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Transcript

Walking Uprightly · Ian Green Audio Sermons

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Ministry of Ian Green, a place where faith is strengthened, hope is renewed, and the word of God comes alive.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Whether you're searching for answers, walking through a difficult season, or simply hungry to know God more deeply, you're in the right place.
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  SPEAKER_00: So take a moment, quiet your heart, and open your spirit.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: Let's get into the word of God together.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: This is Ian Green, and this is today's message.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: Walking uprightly.
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  SPEAKER_00: For the Lord God is a Son and Shield.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord will give grace and glory.
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  SPEAKER_00: No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: That's Psalms 84.11 in the King James Version.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: There is something very powerful about the way David describes God in Psalms 84.11.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: He says, For the Lord God is a Son and Shield.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord will give grace and glory.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: What an incredible promise! God says he is our son.
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  SPEAKER_00: He gives us light when we cannot see the way.
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  SPEAKER_00: He gives us grace, the strength and favor we need to keep going.
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  SPEAKER_00: He gives us glory, the evidence of his presence and the ultimate reward of a life lived with him.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: And then comes the condition, them that walk uprightly.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: So what does it actually mean to walk uprightly?
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  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't mean to be perfect.
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  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't mean that you never make a mistake, never fall, never struggle, or never get anything wrong.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: Walking uprightly means that your heart is pointed in the right direction.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: It means that you are determined to live your life before God with integrity.
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  SPEAKER_00: You may stumble but you get back up.
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  SPEAKER_00: You may fall but you repent.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: You may make mistakes but you don't make peace with sin.
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  SPEAKER_00: There is a difference between falling into sin and choosing to live in sin.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: An upright person isn't someone who never falls.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: An upright person is someone who refuses to stay down.
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  SPEAKER_00: So walking uprightly means walking in integrity.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs 10 9 says, He that walketh uprightly walketh surely.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: Integrity means that what people see on the outside is consistent with who you are on the inside.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's being the same person when you're in church, when you're at home, when you're at work, and when nobody is watching.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Because ultimately our lives are not lived before people, our lives are lived before God.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: You can fool people, but you cannot fool God.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: And the beautiful thing is this: God isn't looking for perfection, He's looking for sincerity.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: He's looking for a heart that says, Lord, I want to please you.
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  SPEAKER_00: That's uprightness.
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  SPEAKER_00: David said in Psalms 139, Search me, O God, and know my heart.
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  SPEAKER_00: That's the prayer of an upright person.
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  SPEAKER_00: Not Lord, show everybody else what's wrong with them, but Lord, show me what's wrong with me.
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  SPEAKER_00: Because before God can use us to change other people, he must first be allowed to change us.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: Walking uprightly means walking in obedience.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus said in John 14 15, If you love me, you keep my commandments.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: Walking uprightly is not simply knowing God's word, it's doing God's word.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: We can hear sermons every Sunday, we can listen to worship music, we can read our Bibles, we can know Scripture, but the real question is, are we living it?
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: The Word of God is not merely information, it's transformation.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: See, God wants His Word to change the way we speak, the way we think, the way we treat people, the way we handle money, the way we respond when we're offended, the way we behave when nobody is watching, the way we conduct ourselves in our relationships.
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  SPEAKER_00: That's walking uprightly.
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  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes obedience is difficult because God will ask us to do things that our flesh doesn't want to do.
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  SPEAKER_00: He'll tell us to forgive when we want revenge, to remain silent when we want to respond, to give when we want to keep, to love when we don't feel loved, to walk away from something when everything inside us wants to stay.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: But every act of obedience brings us closer to the heart of God.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: Walking uprightly means watching your walk.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: The Bible repeatedly talks about our walk.
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  SPEAKER_00: Why?
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  SPEAKER_00: Because Christianity isn't just about where you arrive, it's about how you get there.
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  SPEAKER_00: Your walk represents your daily lifestyle.
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  SPEAKER_00: What are you walking in?
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  SPEAKER_00: Are you walking in bitterness?
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  SPEAKER_00: Are you walking in unforgiveness?
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  SPEAKER_00: Are you walking in pride?
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  SPEAKER_00: Are you walking in compromise?
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  SPEAKER_00: Or are you walking in love, humility, obedience, and truth?
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  SPEAKER_00: Ephesians 5 15 says, See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.
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  SPEAKER_00: In other words, pay attention to how you're living.
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  SPEAKER_00: Don't just drift through life.
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  SPEAKER_00: Don't allow your environment to determine your character.
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  SPEAKER_00: Don't allow other people's behavior to determine yours.
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  SPEAKER_00: You have to make a conscious decision.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to walk with God.
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  SPEAKER_00: And walking with God means that sometimes you will have to walk away from things.
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  SPEAKER_00: Some relationships, some conversations, some environments, some attitudes, some habits, some opportunities.
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  SPEAKER_00: Because not everything that is available to you is beneficial to you, and not everything that feels good is good for you.
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  SPEAKER_00: Walking uprightly means being willing to say, if God isn't in it, I don't want it.
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  SPEAKER_00: Uprightness is developed in the secret place.
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  SPEAKER_00: You cannot live an upright public life if you have no private relationship with God.
