Enoch: A Faith Filled Walk (Hebrews 11:5)

I Want to welcome you to this morning, would you stand and sing with me, please?

My faith has found a resting place not in device nor creed

I trust the ever living one his wounds for me shall plead

I Need no other Argument, I need no other plea

It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me

My heart is leaning on the word the written word of God Salvation by my savior's name salvation through his blood

I need no other Argument, I need no other plea

It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me

My heart Position is a sick the loss he came to say

For me his precious blood he shed for me his life he gave

I need no other Argument, I need no other plea

It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me

Jesus your mercy is all my plea Have no defense my guilt grows too deep

The best of my works pierced your hands and your feet Jesus your mercy is all my plea

Jesus your mercy is all my boasts Goodness cycling the grounds of my hope

Whatever I lack is still what I need Jesus your mercy

Is Praise the king who bore my sin Took my place and I stood condemned

Oh, how good you've always been to me.

I will sing Mercy You Jesus your mercy is all my rest

Comfort I cling to Jesus your mercy is all my

Rest Praise the king who bore my sin

Took my place and I stood condemned Oh, how good you've always been to me.

I will sing Jesus your mercy is all my joy

Wherever I live my heart and my voice Sing of a treasure no power can destroy

Jesus your mercy is all my joy Praise the king who bore my sin

Took my place and I stood condemned Oh, how good you've always been to me

I will sing Praise the king who bore my sin

Took my place and I stood condemned How good you've always been to me.

I will sing Your mercy Love could remember no wrongs we have done omniscient

Knowing he counts not our son thrown into the sea without bottom or show

Our sins they are many his mercy is more

What patient would wait as we constantly

His mercy is more praise the

Lord His mercy is more

Stronger than darkness You every more our sins.

They are many his mercy What riches of kindness he lavished on us his blood

Payment his life was the cost we stood We could never

Afford our sins. They are many his mercy is more praise the

Lord His mercy is Stronger than darkness you every more our sins.

They are many his mercy Praise the Lord his mercy is more

Stronger than darkness you ever more our sins.

They are many his mercy is more Just two announcements this morning before I asked you to turn your

Bibles for the scripture reading one on January 14th and 15th we have Justin Peters here for his clouds without water seminar and I just wanted to remind you of that if you haven't registered for That we would like you to register so that we know how many

People to plan for in terms of refreshments for Friday night and Saturday. It's a two -day seminar Friday evening two sessions and Friday four sessions and We are not going to charge for that conference

We are just going to take up an offering for that and whatever is brought in More than the cost of the refreshments for that is going to go to Justin Peters ministry

So, please go to the church website and register for that If you would plan on attending either one of those two days and then second we're starting the next round of fellowship dinners

Which is your opportunity to be? put into a group with three other families in the church at random and you'll get to enjoy fellowship with them and a meal once A month for four months in a row if you want to participate in that group

Please sign up on the table that is out in the foyer on the on the signup sheet out there Turn your

Bibles now, please to the book of Jude The book of Jude For our scripture reading we're reading this book because it mentions

Enoch the character that we're gonna be looking at from Hebrews chapter 11 the book of Jude We're gonna read the entire book

I'm not sure we've ever done that in a for scripture reading before but we are gonna read this entire book. So settle in get ready

All right, the book of Jude Jude a bondservant of Jesus Christ and brother of James to those who are the called

Beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ may mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you

Beloved while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation I felt the necessity to write you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith

Which was once for all handed down to the Saints for certain persons have crept in Unnoticed those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation ungodly persons who turned the grace of our

God into licentiousness and Deny our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ Now I desire to remind you though you know all things once for all that the

Lord after saving a people out of the land of Egypt subsequently destroyed those who did not believe and Angels who did not keep their own domain but abandoned their proper abode

He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them since they in the same way as these

Indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire

Yet in the same way these men also by dreaming defile the flesh and reject authority and revile angelic majesties

But Michael the Archangel when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment

But said the Lord rebuke you But these men revile the things they do not understand and the things which they know by instinct like unreasoning animals by these things

They are destroyed Woe to them They've gone the way of Cain and for a pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam and perished in the rebellion of These are men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear caring for themselves clouds without water

Carried along by winds autumn trees without fruit doubly dead uprooted wild waves of the sea

Casting up their own shame like foam wandering stars for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever

It was about these men that Enoch in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied saying

Behold the Lord came with many thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment upon all and to convict all the ungodly of all their

Ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him

These are grumblers finding fault following after their own lusts. They speak arrogantly flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage

But you beloved ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ That they were saying to you in the last time there will be mockers following after their own ungodly lusts

These are the ones who cause divisions worldly minded devoid of the spirit But you beloved building yourselves up on your most holy faith praying in the

Holy Spirit keep yourselves in the love of God waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life and Have mercy on some who are doubting

Save others snatching them out of the fire and on some have mercy with fear hating even the garment polluted by the flesh

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory Blameless with great joy to the only

God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord Be glory majesty dominion and authority before all time and now and forever.

