Sit Walk Stand
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Watchman Nee was instrumental in starting the movement of “house churches” in China in the early to mid-1900s. His primary focus was on the finished work of Jesus Christ. He felt that the house churches should be self-propagating and self-supporting.
He ministered through the time of the Cultural Revolution, World War II, the war with Japan, in times when there was much turmoil in China. He was imprisoned in 1952 and spent 20 years in prison. He died a month after being released from prison.
Sit has to do with our relationship to God.
Ephesians 2:6 KJV:
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Walk has to do with our relationship to man.
Ephesians 4:1 KJV:
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
Stand has to do with our conflict with the enemy.
Ephesians 6:11 KJV:
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
The purpose of these three things that we have is to be to the praise of His glory.
Ephesians 1:12-13 KJV:
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Ephesians 2:1–3 KJV:
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
We were dead. We were disobedient. We were depraved. And we were doomed.
Ephesians 2:4–7 KJV:
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
John 10:9 KJV:
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
For Christianity begins not with a big do, but with a big done. D-O-N-E. Done!
The first lesson we must learn is this: that the work is not initially ours at all but His. It is not that we work for God but that He works for us. God gives us our position of rest. He gave us that seated-next-to-him-in-the-heavenlies position. He brings His Son’s finished work and presents it to us. And then He says, “Please sit.”
God is waiting till you cease to do. And when you cease doing, then God will begin.
When we rest in what God has given us in Christ Jesus, then that’s when God goes to work. And that’s when we can begin to walk.
Hebrews 4:1–4 KJV:
1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. 2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. 3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
Adam’s first day of life was the Sabbath. He got to rest on his first day. That’s a principle, we have to rest if we want to walk.
Hebrews 4:10–11 KJV:
10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
Ephesians and Colossians talk a lot about walking. Walk in love (Ephesians 5:2). Walk in light (Ephesians 5:8). Walk circumspectly (Ephesians 5:15). Walk in wisdom (Colossians 4:5).
Two things we are going to look at are walking a straight path and walking with integrity.
Walking a Straight Path or Course
Romans 4:12 KJV:
And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
Galatians 6:16 KJV:
And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
Proverbs 15:21 KJV:
Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom: but a man of understanding walketh uprightly.
The word “uprightly” can also refer to walking with integrity. Integrity does not mean our own works, but according to the integrity or truth of what we have in Christ.
Psalm 15:1–2 KJV:
1 LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? 2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.
Psalm 84:11 KJV:
For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Proverbs 2:7–9 KJV:
7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. 8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. 9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.
As you walk the path, God shows you more about it. God shows you His judgment about the path and what you should do. We are not doing this on our own. It is not some nebulous thing that we can’t understand. It becomes clear how we should walk.
Colossians 4:5 KJV:
Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
Ephesians 5:16 KJV:
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
We don’t know when Christ will return, so we take advantage of the time we have and serve others, walking in love.
Ephesians 2:10 KJV:
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Stand
2 Corinthians 10:3 KJV:
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
Standing has to do with our relationship, our conflict with our enemy. He doesn’t want us to walk uprightly, with integrity, on a straight course, in love and wisdom. He has crooked paths he wants us to walk. Crooked paths like legalism, unbelief, judgmental things, etc.
Ephesians 6:10–11 KJV:
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might [not your own might]. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
It has an order that it describes these items, but you can’t put on a girdle until after you put on the breastplate.
Ephesians 6:12–17 KJV:
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
We don’t wrestle against flesh and blood; it’s a spiritual wrestling.
From a position of triumph, we stand against the wiles of the devil.
We draw a line in the sand and don’t allow the adversary to intrude on what we have or who we are in Christ. The real key is to watch, to keep your eyes open.
Isaiah 21:6–8 KJV:
6 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth. 7 And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed: 8 And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights:
Our armor is on all the time. We stand, and stand, and stand.
Isaiah 21:9 KJV:
And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.
The battle is not about going and trying to fight the enemy. We stand in what we have in Christ Jesus, and we watch.
Galatians 5:1 KJV:
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
There are many other places about standing together, standing strong, standing fast in one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.
Now we can see how sit, walk, and stand interrelate with each other. We don’t always sit. We need to get up and walk together. Sometimes, as we are walking, something will happen, and we need to stand against the enemy.
Jeremiah 6:16 KJV:
Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.
This teaching is also available on the Acts Now Fellowship website.
See also:
Walking in Newness of Life from the Acts Now Fellowship website.
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