Secret to the Christian Life — E.A. Johnston

I have a little dog, and her favorite thing to do is to go for a walk at sunset by the ocean. She stays close by my side, and her shadow becomes one with my shadow, as we walk along and join each other's company.

The Christian’s Walk With God

My message this evening, friends, is about a subject that should be dear to each of our hearts, and that is our walk with God. I've lived a long time, and although my tracks haven't been perfect, I'm still on track with a perfect Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

I'm going to give you this evening, friends, as we say in the South, I'm going to give you the oil straight from the can and speak candidly on the Christian life. I'll say this from experience. The Christian life is absolutely impossible to live in the flesh.

Legalism Versus Life in Christ

If you try, you'll end up living like a Pharisee, wrapped up in the rags of your own rules, wrapped up in the rags of legalism, but not pleasing to a holy God. The only way to live the Christian life and to bring the risen Christ's pleasure on His throne is to live a verse of Scripture as a living reality in your life.

I'm going to give you that verse of Scripture, as well as some practical applications and observations on experiencing a deeper walk with God, and as you enjoy the secret to the Christian life, I believe your entire Christian experience will become deeper, friend.

Sin, Regeneration, and the New Birth

I know many of you may be sick and tired of your mud puddle of sin that you seem to stumble in time and time again. You want victory. You long for holiness. Yet the devil lays his landmines before you, and you walk with God the best way you know how, but somehow you keep getting tripped up in the devil's booby traps of sin.

The devil knows if he can keep you sidelined in sin and out of step with God, then he robs God of His glory and makes a mockery of the cross of Christ, because the Lord Christ didn't just die to deliver us from the penalty of sin, but He died as well to deliver us from the power of sin in our daily living.

Now, some of you stay stained with sinful acts because you receive pleasure from sin, and you have no power whatsoever over sin because you've never really been changed by a work of God upon the heart through regeneration.

You may have grown up in the church or came in through the back door of an empty religious profession, and you've taken the name Christian, but you don't know the Christ of that name. Now, I'm not addressing you this evening because your problem is a sin problem of your unregenerate heart, and until you come to Christ Jesus in repentance and faith, you will remain in your sins because you are dead in sin.

The True Believer and Christian Obedience

A Christian believer, on the other hand, is one who is dead to sin. He or she will not lead a perfect life because there's no thing as perfection. This side of heaven, we're still sinners saved by grace, yet your desire won't be in a course of self-gratification, but in living to please God and a life of obedience to Him.

So my message this evening, friends, is for the relatively few of you who are really saved individuals who have undergone change through the new birth, and Christ owns you for He has washed your sins in His own blood.

For the true believer in Christ Jesus, there are promised blessings of God in His Word, and by living close to God, one can experience those blessings of which I will speak on tonight. The title of my message this evening, friends, is The Secret to the Christian Life, and my text can be found in the book of Psalms.

Psalm 91 and the Secret Place

You can turn in your Bibles there now, friends. We will be in Psalm 91 and verse 1, which states, He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Now remember my introductory story about my little dog and how she stays close to my side when we go for walks at sunset?

Her shadow comes right up to my bigger shadow, and it gets under my shadow. You have to walk closely with someone to stay in their shadow. The secret to the Christian life is to stay in his shadow. Are you with me?

This isn't rocket science, friends, but practical living by the power of God in a close intimacy with God. Our text speaks of the secret place. Listen, friend, you better stay near to God to enjoy that secret place of the Most High.

Humility and Access to God’s Presence

Isaiah 57, 15 gives us a glimpse of this secret place. For thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy, I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Living close to God, friend, is the safest place on earth. To abide under his shadow is the best place to live. Our text from Isaiah speaks of a lofty God who is yet accessible to man. The blood of Christ gives us access to the Father and our attitude of a humble and contrite heart grants us entry into that secret place.

You better give up that good opinion of yourself, friend. It won't get you in that secret place of the Most High. No self-righteous prideful person is allowed in there. You better get deeply familiar with your own heart, friend, and be empty of self to get closer to God.

The Blessings of Abiding Under God’s Shadow

Living close to God has its benefits. You get to hear what is on his heart and you get a clearer picture of your own sinful heart. For to dwell in the secret place is to experience the promised blessings of God.

To dwell there is to abide under the shadow of the Almighty. The secret of the Christian life is staying in his shadow. It's not any more complicated than that. You walk closely with your best earthly friend, whether it is your spouse or a dear friend.

Jesus is our faithful friend and he desires close companionship with us. I'll never forget the story about the boy on the farm who had a faithful furry friend and a family dog. The boy would get up early in the morning to go outside to do his chores and the first thing he'd see would be that dog waiting for him on the porch, sitting there wagging his tail.

Off they'd go, running through the fields and woods, running down by streams and ponds. They'd go side by side. Wherever that boy went, his faithful dog was right by his side. But trouble began when a pretty feckled-faced girl moved in the neighboring farm.

And it wasn't long. That boy only had eyes for that red-headed girl. He'd bounce off that porch in the morning with her on his mind and he'd run right by his old friend who would wag his tail but who was now ignored.

Still the dog would follow after him. But the boy would turn and yell at the dog in an angry tone and tell her to go back to the house and leave him alone. But the dog kept creeping close by his side until the boy got sick and tired of that dog and took a stick and beat it so hard that that dog didn't come around anymore.

Christ’s Faithful Companionship

Now, some of you may get upset by that story. But that's exactly how some of you treat your faithful friend Jesus. You run out the door in the morning without giving him the time of day yet alone desire his close companionship.

You've grieved away the spirit of God by sin and selfishness and you wonder why you struggle so in your Christian walk. The secret to the Christian life, I repeat, is staying in his shadow through a close walk with him.

Making Psalm 91:1 a Living Reality

If you will take Psalm 91 .1, friend, and ask God to make it a reality in your life by the power of the spirit and really mean it, he will do it and soon your walk with God will be refreshing. You'll be sweet again as you spend intimate time with your true faithful friend Jesus.

Well, I hope this little message has been a help to some of you as it's been to me. If you come looking for me, you'll find me at the sunset walking with my little friend and you'll find me staying in the shadow of my faithful friend Jesus.

4 to 12. In the secret place of the Most High is to abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Staying in his shadow. Let us pray.