In this Thanksgiving‑day devotional video, M.T. Clark greets viewers with a personal photo of Lake Ontario taken during a pilgrimage to Buffalo, where he served as an altar counselor for a David Jeremiah event. He uses the occasion to express gratitude for moments of walking and talking with God, emphasizing that a life of Christian discipleship places believers constantly in the Spirit’s presence and produces the fruit of the Spirit. Clark then delivers a short teaching titled “Walking with God: A Faithful Example, Inspiration from Enoch,” drawing on Genesis 5:21‑24, Hebrews 11:5‑6, and John MacArthur’s commentary in 40 Lives in 40 Days. He explains that Enoch’s “walk with God” signifies moment‑by‑moment fellowship, which led to his being taken by God without experiencing death, and parallels how believers, through faith in Christ, escape judgment, receive blessing, and secure eternal fellowship. Clark highlights the necessity of walking by faith, warns believers to proclaim God’s coming judgment as Enoch did, and encourages continual seeking of the Lord’s will. Throughout, he promotes his ministry resources—mt4christ.org, the “Mt. for Christ 247” podcast, and various discipleship courses (including studies on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dr. Neil Anderson’s teachings, and Victory Over the Darkness). The video concludes with a heartfelt Thanksgiving prayer, thanking God for creation, the holiday, and the viewers, and asking for continued guidance and blessings.
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To see today's photo, go to mt4christ.org or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter. Good morning and Happy Thanksgiving. Today's photo of Lake Ontario from the vantage point of the swing set on the shores of B. Foreman Park in Williamson, New York, comes to us from yours truly as I was letting the Holy Spirit guide my path during my pilgrimage to Buffalo to serve as an altar counselor at, uh, for the An Evening with David Jeremiah event at the KeyBank Center back on November 10th. This scene is a reminder to me of just one of the many moments in 2022 that I had abundant joy and am deeply thankful for. Why? Because I was walking and talking with God, of course. When you live a life of Christian discipleship, when you walk in the Spirit, you are constantly in his presence, and the fruit of the Spirit— the Lord's love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, patience, and self-control— shape your character and define your experience. So that is why I encourage all who see or hear this message to establish or rededicate your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and to make the daily decision to follow him. By applying the wisdom of God's Word, the Holy Bible, to the way you live your life by choosing to walk with God. Because I don't have to rush out the door to get to work this morning and because it is Thanksgiving, I have decided to step outside of the box of my normal message by producing it as a video via Zoom with a PowerPoint presentation that I presented to the men that attended the Freedom in Christ discipleship course as our last meeting this past week. With a few alterations, including this text. So it is with a grateful heart and a sincere hope that all who see this have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving. I present this short teaching called Walking with God. Walking with God: A Faithful Example, Inspiration from Enoch. It's brought to you by M.t. Clark and the mt4christ.org blog and the M.t. For Christ 247 podcast. Our sources for today's study will of course be the Holy Bible, and we're drawing the teaching from a devotional by John MacArthur, um, the section on Enoch from 40 Lives in 40 Days. Enoch was the seventh from Adam. MacArthur writes, in all of scripture there are only a few verses devoted to the life of Enoch. However, those brief statements are enough to convey what a remarkable life he lived. They also provide valuable insights into the love of God and the calling of faith he has placed upon us. As we can see, the— with the lifespans of biblical patriarchs here, Enoch was the 7th, uh, 7th in the line of Adam to Jesus Christ, and his father was Jared. Um, I include that information or point that information out because I don't include the Bible verse that states that Jared begot Enoch. So there you are. Genesis 5:21-24 tells us, Enoch lived 65 years and begot Methuselah. And after he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were 365 years. And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. Uh, MacArthur continues, the first passage containing a reference to Enoch tells us that he walked with God. The term walk expresses the idea of moment-by-moment fellowship with the Lord, and in this, and in the early chapters of scripture, it is the primary way that someone is identified as having been forgiven from sin and reconciled to God. Because Noah walked with God he escaped judgment. Because Abraham walked with God, he received blessing. Because Enoch walked with God, he avoided death. When we are in Christ, we also walk with God. Our faith in Christ began our walk with God. Because of our faith in Christ, we escape judgment. Because of our faith in Christ, we receive blessing. Because of our faith in Christ, we avoid death. Because of our faith in Christ, we are in fellowship with God forever. Let me go back to, uh, MacArthur's text. That kind of fellowship is what God both desires and provides. It is the same kind of relationship that he still offers sinners today. As Jesus told the multitudes to whom he preached in Matthew 11:28-30, come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my burden is easy and my burden— my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Even now, the Lord is looking for those who will come to him for forgiveness based on his substitutionary sacrifice and walk with him in fellowship. Enoch's walk was by faith. MacArthur writes, as it is with all who walk with God, Enoch's relationship with God was based on faith. The author of Hebrews tells us as much. Hebrews 11:5-6 tell us, by faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death and was not found because God had taken him. For before he was taken, he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him, for