Walking With Him

I John 2:1-2
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When we talk about “Walking with Him”, of course the “Him” that we refer to is our Lord, Our Savior, Jesus Christ.  In thinking about Walking with Him, it reminds me of a story you all have probably read or heard: “Footprints”.  As the story goes one day this man was walking along the beach and he was communing with the Lord.  He looked back and he saw two sets of footprints as he walked along the way.  Later he looked back and he saw only one set of footprints. That’s when he questioned the Lord saying Lord where did you go?  Where were you?  As the story goes the Lord told him “Well, I was carrying you - that one set of footprints was mine.”
 
God Himself has made it possible for us to walk with Him.  He gave us His word to show us the way, and He gave His Son, who literally paid our way.
 
In I John 2, John says: My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. 
 
As John writes this he’s not talking to us as little children, literally; he’s not talking about little boys and little girls.  What he’s talking about is spiritual children.  He’s talking to men and women like you and I.  He is giving them (and us) the assurance that if anyone sins they have an advocate with the Father.
 
What is sin? And when he says “that you sin not” - why shouldn’t we sin? We know that sin separates us from God.  But, if we do sin, “we have an advocate...”
 
What is an advocate? An advocate is one that stands to represent you.  An advocate is like an attorney.  The advocate is the comforter.  That advocate is the Holy Spirit.
 
The bible tells us that “Jesus the Righteous is seated at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us”.  As John tells us, He (Jesus) is that advocate for us.  He lets us know that if we do sin we have somebody that has taken those sins upon Himself.  We have somebody who stands before the Father as an attorney in representation for us.
 
And there is one thing that we have to do: we have to acknowledge that we have sinned.
 
Now you may have some people that act as if they are “holier than thou”.  They may even have a tendency to look down on people that have fallen short.  But the bible says we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
 
The point is we have to look within ourselves.  We need to look in the mirror; that’s what needs to happen.  When we know that we have sinned we can acknowledge that sin and He will forgive us of that sin.  And John lets us know that we have an advocate, we have a representative on our behalf.  These words from John should be words of encouragement for us.  We should be encouraged knowing that we have Jesus pleading our case.
 
And He is the propitiation of our sin. The word “propitiation” refers to the fact that something had to be done to make up for our wrong doing.   Jesus is that propitiation, that atonement.  He is the only one that could have been the atonement.  He is the only one that could pay that ransom.  He is the only one that could be that sin offering for us.
 
The goats couldn’t do it.
 
The bullocks couldn’t do it.
 
The pigeons couldn’t do it.
 
So what did God do? He sent us the sacrifice that was required.  He sent us a lamb without spot, blemish, or anything; a perfect lamb. Jesus was that lamb, and with His blood He made the sacrifice.   When he died in our place he paid the penalty.
 
Now, in right standing with God, no longer separated from God, we can walk with Him.
 
I pray that each and every brother here has a relationship with Him, so that you can walk with Him. Not only walk with Him, but talk with Him, and be obedient to Him.
~J. T.