Characteristics of the Christian life — John Fitzpatrick

Well, it's a real privilege to be here today. I'd like to read one verse and just touch on it a little bit. Book of Micah, please, chapter 6 and verse 8. The 8th verse on the 6th chapter of the Book of Micah.

Walking Justly, Loving Mercy, and Walking Humbly

He hath showed thee, O man, what is good. And what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? I'll read it one more time. He hath showed thee, O man, what is good.

And what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? We know that the Lord always blesses the reading of the Holy Scriptures. What I'm thinking of or what's on my mind or on my heart would be, what does it really mean to be a Christian?

What does the Christian life or what should or ought the Christian life be characterized by? Is the Christian life to be made up of compartments? I think not. Perhaps in an earlier day more, that seemed to be the way.

But really the Christian life is completely encompassed about living totally, fully, unyieldedly for the one who loved us and gave himself for us. Testimony is often considered making God look great in the eyes of the world.

And as you and I would rub shoulders with fellow mankind, our lives would be to the pleasure of God, but also that as we weave amongst fellow mankind, that we might adorn the doctrine of God. That we might, in some little measure, cause people to maybe wonder what we have, not that I'm an odd duck, though that could be the case, but that they might long to know that peace, that joy, that something different that they do not have, and they might take note that we've been with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Divine Guidance Through the Word of God

As I look at this verse and just touch on it a little bit, it says, He hath showed thee. As we look in the unerring, unalterable word of God, we will find guidance for every aspect of the journey of life.

Whether we be young in the Lord, a little older in the Lord, or many days on the road, we will find divine guidance in the word of God. It says, He hath showed us. So, it tells me that He has revealed to us His mind and His will.

I'd like to remind ourselves that the will of God in any life will never contradict the teaching of the word of God. The pattern, the path found in the Holy Scriptures never changes. We realize, and we know very well, truth never changes.

We're living in a day of change, perhaps in some areas of undercurrents. We would like to emphasize that the truths of God never change. I didn't have the privilege of a Christian home, and so naturally, I had a lot of things to learn, and I'm still learning a lot.

But oftentimes, I hear, well, where I'm from, this is what we do. And where I'm from, this is what we do. Now, I wouldn't want to be critical in any way, shape, or form, but really, what we do, what we practice, how we live, how we gather, all the ramifications should be able to be based alone on the word of God, because truth never changes.

And so, it says here, He hath showed thee. That tells me that the gracious Holy Spirit, through the word of God, shows us a path that will be pleasing to Him. Some of our paths will be virtually identical when it comes to gathering and the different ramifications that way.

Others of our paths and where we live, where we work, will be totally different, yet will be composed into the mind and will of God. So, it says here, there's no mystery. It's no mystery in knowing the mind of God.

It's no mystery in knowing how to gather or how to meet. It's no mystery in knowing what we should practice when it comes to the Holy Scriptures to guide us as believers individually and collectively.

We have no excuses by saying, I never heard that taught before. We have the privilege in this land to have the word of God and trust that we can be like the Bereans of old, that we search the Holy Scriptures to see whether these things are true.

I've had to unlearn some things in my Christian life that I was taught in earlier days. Maybe you've never had that experience. And as we search the word of God, we'll be able to come to the conclusion, this is the way, and to walk therein.

The gracious Holy Spirit that indwells us can guide us in all truth. In Isaiah 30 and verse 21, we read, He has given us ears to hear a word. Behind you saying, this is the way, walk therein. I mentioned that the will of God will never contradict the teaching of the word of God.

There's the revealed will of God, which is the black and whites found in the word of God. There's the unrevealed will of God, if I'm allowed to label it that way. It's not going to be a black and white what town to live in.

It's not going to be a black and white what career to take up, but it can be guided in light of the Holy Scriptures to direct us and enable us to live our lives for the one who loved us and gave himself for us.

I'd like to suggest, and I admit I do fail, that every movement that we make and every path we take should be for the honor and the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. We live in a pleasure-mad world. Our lives as believers should be for the pleasure of the one who loved us and gave himself for us.

The path should be graciously guided by the Holy Spirit. Every movement for his honor and glory, we receive protection. The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and it adds no sorrow thereto. We live in the desert now.

We've been down in Arizona for five years. It's quite an experience because much of my life has been in the north country. I'd have to admit I find it cool in the room here today. I've gotten used to the 115-degree days in the shade, and when I get to 50 degrees now, I find, much to my amaze, it's quite chilly.