Amen We stand with me as we pray It's about our heads

Father our hearts this morning have every reason to be joyful and and exultant in your grace

We have every reason to come before you and to praise you and to worship you to adore you to say all of the true

Things that are that can be said about you because you are a God of grace and glory and love

We thank you that you have saved us and redeemed us We thank you for the spiritual blessings that we enjoy in Jesus Christ for the gift of faith for your preserving grace that Preserves us and keeps us in that faith and for your sanctifying work that continues to draw us near to you enabling us to walk with You in holiness and in righteousness and in fear of the truth

We pray that you would accomplish your every good purpose and pleasure in our hearts this morning That you would as we lift our voices lift our hearts toward you and draw near to us as we draw near to you unite

Our hearts in fear of you and in the unity around the truth and that Jesus Christ may be glorified here amongst us your people that is our prayer that as your word is preached and as our your people meditate upon your words we are brought face -to -face with Faith and the reality of Christ and who he is and what he has done for us that our hearts may rejoice in that We love you

And we thank you as your people for all the great blessings that you have lavished upon us in Jesus Christ in whose name we pray

Jesus Precious Jesus my

Name above all

Precious Messiah Oh For giving us your son

Leaving your spirit till the work on earth is done

When I stand in glory I will see his face

There I'll serve my king forever Thank you

For giving us your son

And Thank you all my father

For giving us your son And Leading your spirit till the work

Is done Oh Lord my rock and my

Redeemer Greatest treasure of my longing

My God like you there is no

True delight is found in you alone

Your grace a well -to -do Your love exceeds the heavens

Your true found a perfect wisdom

My high is good and my Oh Lord my rock and my

Redeemer Strong defender of my weary heart

My soul to fight the cruel deceiver

And my shield against his hateful dog

My soul when enemies around me

My whole when tied to sorrow rise

My joy when trials are Drowning your faithfulness

Refuge in the night Oh Lord my rock and my

Redeemer Gracious savior of my ruined

My guilt and cross laid on your shoulder

In my place you suffer You roll the grave and death are gone

You broke my bonds of sin and shame

You roll the grave and death are gone

You broke my bonds of sin and shame

My rock and my Redeemer May all my days bring glory to May all my days bring glory to Please be seated and now please turn to Hebrews chapter 11

Hebrews chapter 11 Let's begin with the word of prayer before we Look at this passage

Our father it is our desire that you would speak to us through your word We pray that our eyes may be opened and our hearts would be attentive to your word

Help us to see here another element or aspect of what? saving sanctifying and securing faith means for us your people and We pray that you would give us grace to live in obedience to that and energize and encourage our hearts together

Through your word we play pray in Christ's name. Amen We are back in Hebrews chapter 11 and though we left for three weeks to look at Simeon in Luke chapter 2

We didn't really leave the theme of Hebrews chapter 11 since the theme of Hebrews chapter 11 is the theme of faith and really we could

Take Simeon and pull him out of Luke chapter 2 and drop him right into Hebrews chapter 11

Of course not in the early part of Hebrews chapter 11 But we could drop him in there and he would fit right in because he was a man of faith

Luke 2 says he was righteous which meant that he was a man of faith He was devout and careful in his obedience to the law of God to Scripture So he obviously faith informed his obedience to the

Lord He was waiting expectantly for the hope and consolation of Israel. So that is a forward -looking trusting in God's promise that God would fulfill his promise to To his people and he was walking in the power of the

Holy Spirit So all of those elements are wrapped up with what it means to be a man of faith. So Simeon fits our context

He kind of fits our theme though. We haven't been in Hebrews chapter 11 So now we're transitioning to Enoch and he is the next in our series of Hebrews Heroes of the faith in Hebrews chapter 11.

Let's begin reading at verse 3 Hebrews 11 and we'll read through the end of verse 7 by faith

We understand that the worlds were prepared by the Word of God So that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible

By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous

God testifying about his gifts and through faith though he is dead He still speaks by faith

Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death and he was not found because God took him up for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God and 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 seek him By faith Noah being warned by God about things not yet seen in Reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household by which he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness

Which is according to faith There is a chronological order that is given to us here in Hebrews chapter 11.

The chronology begins with Abel he's the first example drawn from the Old Testament and then we can trace the the chronology of these first few characters very easily through Hebrews 11 as we parallel it with the first few chapters of Genesis we have

Abel and then we have Enoch and then we have Noah and you of course you can trace each one of those men in the early chapters of Genesis The chronological order is intended to show us that as the argument of the author of Hebrews is faith was required in the very beginning

It goes all the way back to the beginning. There was never a time at which men were Accepted by God or pleasing to God on the basis of anything other than faith in God's promises and in God's Word So the chronology goes all the way back to the beginning to show us that even right after the fall

God demanded that men come to him on the basis of faith There's also a logical order not just a chronological order

But a logical order to these characters in these first few verses of Hebrews 11 the logical order is this we begin with Cain who worshipped

God who approached God in faith and Cain shows us that before we can even walk with God before we can serve

God before we can do anything else with God We have to first come to God on his terms Embracing and accepting what he says by faith trusting that Having offered the sacrifice or that a sacrifice having been offered for our sin

We can come and approach God on the basis and the terms in which he demands that we approach him and that we can be

Accepted on those terms Abel worshipped in faith. His was a faith -filled worship. It's even an approaching

God He had to he had to have faith Enoch is a faith -filled walk Enoch is a man who walked with God and before you can walk with God you first have to worship

Or approach God rightly through the means that God has laid out for him. Noah is a faith -filled work

So Noah's the next one we're gonna get to him not next week But the week after that Noah is a faith -filled work.