he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. And when we seek the Lord, we will find him. We— and we are to walk by faith, not by sight, as my picture— or, well, the picture says. Our walk must be by faith as well because of his infinite love, God is a lavish rewarder of those who put their faith in him. He grants sinners forgiveness, clothes them in righteousness, and creates in them a new heart. God turns former rebels like me into his children, giving them his Spirit, his blessings, and the promises— the promise of eternal life. He has provided the only way for unworthy sinners to have fellowship with him through his Son Jesus Christ. And if and of all who come, he will turn none away. Enoch's walk with God was marked by steadfast love in the true God. He put his confidence in God's gracious forgiveness and imputed righteousness, knowing that his hope in the Lord would not be disappointed. Faith is the substance of the redeemed life. It was for Enoch, and it must be for us as well. As I said, you know, we are to have our faith in Christ. As Jesus told us in John 14:6, And Jesus answered, saying, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Enoch's response: to seek and save. Like any godly person would be, Enoch was deeply disturbed over the spiritual ruin of the souls in his society, and he took action to warn them about God's impending judgment. And Genesis 5:21 indicates that Enoch named his son Methuselah, a name that means either man of the javelin or man of the sending forth. Evidently, the Lord had revealed to Enoch that judgment would be suddenly unleashed on the earth, sent forth like a javelin, that it would not come until after Methuselah's death— after Methuselah died. Those Thus, even the name of Enoch's son was a warning to the world of his day. Enoch was 65 years old when Methuselah was born. According to Genesis 5:22, it was at that point in his life that Enoch really began to walk with God. Perhaps this was due to the realization that divine judgment was imminent, but whatever the cause, from that event on, he diligently sought the Lord, and he also sought salvation for the people around him. Enoch faithfully warned the world about the coming wrath of God, even though the world would never see that— he would never see that judgment himself. Enoch boldly proclaimed it nonetheless. And in our state, to see the spiritual ruin of the souls in our society, we're to warn people of God's impending judgment and to secure their safety in Christ by placing their faith in Jesus. And he was not, for God took him. The Genesis account of Enoch's life draws the final curtain by stating simply, he was not, for God took him. Enoch vanished from the earth without a trace. He took a walk with God and never came back. Of course, Enoch's walk with God did not end when he stepped into heaven. Rather, it was perfected. Though we may not escape death in this life, we possess the same hope that Enoch had. So let us give thanks. As those who have put our faith in Jesus Christ, walking with him in full forgiveness and ultimate fellowship, we can rest assured that we have escaped eternal death and will live instead in perfect eternal life. So with that full realization of the assurance of our forgiveness, our ultimate fellowship with the Lord, and our eternal security because of him alone, I encourage us all to give our thanks to the Lord our God this Thanksgiving and at all times, and to continue seeking his will for our lives, and to keep walking and talking with God. Happy Thanksgiving! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalm 136. Well, it is Thanksgiving, so I'm not sharing, uh, as much as I normally do on our blog. Uh, the verse of the day will have to wait until tomorrow, and we're not going to share anything from, uh, uh, Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Discipleship, uh, this morning. Um, but we do encourage you to check out our teaching on, uh, Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Discipleship, as we just released our 12th episode of that study yesterday for your enjoyment on the podcast and on YouTube. So if you don't have anything to do this Thanksgiving and you don't want to watch football, you can watch 12 episodes of me reading through Bonhoeffer's text, Discipleship, also known as The Cost of Discipleship. Or if you want, you go to mtforchrist.org and check out my old messages. Dating back a couple of years now, different encouragements and resources that I've shared. And as always, we invite people to check out our discipleship courses that we taught on our podcast back in 2021 for Dr. Neil Anderson's Victory Over the Darkness, The Bondage Breaker, and Freedom in Christ. They are all available on our podcast and our YouTube channel for your personal study and enjoyment. Our purpose here at mt4christ.org and the Mt. for Christ— Mt. for Christ 247 podcast is to encourage people to live a life of Christian discipleship. Why? Because I discovered that, you know, you could be set free and you can live a life that's filled with the fruit of the Spirit when you learn the word of God, renew your mind by it, and repent and follow the Lord with the way you live your life. We thank everyone who might be listening or viewing this teaching today on Thanksgiving. And let's close in prayer. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. Lord, thank you for this holiday where we get together to come— where we come together and give thanks. And Lord, as a Christian, I know that All thanks really lead to you, as you are the Creator of all life and the one, the sustainer of all life and the shaper of human history. And Lord, we just thank you for all that you do. And Lord, we thank you for the people watching. We pray for them. We pray them to be blessed and to keep walking, talking with you for the rest of this year and every day as we just seek to do your will, Lord, and we seek to know you more. Lord, as always, we pray for you to go before us, open our eyes to all the things you have for us to see today, and to lead us in the way we should go. Lord, we thank you, we praise you, and we love you. And we pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen. From M.t. Clark and, and, well, from me, uh, have a Happy Thanksgiving. God bless you.