But if you're ever in the desert and you want to know where water is, it's very simple. Just follow the bees, and the bees will always go where the water is, and you'll always find your way. Well, we turn to the book of Psalm 47, and he gives us springs of water to guide us, the holy scriptures to direct our path, the water of the word of God to warn us and to guide us and to help us.

When I come over into Jeremiah chapter 10, I find a verse that I trust beloved younger ones, but I don't want to isolate it to younger ones, that we'd get a solid grip and grasp of. It's not in man's heart to direct his steps.

My steps, your steps, beloved one, beloved elders of an assembly, the steps must be guided by the word of God, or we'd actually be like spinning our wheels of no real value. In Jeremiah chapter 6, it says to stand ye in the way, ask for the old paths, and ye shall find rest for your souls.

The Old Paths and the Authority of Scripture

I can remember the first time that verse struck me many, many years ago before I ever saw a Words and Season magazine. Many years ago, it seems, in conference announcements, it would be those that are walking in old paths are welcome to come and minister the word of God.

I want to suggest that the old path is obeying the word of God, teaching the truths that are found in the word of God, not adding from it, not taking from it, but the pattern that's found in the holy scriptures.

Whether there is one mention in the word of God, or whether there are many mentions in the word of God, all are very important. All scripture is given by inspiration of God. I've heard at times, it really doesn't matter, there's only one mention, or there's only a couple of mentions, it's really not that significant.

I do want to disagree, lovingly and kindly, it's very significant. Every word is God breathed, holy men of God spake as they were moved or guided by the Holy Ghost. We have the privilege to attempt to obey the word of God.

If you love me, keep my commandments. Well, the teaching of the word of God. Tests that come in the Christian life are not to drive us away. They are not intended to hurt us or to harm us, but the tests and the trials, man is born into trouble as the sparks fly upward, you can develop it how you want, are to bring us closer to himself and to enjoy his presence and his promises.

And when we're through the trial, if it comes to an end, we are able to come along and give others guidance of waters that we have tasted that we never would have in an earlier time. In this Christian life, that he shows us, that he guides us, that he reveals to us, it gives patterns of the fellowship that we should have.

When we fellowship with men, we fellowship with their doctrine. And so I want to suggest we need to be very careful who we fellowship with. Some try to fellowship with other groups, if you understand what I mean.

Some say I'll go to their little Bible studies and I'll try to win them. Every case virtually that I've witnessed has had an effect detrimentally on the ones that went and joined with them. We need to, as believers, be very careful who we have fellowship with.

We want to have fellowship to win people. The man to have friends, he must be friendly, but that they might come to know the Lord Jesus as their Savior. Purity is not optional. Integrity is not optional.

Morals is not optional as you and I, the people of God. And so in this pathway, he says he shows us that which would be good, that which would be pleasing to him. I come to First Samuel and I find them that honor me, I will honor.

Obedience, Sacrifice, and Separation From the World

That's a promise from God. God's arithmetic is not like man's arithmetic. God's ways are not like man's ways. This path is going to take obedience. The Lord desires to be the Lord of our lives, and as we all know, he's Lord of all, or he's not really Lord at all.

It's going to take courage to go against the tide. It's going to take conviction. It's going to take strength that comes from the living and the true God. It's going to be costly to bear reproach. Costs may involve leaving your job.

Costs may involve the university is not working out for me, and I find the temptations are greater than I can handle. God desires that we might walk with him and enjoy him and prove the reality of so great salvation.

It says here in this verse, and what does the Lord require of thee? What is good? I looked up the word because sometimes you kind of wonder where it really is. It's a noun or an adverb. It could be in the original something that's good or a good thing.

It could be something that's best, beautiful, fine, sweet, or precious. What would be pleasing to the Lord is valuable in the everyday experiences, whether at work, whether in the vehicle, whether in the assembly.

The real you and me is when we are alone. We all know that. What would be pleasing to the Lord would adorn the doctrine of God, Titus 2. A believer's life needs walls, separation to preserve us. A believer's life needs towers that we can watch and observe.

And a believer's life needs to enjoy the Lord every day. Let me just ask a simple little question. Naturally, I won't ask you any after the meeting. Do you enjoy the Lord? Are you really enjoying the so great salvation that the Lord has brought us into?

Being saved and being a Christian is not a dull drudgery. It's not, oh, I have to do this. But it's out of love to please the one who gave his all for us. Several years ago, I came on the streets in Phoenix of a man laying in front of a car.