His work was informed by his faith So first we approach God then we can walk with God and then we can serve

God or work for God There's a logical order and progression of this Abel shows us a faith -filled worship

Enoch shows us a faith -filled work Sorry walk and Noah shows us a faith -filled work So now

Enoch and he is mentioned to us in verse 5 He is the next example in our Hebrews Hall of Faith by faith

Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death And he was not found because God took him up For he obtained the witness that before being taken up.

He was pleasing to God. He is an intriguing character Enoch is an intriguing character because something so significant to set about him.

So So unique and in fact, it's so unique that this only happened to one of the person in all of recorded history

That he was taken up bodily physically into heaven having never suffered death.

That is very unique Do you know anybody that that has happened to in your lifetime? You've known a lot of Saints a lot of righteous people you don't know anybody that you could say that of and Yes, so little is recorded about him that he's just an intriguing character

He did not see death Hebrews 11 verse 5 says he was taken up because by faith

He pleased the Lord or he walked with the Lord Enoch has only mentioned in three places in all of Scripture He's mentioned back in Genesis 5 where we're going to turn to here in a moment

He's mentioned here in Hebrews chapter 11. And of course, he's mentioned in Jude chapter chapter 1 verse 14 and 15

Jude verses 14 and 15 where Jude records a prophecy that Enoch spoke and Jude says this it was also about these men that Enoch in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied saying

Behold the Lord came with many thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment upon all and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly

Deeds which they have done in an ungodly way and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him Apparently Enoch loved that word ungodly.

It must have characterized somebody that he had in mind when he spoke those words But Jude's quotation

Of Enoch his mention of Enoch raises an entirely other issue that is perplexing to us and it is this that Jude calls him a prophet but back in the book of genesis.

We have no words that are recorded from the mouth of Enoch We don't have any record of anything. He said in the book of genesis and yet jude cites him as a prophet and even more

Perplexing and disturbing is the fact that jude quotes a prophecy of Enoch contained in an apocryphal book first Enoch Now we have first Enoch available to us.

You can download it. You can read it I downloaded it this last week and I plan on reading it at some point not I didn't read it this last week

Obviously, but it is a book that is available to us It is not a book that either the jews or the early christians regarded as scripture

It is not quoted authoritatively as scripture by jesus or the apostles jude cites it or mentions it

But he doesn't quote it as if he is quoting scripture. He quotes it as if he's simply quoting another Historical document known as first enoch.

So here's the perplexing question Should we regard first enoch as a canonical book that belongs in our new testament?

I would argue that we should not regard first enoch as a canonical book and you might be thinking to yourself jim first enoch that kind of implies that there is a second enoch

Yeah, and there is a second enoch now the fact that there is a second enoch does not necessarily imply or indicate to us that there is a third enoch but There is there's first second and third enoch

Now third enoch does not necessarily imply to us that there is a fourth enoch and as luck would have it

There is no fourth enoch at least not that we have but we do have first second and third enoch So here are three books that are apocryphal.

They're outside of our canon. They're not included in the old testament They're not included in our new testament And yet here we have these books which were allegedly written by enoch or record the prophecies

And the life of enoch those three books one of them is quoted by jude. That's really perplexing, isn't it?

Here's what we would say about that Let me just and I want to dismiss this because it's intriguing and it raises kind of an interesting

Thing that we have to think through as christians just because jude quotes a historical book That records the words of a prophet of god who spoke that Does not mean that jude regarded that historical book as inspired

It simply means that jude regarded what was said about enoch as accurate and by inspiration of the holy spirit

Jude is recognizing that what this other historical writer said in first enoch was an accurate representation of something that enoch actually said

And jude includes it and therefore we can be confident that enoch said these words He uttered this prophecy even though the prophecy that he uttered is in a book

Though recorded accurately the book itself is not inspired infallible or inerrant and so we don't include it as scripture

Now will you please turn back to genesis chapter 5 and we're only going to be here for a few moments Actually, probably longer than that, but we will we are going to be coming back to hebrews chapter 11

So don't lose your place there As if it's possible for you to lose your place in hebrews because your bible just falls open to hebrews by this point

But turn back to genesis chapter 5 And we're going to look at this genealogy, of course, not all of it because I don't enjoy preaching on genealogies per se

In genesis 5 this genealogy that starts with the generation that starts with adam in verse 1 and takes us all the way through noah in verse 32

In fact, I want you to notice that notice the pattern of how Moses records this genealogy in genesis chapter 5

This is the book of the generations of adam in the day when god created man He made him in the likeness of god

He created them male and female and he blessed them and named them man in the day when they were created

It just all harkens back to genesis 1 and 2 Moses is simply summarizing what he taught there regarding the creation of man and two genders male and female

Verse 3 when adam had lived 130 years He became the father of a son in his own likeness according to his image and named him seth

Then the days of adam after he became the father of seth were 800 years and he had other sons and daughters

So all the days that adam lived were 930 years and then he died now that Pattern is followed for each one of these patriarchs in genesis 5

Each one the author tells us how long he lived and then he had this son And then after that had that son he lived x number of years

And he does this for every last one of them telling us and picking up with the previous one that he mentioned Giving us the lifespan how long they lived had a son etc

That's the pattern that he follows all the way through here the intention of the author Unmistakably the intention of the author is to give us a chronology of the universe.