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  SPEAKER_00: What happens in secret eventually becomes visible in public.
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  SPEAKER_00: Jesus spoke about praying in secret.
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  SPEAKER_00: He spoke about giving in secret.
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  SPEAKER_00: He spoke about our Father who sees what is done privately.
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  SPEAKER_00: The secret place is where character is formed.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's where God deals with our pride.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's where he heals our wounds.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's where he corrects our attitudes.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's where he teaches us obedience.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's where we learn his voice.
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  SPEAKER_00: And it's where we discover that God's presence is more valuable than God's presence.
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  SPEAKER_00: We don't seek God simply because we want him to give us something.
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  SPEAKER_00: We seek him because he is God.
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  SPEAKER_00: And when we put God first, everything else begins to find its proper place.
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  SPEAKER_00: Jesus said, Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
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  SPEAKER_00: That's the principle of Psalms 84:11.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: No good thing will you withhold from them that walk uprightly.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: God knows what is good for us, and sometimes God's no is just as much a blessing as his yes.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes God withholds something because he knows that what we are asking for would destroy us.
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  SPEAKER_00: So we have to trust his wisdom.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: So, how do we impart uprightness to others?
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: This is especially important for parents, leaders, pastors, worship leaders, and anyone who influences other people.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: You cannot impart what you are unwilling to live.
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  SPEAKER_00: People don't just listen to what we say, they watch how we walk.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: If I tell somebody to forgive but I never forgive, what have I really taught them?
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  SPEAKER_00: If I tell someone to pray but prayer isn't part of my life, what have I imparted?
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  SPEAKER_00: If I preach humility but live in pride, people will see the contradiction.
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  SPEAKER_00: The greatest sermon you will ever preach is your life.
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  SPEAKER_00: And Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11 1, be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
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  SPEAKER_00: Notice what Paul didn't say.
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  SPEAKER_00: He didn't simply say, Listen to me, he said, follow me.
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  SPEAKER_00: That's impartation.
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  SPEAKER_00: Impartation happens when somebody sees Christ being formed in you and says, I want what you have.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: When your children see you praying, when people see you forgiving, when they see you serving, when they see you honoring God when nobody is applauding, when they see you remain faithful through difficulty, that's how righteousness is imparted.
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  SPEAKER_00: Not merely through instruction, through demonstration.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's return to Psalms 84:11.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord God is a sun and shield.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord will give you grace and glory, grace for the journey, glory for the destination, and then no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: Notice it doesn't say God will give us everything we want.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: It says he will not withhold any good thing.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: That's different.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: God is a good father, and a good father knows the difference between what a child wants and what a child needs.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we cry because God hasn't opened the door, but perhaps he's protecting us from what's behind the door.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we become frustrated because God hasn't answered our prayer, but perhaps he's preparing something better.
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  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes God says, wait, sometimes he says no, and sometimes he says not yet.
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  SPEAKER_00: But if you're walking uprightly, you can trust that your Father knows what is best.
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  SPEAKER_00: So the conclusion is what does it mean to walk uprightly?
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  SPEAKER_00: It means walk in integrity, walk in obedience, walk in holiness, walk in humility, walk in love, walk in truth, walk in the presence of God.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: And when you fall, don't run away from God, run back to Him.
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  SPEAKER_00: Because the enemy wants you to believe that your failure disqualifies you.
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  SPEAKER_00: But God says, get back up.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: Micah 7:8 says, When I fall, I shall arise.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: That's the heart of an upright person.
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  SPEAKER_00: Not I never fall, but I refuse to stay down.
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  SPEAKER_00: And perhaps today God is calling somebody back to an upright walk.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you've compromised, maybe you've become distracted, maybe you've allowed bitterness into your heart, maybe you've become spiritually dry.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you've been walking with God but you've taken your eyes off him.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: Today God is saying, Come back to me.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: Straighten your walk, align your heart, return to the secret place, return to prayer, return to the word, return to obedience, return to his presence, because there is a blessing attached to walking uprightly.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
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  SPEAKER_00: So don't just ask God, Lord, bless my life.
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  SPEAKER_00: Ask him, Lord, make my life worthy of your blessing.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: Don't just ask, Lord, give me more.
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  SPEAKER_00: Ask, Lord, make me more like you.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: Don't just ask God to change your circumstances, ask him to change your character.
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  SPEAKER_00: Because when your character is right, you can carry the blessing without allowing the blessing to carry you away from God.
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  SPEAKER_00: So today, make this your prayer.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, teach me to walk uprightly, teach me to walk in truth, teach me to walk in obedience, teach me to walk in humility, teach me to walk in love, and let my life become an example that somebody else can follow.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: And as you walk with him, trust him, because he is your son when you need direction, he is your shield when you need protection, and he is your grace when you are weak, he is your glory when the journey is complete, and his promise remains.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
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  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for joining me today, and I pray that this message has encouraged you, strengthened your faith, and drawn you closer to God.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: If this ministry has been a blessing to you, please consider becoming a partner and helping us continue to share the word of God and the message of hope with people around the world.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: You can find out more about supporting the ministry through the links provided.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, remember this God loves you and He has a purpose for your life, and He's always with you.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: Army in Green, God bless you, and I'll see you again soon.