The Faith of A Man Who Did Not Die

 

Let Us Keep Holding On To The Word

Hebrews 11:5–6

  1. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not experience death, and no one could find him. Why? Because God received him to Himself. Before he was taken up, he was commended as having pleased God.

  2. And without faith, it is impossible to please God, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who diligently seek him.

Enoch’s story is really unusual. It is like no other faith walk I have seen, and it is brief, but his faith is unforgettable. In a dark generation, he walked with God so closely that he never saw death. Hebrews 11:5–6 shows us what made his faith so extraordinary — and so relevant for us today. Please consider the following four teachings in order for you to have Enoch type faith.

I.  Enoch Walked With God In spite of A Corrupt World 

Enoch lived in the 7th generation that first started with Adam. And it was a time when wickedness was rapidly spreading. Yet he chose a different path. He didn’t just believe about God — he intimately walked with Him. His faith was not about just mentally accepting some fact about there being a God “out there.” But it was a committed, and commendable lifestyle, and a steady companionship with God in the middle of a collapsing culture. Peer pressure, and seeking others approval, had nothing to do with Enoch’s faith filled walk. He cared only about what God thought about him. He could care less about other people's opinion of him.

Though None God With Me, Still I Will Follow

Enoch’s faith still calls us to walk with God when the world walks the other way. We live in an age when God's Ten Commandments are totally ignored, and for many, it is an age of ignorance of what these liberating ten limits really are. During our time, the Bible is still the best selling book on planet Earth, but biblical illiteracy is the plague of our generations.  We live in an age when babies are slaughtered on the altar of so called "reproductive rights" or a "woman's right to choose." Pretty much one entire political party, the Democratic Party, lives by this view.  Yes, we live in a day when political, and even Mainline Church leaders, want to help a child question  its God given gender, chemically castrate them or remove breasts or pump them full of other "meds" just to  change them, and do so without parents being told. We live in a wicked world where folks cannot -- no they  --- DO NOT define what is a woman in order to cheat on sports and have men in women's private restroom facilities. Yes, we live in what Jesus calls "the days of Noah." It is a generation that is like the days of Enoch.

So Called "Civil Rights"

Even so called "Christians" take part in the most abominable behavior there is. These "Christians" fight for their sin filled horrid unholiness as a civil right; meanwhile, they claim Christ as their own. Let us NOT become a part of any of this. Like Enoch, no matter what others do, let us live faithfully by faith, as the Lord transforms our walk, until Jesus comes. Though none will go with us, still, let us follow our Lord, and our Savior, Jesus Christ, in the path of holy living.

II.  Enoch’s Faith pleased God — and God made it known

Hebrews says Enoch “was commended as one who pleased God.” God Himself testified about Enoch’s life. Enoch didn’t seek applause from people; he sought the smile of God. He did not focus on staying connected with those who walked differently from him. He just walked differently as he walked with God. And God honored that faith in the most dramatic way possible — He took him. Why? Because  Enoch yearned for God to take over, and control, his life, daily.

Enoch never tasted death. His faith carried him straight into the presence of God. Wow! This is such a short story, but it is, indeed, and amazing story!

III. Enoch’s Faith Shaped The Next Generation and Others:

Enoch was the father of Methuselah, the man who lived longer than anyone recorded. Methuselah means, "after his death, the bringing forth of water." By naming him this, he even taught his son what was about to happen, and soon after Methuselah's death, came the Noah story.  Enoch's walk with God didn’t end with himself — it influenced his family, his lineage, and the generations that followed.  We are even hearing about his faith thousands of years later.

Footprints of Faith

Faith always leaves footprints for others to follow. Who is watching you as you walk with the Lord? Who is following not far behind you? Could it be your child? What about your grandchild?  Your great grandchild? Maybe it is someone with whom you work? Perhaps a friend is one of your close observers? Maybe a relative is watching, and seeking, hopefully finding you to be someone to help them live a better life? To help them find Jesus. It might just be someone you associate with?  Or maybe it is your neighbor?  Somewhere, in my past I learned that each of us has about 250 people with whom we are connected. I sincerely hope each of us has an Enoch influence on those generations that follow. I hope we have the grace to influence others who need to know God. I write this blog for this very reason.

IV.  Enoch Shows Us What Faith Must Be.  (Hebrews 11:6)

Two truths defined Enoch’s walk:

  • God exists — not as an idea, but as a living reality. Enoch truly believed God IS. He really walked in holy fellowship with God. I am thinking that was a really close walk. 

  • God rewards those who diligently seek Him — not those who drift, but those who pursue. God rewards people of faith who hunger, and who thirst after righteousness. Before Jesus came to the earth, Enoch was exemplifying the teachings of our Lord, and our Savior, Jesus Christ thousands of years before the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus said it something like this: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for that person will be filled to over flowing.

Enoch lived like God was real, near, and worth seeking. That is why his life pleased God. This is what is meant, for us Christ Followers, "To take up the Cross and follow Jesus."

Reflection

Enoch reminds us that faith is not merely believing about God — it is walking with God, Daily. Quietly. Steadily. Faith that walks becomes faith that pleases. As Christ Followers, intimately knowing Jesus, through faith in Him, is what pleases our Heavenly Father. This Faith that pleases becomes faith that God honors. Our intentional faith-walk with Jesus honors God. Faith that seeks becomes faith that God rewards. 

We May Not Die Because God Will Take Us

We have a similar reward awaiting us that is like Enoch's, if we truly, seek Jesus: For there is coming a rewarding day, when the Lord will come for we, who are His church, and He will descend from Heaven with a shout, and the voice of the Arch Angel, and the dead and Christ will rise first. Then, we who are alive and remain, will be caught up with them in the Heavenly dimensions. Did you catch that? We also will NOT taste of death, if we truly are faithfully walking with God. See 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18.

Enoch’s life ended without a funeral, and so might ours. Yes, his life was, indeed without a funeral, but it was not without a testimony. May our faith walk, with our LORD, speak just as clearly, and may our faith journey shine just as brightly.

Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
Help us today to be faithful, and full of faith, to You, through the Lord and Savior Jesus, the Christ. Transform us, and form us into the image of Christ. Let our faith, please You. Please, produce in us a consistent, committed and commendable faith that produces our companionship with you. And may our faith produce, in us,  Christ like lives in the midst of this corrupt culture in which we live. Let us never doubt that you are, and that you are the rewarder of we who diligently seek You. Help us to have a faith that produces a positive testimony, for all those coming after us, and who around us. Let our faith be a living example for others to follow.
In Jesus Name.
AMEN

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