He starts in adam And these long lifespans don't let that bother you

That shouldn't disturb you at all If you understand have a biblical world view and understand what sin has done and how we are created created perfect The idea that there were long lifespans after the fall before the flood should not disturb you whatsoever

These long lifespans 800 years 100 years 150 years 969 years from ethuselah.

Those are not allegorical. They're not metaphorical They're not symbolic. They're not Whatever else that you might put in there to try and and soften that up to make it palatable to the modern age

They're none of those things. This is history And the author is intending Just so you're all clear.

There is no point in genesis that I do not regard it as history from genesis 1 1 This is the history of the universe all the way through So the author is intending to give us to date for us these events and he gives us a chronology beginning at adam taking us all the way through to noah to the flood and when we

And after the flood there is a precipitous drop off in the lifespan of the patriarchs and here's why

The entrance of sin into a perfect creation caused in the mutations in the genetic code as people were dying and people began to decay and that took a long period of time when there was

The genetic mutations were few and far between and people had a lot of other people to choose from and even though cain would have

Married his sister. Yes, but there was not the genetic Mess -ups that are in our genetic code today

But what you have happening at the flood is you have a genetic bottleneck where all of these mutations come together

And they're condensed down into these eight people So then you do not have the dispersion of all of these different kinds of genetic variations instead

You have those those variations and those genetic copying mistakes that take place in our human dna

They begin just compounding at that point and the lifespans drop off I don't think it has anything to do with the topography or the geology or anything regarding the world before the flood and after the flood

It's a genetic bottleneck that takes place at the flood where those copying mistakes are then just Boiled down and condensed into eight people and that's all the genetic material you have to go with So when you start looking at the lifespans of these people in genesis chapter 5

There's a few interesting details that I think are are essential for us to understand in order to appreciate who enoch was

Enoch was the great grandfather of noah. I'm not going to read through the whole genealogy, but you can do this on your own time

Enoch was the great grandfather of noah now Noah never would have known enoch because enoch was taken up before noah was born

So enoch and noah would never have known each other Noah's lifespan overlapped all of the other patriarchs in genesis chapter 5 except adam and seth

Okay, noah's lifespan overlapped all of the other people listed in genesis chapter 5 except adam and seth

Adam's grandson enosh his lifespan would have overlapped noah's for a hundred years

Seth who was adam's son died only 16 years before noah was born and adam died only 126 years before noah was born

Noah could have known Enoch, sorry, noah could have known enosh adam's grandson

So you had adam seth and enosh Noah could have known him now if you do the math and you figured out

Going backwards through genesis chapter 5 you would find out that enosh that's adam's grandson Was the great great great great one more great grandfather of enoch because enoch

And enosh, sorry, noah and enosh get them right now noah and enosh their lives would have overlapped by a hundred years

Do you think it's possible that noah? And enosh adam's grandson could have known each other

Possible isn't it? We don't know for sure if they did or not because scripture doesn't say that they did but if you knew

That for the first hundred years of your life Your great great great great great grandfather was alive and he was the grandson of adam and could give you

A merely second -hand account of what life was like before the flood Would you not take some time to go visit your great great great great great grandfather and hear those stories?

You probably would and listen It becomes even more intriguing when you get past the flood and you start to look at the rest of the patriarchs in genesis 11

There's another genealogy that's given in genesis 11 that traces us from noah all the way through the line of shem to abraham

And here is something interesting shem and abraham overlapped their lives by 150 years

Shem died only 25 years before abraham died. That is shem the same one who was on the ark noah's son

He died only 25 years before abraham died, which means that their lives overlapped by 150 years

Noah died only three years before abraham was born That means that abraham could have received from shem details that shem would have got

Let's be really super generous and say from noah and noah could have gotten those from enosh adam's grandson

So you're covering a long span of human history But because of the lifespan these people's lives overlap by sometimes centuries and we need to keep that in mind

Now enoch was the seventh from adam. He was the seventh from adam. That's what jude says uh in jude chapter 14 or verse 14 that he was the seventh generation from adam and that's that Sets him apart as from another enoch that is mentioned at the end of genesis chapter 4 verse 27

He is there called enosh and he's the son of cain So that is jude's way of telling you which enoch that he is talking about who was the prophet

This is the enoch who is the seventh generation from adam his father in verse 18 is is named jared

Jared lived 162 years and became the father of enoch Then jared lived 800 years after he became the father of enoch and he had other sons and daughters

So all the days of jared were 962 years and he died Enoch lived here's here's the entire account of enoch's life in genesis beginning at verse 21

Enoch lived 65 years and became the father of methuselah and methuselah is the one who lived 969 years

He any one of these patriarchs you could say this about but methuselah is one of those guys that you you just wish you could Have the compounding interest of his life, right?

