Hebrews 11_5_6 Enoch outline

Text: Hebrews 11:5-6

Title: walking with God

Intro: Have you ever walked a very long distance? 38-mile Road March…got lost.. endured by putting one foot in front of the other with assurance that we would find our grid point.

The story of Enoch: And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

CPS: Walk by faith not by sight – Enoch walked with God 300 years holding on to a promise of Delivery and by that faith He was rewarded so that he did not taste death.

The Hebrews were being persecuted and had been waiting for Christ to return and set all things right. (10:37-38). That hadn’t happened yet and They grew impatient to the point they were willing to exchange the only way to truly walk with God by returning to the Sacrificial Law. The Hebrews were willing to exchange the only way to please God and never taste death by returning to the broken religion of Judaism.

Jesus’ testimony is that He was God’s anointed because He did draw back even to the point of death – He was who He claimed to be and no trial (6) could find Him guilty of blasphemy and no cross or Cat-o-nine Tail could make Him deny Who He truly was.

Jesus was the ultimate example, He did not drawback back but pressed forward for their sake, we are to press forward and not draw back.

Endure to the end….. death or Jesus’ return

Enoch Pleased GodVs. 5

5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

By Faith – The assurance of his hope to be delivered from sin and God’s wrath, Enoch walked as though he was already given his portion in paradise.

Translated = Taken up, removed or deserted earth (Raptured)

Illustration: Star Trek – Beam me up Scotty, he was physically called up to Heaven, there is no evidence of him anywhere – he just disappeared

Did not see Death or Taste Death – He is God’s illustration of eternal life

Enoch’s Testimony – (great testimonies/bad ones = focus on the sinner and sinned he did commit… I’ve heard people say “I don’t have a powerful testimony like (you/or Joe blow) The greatest Testimony I have heard is simply “he pleased God”

Those who please God, never taste death. Why would the Hebrews return to Judaism – they couldn’t please God by their broken form of worship.

Worship revolved around the Sacrificial System (Lev. How you are to approach God in worship)

SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED Heb 10:5. (Ps. 40:6)

IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE TAKEN NO PLEASURE Heb 10:6. (Ps. 40:6) BAND AIDS

THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.” Heb 10:7. (Psalm 40:7-8)

Who has come? – Jesus – The body God prepared before the foundation of the world.

He fulfilled the Law, did away with the need for a sacrificial system because He was the perfect sacrifice that truly pleased God.

Rivers of animal blood (Bulls, Goats, Sheep, Turtle Doves) that was shed never had the effect that the blood of one man did. Jesus.

By the assurance of God’s Faithfulness to His word Enoch was Raptured, caught up into the heavens.

Walked 300 years with God and the deliverer of Gen. 3:15 did not come…. 4,000 years later…. All Enoch had was a promise and he embraced it as though it had already been kept and that gave him a relationship with God.

God found him pleasing.

How to please GodVs.6

6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him

Without- Apart from

Impossible – (Greek) impossible = powerless – with anything and everything else you are powerless to please God.

Illustration: Balen’s report card…. Pleased me I took delight in knowing he was working hard in class…… I made deans list…

I can’t bank on my good grades during my theological education to please God.

I can bank on my theological education to please God….. Nor my service, nor sermons………. ONLY BY FAITH ARE WE ABLE TO DELIGHT GOD!

The author tells the Hebrews believers what promise they are to cling to, what they are to be assured of……. What they are to “Believe” in.

Believe that He is…. That God exists… although He is invisible… we walk by faith that God exist… walk with him and talk with him as though He is right here with us……. BE IS!

What a testimony we have…. We may not be able to see God but we can see evidence of His existence…. Creation… we see His handywork… as God created the world out of invisible nothingness and brought into to sight…. We will one day see the invisible existence.

But believing He exist is not enough!

Believe God is faithful to His word…. He will reward those by their faith… at the end… Be it at end of their life …or at the return of Jesus they will be rewarded by being delivered from God’s judgment.

By faith as a reward you will hear… “well done faithful servant enter into the joy of your master.”

Those without faith will hear “depart from me, I never knew you” and will be cast into eternal separation.

Are you walking only in belief that He exist? That’s not enough… you need to walk as though you have in your hand the title deed to a home in heaven……. Because you do…. The Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:5 Your hope will not be put to shame because you have received your down payment… the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion: Faith pleases God

the faith which not only believes that he exists but waits patiently and confidently for the reward promised to those who seek him.

The Hebrew believers grew impatient and was waiting for the Messiah to return in His glory and deliver them from their enemies, to annihilate Rome and conquer Jerusalem and sit down on His thrown bringing peace to them and the land

But, Jesus hadn’t returned yet…… He still hasn’t returned… be patient and just keep walking.

They had walked perhaps 30 years waiting on the promise to come, Enoch is an example of patient enduring faith… 300 years he walked patiently… and we see God’s example of rewarding the faithful…. Enoch didn’t taste death and was called up to be with God.

God is faithful you be faithful… no matter what comes… stress and anxiety… sickness and heartache…. Pain and sorrow.

Just faithfully put one step in front of the other

Patiently Endure -the end is worth it rather if it is Jesus 2nd coming or the end of your life