I went up to him. There was no pulse. I began CPR, and to make the story long, he lived. We've gotten together several times through the years now. He says, I will do anything you ever need because you saved my life.

We should be willing to do anything the Lord calls, large or small, near or far, because one loved us and gave himself for us. In this Christian life, we want to remind ourselves that we're in the enemy's land.

I've learned to walk differently in Arizona than I did in most of the parts of Oregon. It's full of rattlesnakes. I've learned in the home to be more careful because little critters called scorpions come in, and they make the missus get her heart rate up a little bit, you might say.

But we're in the enemy's land, so every step needs to be cautious. We can be attacked individually. We can be attacked collectively. Turn, please, to the book of Acts chapter 20. I find it very solemn.

I find it very searching. The apostle Paul, much insight, guided by the Holy Spirit. Acts 20 and 27, he says,. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed, therefore, unto yourselves and all to flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, local assembly, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Notice verse 29. So solemn, so searching. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

Watch, therefore, and remember that by the space of three years I cease not to warn you night and day. And now, brethren, I commend you to God and the word of his grace, which is able to hold you and to give you, and inherits among them which are sanctified.

The apostle Paul realized that very soon around the corner there was going to rise up an element that did not want the word of God and wanted to steer on a different path contrary to the word of God. And we want to remind ourselves in this late day of grace, truth never changes.

It's unerring, it's unalterable, and God gives us the privilege to attempt by his grace to practice the truths of God, that we might in some little measure perhaps be well-pleasing to the one who gave himself for us.

When we compromise truth, we have no truth. Truth never changes. Scriptural separation is not optional. Withdraw thyself from every brother that walks disorderly, not according to the teaching or the doctrines, no social times together.

We read that the apostle Paul could say, I commend you to God and his grace, because he could foresee even then many years ago that the day would be coming, and perhaps as way more today, they'll not endure sound doctrine.

Does it really matter? Absolutely. Two times in Proverbs, remove not the old landmarks. Why would we want to try and change what the word of God says? Why would we want to try and practice some new thing that's contrary to the teachings of the Holy Scriptures?

Trusting God in Everyday Decisions

And so our lives as believers encompasses morning, noon, and night, every aspect of the journey, and as I mentioned, the will of God never contradicts the teaching of the word of God. No good thing will he ever withhold from them that love him.

Sometimes I tell the little story of a preacher coming up to a sister. I don't know how old he was or she was or any of those kind of things, your mind might wonder, and he asked her if she was married.

Her response was very unique. She said, a husband is a no good thing. And he says, why did you say that? Well, very simply, I've been reading my Bible. And no good thing will he withhold from them that love him.

You honor the Lord and you put the Lord first. Beloved younger one, older one, speak to myself. He'll always be there, he'll always supply, he'll always meet our needs. Living in Christ involves, living for Christ involves loving one another with a pure heart fervently.

The Lord is still trying to take some of the rough edges off me, just ask my wife, but don't ask too many questions. But the Lord is graciously working, conforming us to the image of his son. And you know, the oil of machinery is so essential.

I checked the oils before I came, and I got the transmission oil before I came across the mountains. But the oil of the machinery as a believer is love to one another. John chapter 13. By your love to one another shall all men know that you are my disciples.

This is not optional, this is essential. Could you imagine what it would be like to walk into a gathering and you've never been there before, saint or sinner, and they don't talk to one another, and nobody greets you, and everything's cold as ice.

You know what? You probably wouldn't come back. You probably think there's something wrong here. God desires that in this Christian life we love one another. The saints are the most excellent in all the earth.

God is still working in our lives, conforming us to the image of his dear son. When it comes to the assembly, we all know there should be no family discounts. There should be no partiality. Everyone should be treated exactly the same.

Doing Justly Through Surrender and Christian Conduct

And so it says in this verse here, what doth the Lord require of thee? To do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly. Justly is knowing the difference between right and wrong. Full surrender is lordship.

Could I ask you, particularly a younger one here today, has your life been surrendered completely to the Lord Jesus Christ? Not my will, but thine be done. You see, on the first day of the week they came together to break bread.

Well, you know, I really had a busy schedule. And I really had to get apart so I didn't come apart. And so I went up in the mountains and I thought, that's not the believer's life. Adjust your life as much as God allows to be where you can remember him who loved us and gave himself for us.

And as much as possible in a job, find a job that will allow you to make the assembly meetings. It will be a blessing to you. It'll be pleasing to the Lord, and you'll be a blessing to others. This Christian life, day by day living, involves talking.