Invest a thousand dollars when you're 10 years old and then just watch it compound until you're 969 years old

You could buy the ark. You could buy all the materials for the ark if you could do that He lived 969 years.

In fact, methuselah died the year that the flood came So enoch is methuselah's father.

Methuselah had lamech and lamech had noah. So enoch is noah's grandfather great Great grandfather

And again, noah would not have known enoch because noah was not born until after enoch was taken up Enoch lived a relatively short life.

It says at 65 years old He fathered methuselah who then went on to live 969 years.

He was the oldest lifespan recorded in scripture Methuselah died the year that the flood came then after 300 years

It says that enoch was taken up and he was he was walking with god verse 21 Then enoch walked with god 300 years after he became the father of methuselah

And he had other sons and daughters. We do not know how many sons and daughters he had But he was a family man with a wife.

He had a family And he walked with god for 300 years by the way, that is

That is a walk you can have with somebody who would never get old I could spend 300 years with a lot of people in this room and Honestly, it would get old after a bit probably everybody but my wife it would get old after a bit

But you could even with my wife, I think maybe after a thousand years or so it might There might be nothing else to kind of talk about But with god you can walk with god for 300 years and you never get tired of that fellowship

You can never get tired of that company You and I are going to stand face to face with the lord For all of eternity and we are going to learn of him and learn about him and learn from him

And there will never be an end to that Because he is an infinite being

Whose all of his attributes are perfect and infinitely perfect And so there is no ability to pursue any one of god's attributes and ever get to the point where you think okay

I've learned everything I can learn about that attribute The only thing that makes us bored with such things is our limited intellect

Our limited ability to appreciate those things. That's the effect of sin The fact that enoch walked with god you'll notice is mentioned twice in the text verse 22

Then he knocked walked with god verse 24 He knocked walked with god and he was not for god took him But was not there is just a reference to he was found not the author of hebrews

Says he was not found indicated that they may have looked for enoch and then didn't find him or he was taken away and people

Searched for him, but they did not find him From the book of jude again. We find out that enoch was a prophet

He prophesied this enoch the seventh generation of adam prophesied about ungodly sinners and a judgment That was to come a judgment that would be accompanied by angelic hosts

Upon ungodly sinners over their ungodly ways for all the ungodly things that ungodly people did amongst the ungodly

Remember the repetition of the word ungodly Enoch was a prophet who spoke the truth in his own generation and the judgment that he prophesied was probably the flood

Though the the indications from the text seemed to indicate that the the judgment that he talked about was the flood

Which would be seen within a few hundred years after he was taken up But that beyond that there is another judgment that is to come that they would fit in really well with in fact

Jude says that enoch was speaking of these men the people in jude's own day when enoch said that these people would be judged

Indicating that enoch's prophecy was probably not just of the flood the judgment that was to come at the at the time of the flood

But also a prophecy describing the ultimate judgment of which the flood is only a picture

See the global flood in the old testament just reminds us how god feels about sin And that no sin goes unpunished and that god keeps a reckoning of all the sin

And it reminds us that god is going to judge the world again next time. It's not going to be by water

It's going to be by fire, but there is a judgment that is to come And so enoch's prophecy probably had a double fulfillment

So that's all we get about enoch from the book of genesis In chapter 5 now turn back to the book of hebrews

Turn back to the book of hebrews chapter 11 I wanted you to read of enoch in his context and understand a little bit about him and his lineage

Hebrews chapter 11 and we're going to be back in verse 5 The focus of the author of hebrews in the life of enoch is on enoch's faith

And the role that it had in him walking with god Again verse 5 by faith enoch was taken up so that he would not see death

And he was not found because god took him up for he obtained the witness that before he was being taken up He was pleasing to god and here's why the author of hebrews is citing enoch

Enoch's faith is notable because it was a faith that pleased god. This is something of which god was pleased

He obtained the witness verse 5 says that he was pleasing to god And the idea of a witness that theme is something we see all the way through hebrews 11

Particularly here in the early verses remember It's the idea of a martyr or a testimony one who bears witness to something who is the one who is witnessing that verse 2

These heroes of faith gained approval They gained the testimony verse 4 says abel obtained the testimony god testifying about him that his gifts were acceptable

Who is the one who does the testifying in hebrews chapter 11? Who's the one who gives witness or accreditation to that?

It's god when god embraced cain or sorry when god embraced abel and his gift as opposed to cain It was god testifying concerning abel's gifts that they pleased him when god walked with enoch

It was god's testimony that enoch's faith pleased him when god preserved noah It was god's testimony that noah's faith preserved him and that what noah was doing was an act of faith

These men were righteous and god's embrace of these men his walking with these men's acceptance of these men

Was in fact the testimony that god was given that their faith pleased him just it had always been faith

That pleases god and these men are evidence of that The language that he walked with god is not taken from sorry

The language that he pleased god is not taken from genesis 5 genesis 5 says twice that he walked with god but you'll notice that the author says that He obtained the testimony

He obtained the witness that before he's being taken up. He was pleasing to god That's different language because the book of genesis doesn't say that enoch was pleasing to god.

