst groups that weren't so open to the message.

I remember on my mission, I even had rocks thrown at me. I think I've shared that story before. But my friends, what a great reminder we get from Enoch here.

Whether others tell us that our messages are offensive, whether they just flat out call us names, crazy, and wild people, or whether they fear to be friends with us. Let's remember that Enoch testified as he walked with God. He kept the commandments, he kept his covenants, and he testified of them regularly.

And then let's pull out that file cabinet that we just placed at the beginning of this episode and remember that he did collect an entire city willing to follow the commandments and live the covenants of God, so much so that God took them up unto himself. What amazing blessings come as you and I choose to walk with God and testify of him. That's all for today, my friends.

You and I have come here for such a time as this. Step forward in faith and let's be savory salt. We will be here tomorrow and we hope you are too.