You say, that's very silly. How do you talk to your fellow believers? How do you treat them? It's all part of the spectrum of this Christian life. Be tenderhearted, forgiving, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you.

Our conduct, how we live, is observed here below. I come to Acts chapter 5. We ought to obey God rather than man. We're to submit to every ordinance of God. We're to submit to the higher powers. I took one of the brethren in Canada with me.

I thought it would be good to show how to visit a little bit, though I've got a lot to learn, you know. And so we get in the home, the ranch home, the farm home, and I watched the eyes of one in the room.

And they didn't look like happy eyes. You know, in this day of mass, you can still read pretty much how somebody's doing. And pretty soon, the gentleman there said to the one I brought, You, you the one that drives this certain color pickup truck around here?

Yeah. Well, I don't like the way you drive and I don't like the way you race around on the roads and I think it's absolutely terrible. I came to the conclusion I brought the wrong one to the wrong house that day.

I said nothing to him. We're driving down the road. He says, I do have a confession to make, John. My driving is too fast and it's quite reckless and I can see the difficulty in it. We'll leave it at that.

Subject to every ordinance of God, being subject to principalities and powers, obey magistrates, provide things honest in the sight of all men, all encompasses that our good works may glorify God in the day of salvation.

I remember one time a fellow put up a clothes pole for the neighbor and he said, by the way, I'm having gospel meetings I want you to come. I said to myself you should have put the clothes pole up six months ago and not just put the pole up now to try and make you obligated.

There needs to be wisdom that what we are doing in the neighborhood will win the neighbors for Christ that we can bring them to hear the gospel of the grace of God. It says to love mercy. We enjoy the Lord's mercies every day.

Loving Mercy With Wisdom and Patience

Moses failed. We mentioned that the saints are the most excellent in all the earth, but we should always appreciate what God is doing in his own. No skill to criticize, a lot more wisdom how to build and how to bind.

Where I was saved, I used to have the heebie-jeebies when you pray, you know, nervous and I used to pray in Jesus' name instead of the full title, the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the sisters was thoroughly aggravated by that.

So she went to her brother that knew me well, one of the elders, and she said, you know, would you please take John aside and tell him how to pray? It really annoys me the way he prays. He had much wisdom.

He said he's just getting on his feet and I'm fearful if I say anything to him I might hinder him or stumble him. So he says, I'll tell you what I'll do. We'll make it a matter of prayer for one year that God might help John pray in a little better manner.

He says, you know, in less than a year you caught on without me taking you aside because that was the shepherd that knew the sheep. And it takes wisdom to know when it's the right time and when it's the right word to that person at that time.

And we're to love mercy. Salt is a preservative as we know. It's a flavoring and just the right amount at the right time is tremendous but the wrong amount at the wrong time and you've got a serious problem with your cooking or whatever it is.

So it's going to take wisdom in this Christian life for the salt of the words. The Latin word was S-A-L. It's where we get the word for salary and we often hear the expression at least in the dark ages of my time they're not worth their salt.

Well they're really not worth their salary is the expression. But in Hebrews chapter five I'm not thinking of salt but I'm thinking of a spiritual checkup. I went to the doctor a while ago and I said the blood came out red.

I guess it's good and he says well it's a little more involved than that. But when it comes to a spiritual checkup in the book of Hebrews he said they were dull of hearing. He said they needed teachers and they should have been at the point where they could teach others also.

Salt is affected by external items. External things. Mercy can be lacking if there's not the right balance of salt and the influences upon us. And then it tells us to walk humbly with thy God. Well of course we'd have to look at the divine example of the Lord Jesus.

Walking Humbly After the Example of Christ

He humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the cross. He said the foxes have holes and the birds of the nest have nests but the Lord Jesus had nowhere to lay his head. I come to 2nd Corinthians and I find though he was rich for your sakes yet for your sake he became poor that ye through his poverty might be rich.

That we might be able to walk humbly with our God. Of course the opposite of humbly would be self-willed arrogance pride unable to labor with anyone. Unable to move in unity. That we might remember that this life we can walk with the Lord humbly with our God honor and exalt the one who gave himself for us.

Remember Uzziah 16 years of age started exemplary built ports built vineyards armory for his armory and as he got older he was lifted up in pride and fell by the way. That God might help us oh man what is good what does the Lord require of thee but to do justly to love mercy unto walk humbly with thy God for his namesake.