It says he walked with god So why does the author of hebrews change the wording to saying that he pleased god?

When genesis says he walked with god, is there a difference between those two things? Not in the minds of those who translated the septuagint

Which is the greek translation of the old testament that the author was of hebrews was familiar with He's quoting here the language that the greek translation of the old testament used

The septuagint translates that idiom walking with god as he pleased god So he's simply citing the greek translation of the old testament and he's using the language

God was pleased with enoch rather than enoch walked with god Now I ask you this is it possible for anybody who does not please the lord to walk with the lord?

Does the lord walk with those with whom he is not pleased? Does god lend his intimacy and his fellowship and his faithfulness and his blessing

To those who are at enmity against him who are at odds with him Who live in their sin and walk in darkness does the lord do that?

Does the lord draw near to those who are far from him? He doesn't so the very fact that enoch walked with god is an evidence that he pleased god

And that's the take that the book of hebrews says that that he pleased god his faith was pleasing to the lord

So the lord extended his friendship and his fellowship his intimacy gave Gave enoch joy and delight in his walk with god and these two these things this intimacy this fellowship

The faithfulness between these two these two persons enoch and the lord that cannot exist

Apart from faith that pleases the lord Because verse 6 which really gives us a comment On enoch's example verse 6 of hebrews 11 without faith.

It is impossible to please him You could read that without faith. It is impossible to walk with god Because he who comes to god in order to walk with him you have to come to him in order to come to him

You must believe that he is that makes sense, right? You don't come to people that you don't think exist

None of you none of you go to the easter bunny. None of you go to the spaghetti monster Nobody none of you go to a troll beneath a bridge

You don't think these entities exist so you don't approach them he who comes to god must believe that he is and Believe that he is the rewarder of those who seek him

People who do not believe that god exists or do not believe that god rewards With blessing and joy and delight and eternal life those who seek him.

They don't walk with him And enoch did enoch was somebody who not only believed that god existed

But he believes as an as an action of his faith that god rewards those who seek him And so it is on the basis of faith that enoch walked with god.

Now. I think that that is an encouragement to you and I One of the things that we have seen all the way through This section the end of chapter 10 and into chapter 11 about faith is that the faith that the author is talking about That is evident in the lives of the patriarchs that he is listing in hebrews chapter 11

It's the same faith that saves you and sanctifies you and secures you remember.

It's not a different faith If you and I were to read that enoch pleased god because of his natural abilities

Because he was born less of a sinner Because he was more pious Because he was he didn't sin as much he was less depraved.

He was less fallen He had some natural talent some great spiritual gift some ability that he had to please god

If that's what we read and we thought our walk with god And being pleasing to god is going to be dependent upon some natural capacity that we have you and I would have cause for despair

Because we can say well, then we're not like enoch I can't have that kind of a walk with god because I don't have enoch's natural talents.

I don't have his abilities I wasn't born into a privileged family I couldn't go back and talk to my great great great great grandfather and hear about life before the fall

I didn't come from a godly lineage like Adam and then seth and then enosh and and the rest of that line

I didn't come from them Therefore I can't have that kind of a walk that pleases the lord But if you and I understand that the walk that enoch had with the lord was on the basis of his faith

And then it was his faith that pleased the lord then you and I can have hope can't we? Because the faith by which enoch was saved and the faith by which enoch walked with god and pleased god

Is the same faith that saves and sanctifies and secures you everlastingly? It's the exact same faith

You might be tempted to read of enoch's faith to please the lord and think to yourself. I need the secret recipe to that faith Right.

Is this a secret a super secret special type of faith? No The same faith that brought you to jesus christ the same faith that god has granted to you so that you might know him

Is the same faith by which you walk with him? It's the exact same faith. There's no secret to it

His nearness enoch's nearness to god was such That god took him that's the record record of scripture

He walked with god And he walked from this world into the next That creates some theological questions for us some serious ones

This is unprecedented because nobody else did this There was another person who was taken up into heaven without dying and it was elijah second kings chapter two

Elijah was taken up. He didn't die. He was taken up in a flaming chariot and enoch night.

Elisha saw that So there's only two people who it is. It is recorded have gone into heaven without suffering physical death

This testimony is not made of paul or peter Or john or daniel or isaiah or any other saint in all of scripture?

So if your hope sitting here today is you're thinking to yourself if I walk with god close enough

I won't have to suffer death i'll just be i'll just be Sucked up into heaven

Now I happen to believe the church is going to get sucked up into heaven at some point It's called the rapture But I don't think that that is the function of us walking with god in nearness really closely

This is this is a very unique situation that enoch enjoyed. He did not see death. He never walked through death

He never he never laid down and had his Grandchildren gathered around the foot of his bed watching him pass from this life into the next

He was translated at the age of 365 years Which by the way is a is comparatively young and short life compared to the other patriarchs

Right his son methuselah lived 969 years So that means that basically enoch was taken up having lived only a third of the life that his son lived

So for us that would be like one of us being taken up into heaven at the age of 35 or 40 years old

Something like that He was relatively young 365 years doesn't sound that young to you

But it was young comparative for enoch Now the fact that he was taken up into heaven in his body without suffering death death this

Causes this raises a few theological issues. Let me let me give them to you What happened to him what happened to his body?

That's the big issue. What happened to enoch's body? Was it was he taken up to heaven in his body?

Well We know that he didn't leave his body behind Because when people are taken to heaven and leave their body behind we have a word for that right we call that We call that death.

Yeah, all of us are going to do that. So enoch doesn't is it unique by that measure? So we know that he didn't leave his body behind.

We know that his body was taken up into heaven So then this is another theological question. Is he still in that same physical body that he walked the earth?

In here is he has that physical body in heaven now Or did he go to heaven and then die in heaven and something happened to his body in heaven?

Did he not die in heaven eventually? but the author of hebrews says He didn't die and Do people die in heaven?

That doesn't seem right does it? So is it possible then that that enoch's body was taken to heaven?

And that he was translated on the way to heaven and that his

Mortal body became an immortal body that he was transfigured as we will be someday when we see christ at the resurrection

We were given resurrected bodies. So did enoch then be taken up to heaven and then his

Earthly natural body become a spiritual heavenly body so that he has a resurrected or a glorified body now in heaven.

Is that possible? If that's what happened then jesus christ is not the first fruits of the resurrection enoch is

That's a problem So, what do we do with enoch? And elijah for that matter because there happens to be two old testament saints who went into heaven without suffering death enoch and elijah

I'm not going to start a new denomination over this but this is possible and it's been suggested

That the two those two enoch and elijah will come back during the great tribulation and they are the two witnesses mentioned in revelation that end up dying

And then therefore they will end up dying at some point Their body is being preserved in a natural state now in heaven

That they will die at some point and then they will be just like the rest of us Appointed unto man once to die and after this comes the judgment so that they will end up suffering death as well.

That's possible Like once again, i'm not starting a denomination on it. I don't think it's all that big of an issue

Here's the short answer the question we don't know We don't know what happens to their bodies You know, we don't know what's going to happen.

That's going to be fun to find out But at this point we just simply do not know I do think that we can assume that they didn't leave their bodies behind I think we can assume that they didn't die in heaven and I think that we can assume that their bodies were not translated on the way to heaven which means that If you eliminate all the possibilities the one you're left with right?

The one you're left with is the answer which means that they must be in heaven right now with the same bodies that they Lived on this earth

And for every atheist and agnostic who might hear those words they think man you guys are all a bunch of looney tunes You're all crazy to believe something that absurd

From the book of jude we gain another detail about enoch's life and it tells us a little bit more that he prophesied of a judgment that was to come and he spoke of ungodly sinners doing ungodly deeds in an ungodly way and And being judged for their ungodliness

The fact that enoch prophesied that tells us a little something about the times in which enoch lived Remember his grandson was noah

By the time noah gets on the boat There's eight people on the face of the planet amongst millions who believed

I think enoch lived in some very dark times In fact, I would suggest to you that probably the days in which enoch lived were darker than the days in which you and I lived

So you can never use the excuse. I can't walk with god in a world like this Yeah, he walked with god for 365 years in a world like this

In fact, I would suggest that he walked with god in a world that was worse than the world that we live in in many ways we are shielded and protected from some of the wickedness and By the restraining influences from some of the wickedness that I think enoch would have had to live through like his great -grandfather.

Noah He was a preacher of righteousness. Noah was called a preacher of righteousness in second peter chapter 2 verse 5

Noah preached repentance and faith toward god and turning from sin all the while. He was building the ark

He was mocked and ridiculed by the people around him who remained in unbelief Noah simply following in the tradition of his great -grandfather enoch who also preached of judgment

He prophesied of the judgment that was to come I think probably warning about the flood and eventually warning also to us

About the judgment that is also to come upon this world still yet Because you are called to do this very thing

And I think this is encouraging for us and for the audience of hebrews See he is he's mentioning enoch here Enoch was a man who prophesied and preached the truth and confronted the sin the hostility the rebellion the wickedness and the ungodliness

Of his age and he did so faithfully for 365 years I promise you that god is not calling you to do that in this world for 365 years at best

He might be calling you to do that in this world for 100 If he not did it for 365 you can do it for 100

And the and the audience to which the author of hebrews is writing These were people who had already experienced a great hostility a great conflict of suffering over their faith

These were people who were standing in the midst of a hostile and unbelieving world And they were called to go out and to proclaim the truth and to stand strong in the face of that opposition

And to be unbending and unyielding and unwavering in their faith What a perfect example enoch is of that very thing

So then what does it mean to walk with god Don't you wish the scripture would give us a better description of that even from genesis chapter 5

I can tell you generally what it means We know that enoch approached god by faith and that he was righteous that he was justified

That he came to god in the same way that cain did Believing that on the basis of a sacrifice that his sins would be covered

And that he could have a fellowship and a relationship with god He walked in obedience to god faithful to speak the truth in a hostile world

And there is obviously an intimacy and a fellowship and a joy that is part of walking with god, but see all of that is just General stuff that's not specific details you and I We want the details, don't we?

I want to know what time enoch got up every morning to spend time with god. Was it four was it 4 30? Was it five? How many hours before work?

Did he get up to pray? How long did he pray? How long did he spend reading his bible?

Did he read it once a day twice a day morning evening? See, I want the secret sauce. Did he have family devotions?

What did those look like? At every stage I want to know that did he pray with his family? Did he sing with his family? How many times a week was he in church?

In what ways did he serve the lord? How did he serve the lord? I want the details of this, right? I promise you that if I were to write a book called the walk of enoch or enoch's walk enoch's

The secret to intimacy with god from the life of enoch. I could sell millions of copies of that book

Not to anybody here Because there would probably be some some cerebral palsy crippled youtube celebrity somewhere who would call me out for Making a big deal out of just a few little scant passages of scripture somewhere

But I promise you that books have been written on far less biblical detail than we have of the life of enoch

So I could write Enoch's walk or the walk of enoch and the title would need to be worked a little bit and I have to work everything in Between as well

But I could write that title it would sell across evangelicalism the secrets to intimacy with god because we want the details of that I think scripture gives us

All the details that we need not necessarily the details what we want, but the details that we need We know that enoch was a family man, right?

He had sons and daughters So if you think that you can't walk with god because you have small children or because you don't have children or because you have lots of children

Enoch would say differently Yeah, I can't walk with god because I have a spouse and this requires too much

I have a job i'm too busy Enoch would say differently I think what we see in enoch is he had a right relationship with the lord

He trusted god in his word. He spoke the truth to others. He was faithful in his generation And honestly a walk with god for every saint is going to look different for every person in this room

A walk with god is going to look different than from every other person in this room If you don't have children your walk with god looks different than the family with young children

If you have young children your walk with god looks different than Family with older children from family with older children your walk looks different than it will from the grandparents in your life

Your walk with god is going to look different at every stage of your life depending on what your background has been and how you grew up and what your level of understanding is and What your job demands are and what your physical capabilities are it's going to look different for every person

So it would be wrong for me to say these are the secrets to intimacy with god and then to give you some pattern to fill Some some some recipe some secret sauce some secret to intimacy it doesn't work that way

We approach god with faith We believe god in his word. We take him at his word.

We serve him in our generation faithfully We do what he asks us to do We walk in obedience to him believing his word trusting that he will use us in our day and in our time

And we walk in humility with the lord. That is what it means to walk with god You want to you want to know why it doesn't you don't know what it looked like for enoch specifically

Because it wouldn't matter if he gave you all the details if the author gave you all the details of what that looks like All of the specifics it wouldn't necessarily apply to your life specifically

We do know this Without faith it is impossible to please the lord to walk with him

Because we first must believe that he is and that he rewards those who diligently seek him And then it is up to us to diligently seek him

Given everything that we have to deal with and to walk with him faithfully and to be faithful to him to be obedient the same faith

That brought you to repentance and trust in jesus christ is the same faith that keeps you there

It's the same faith by which you walk with him each and every day colossians 2 verse 6 is just as you received christ

Jesus is lord. So walk in him How did you receive him as lord by faith?

Guess what? That's the secret to your walk by faith I believe that god is I believe that he will reward me and so I will diligently seek him because you and I must

Trust that what we do not see is actually true And we must live with the confidence that what is unseen to us and intangible now

What is only in promise form now is a reality in the future is a reality in eternity and we live in light of that That's what it means to walk in faith.

That's what it means to walk with god The person who does that whatever that looks like in your life That is what pleases the lord

With that faith god is well pleased. Let's pray Our father we do love you and thank you for your

Grace to us. We thank you that your word gives us all that we need to know

Unnecessarily everything we want to know But lord, we have this example here of somebody who just simply obeyed you and in the generation in which they lived

And we are in similar situations We're in a similar generation in that the wickedness around us seems to increase daily and weekly and monthly as time goes on We cry out how long the lord till you will judge till you will bring that judgment and we long to see you glorified and honored in this world and In our lives and we pray that it would happen quickly and speedily

And also that you would keep us faithful in the midst of these dark times to live in a way that is honoring and glorifying to you

To proclaim the truth and to be faithful in our generation that you may be glorified through us In your church both now and forever we pray in christ's name, please stand

Should nothing Of our efforts stand, no legacy survive

Unless the lord does raise the house in vain his builders strive

To you who blows tomorrow's game

Tell me what is your life Amid His ruling reign will ever see

Me to cry His will be done

His kingdom come on earth as he is above Who is himself our daily bread

Praising the lord of all Let living water

Satisfy All glory

And rain will ever see all glory When on the day the great

I am the faithful and the true

The lamb who was for sinners slain is making all things

Behold Our god shall live with us and be our life

And we shall air his people Oh Christ Our king