By Faith Enoch

Hebrews 11:5-6

recap from the past couple of weeks. We can have a confident, courageous and pure faith because the object of our faith is Christ.

Our Faith in Christ is trusting his decisions and plan despite knowing the reasons or ability to see the outcome of Christ’s plan.

Abel sacrificed his best to Lord in faith that the Lord would supply his every need. Sacrifice to the Lord is our surrender to Him.

Today we will be talking about Enoch. What is Enoch famous for.?

We don’t know a lot about Enoch other than He was 1 of only 2 men that never died. But these couple of verses show that Enoch had one of the best testimonies that you can have.

Read Hebrews 11:5-6

Hebrews 11:5–6 CSB

By faith Enoch was taken away, and so he did not experience death. He was not to be found because God took him away. For before he was taken away, he was approved as one who pleased God. Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Genesis 5:21–24 CSB

Enoch was 65 years old when he fathered Methuselah. And after he fathered Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and fathered other sons and daughters. So Enoch’s life lasted 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was not there because God took him.

Tony Evans wrote in his commentary

Enoch is one of only two people who did not experience death (Elijah is the other; see 2 Kgs 2:1–12). Why? Hebrews says it’s because he pleased God (11:5). That doesn’t mean, of course, that if you’re pleasing God you won’t die! But it does mean that his departure from the world was a direct result of how he lived. He lived a godly life within the context of an evil and corrupt society. What he did mattered.

He had a great desire for the Lord

Charles Spurgeon says this “without faith we are without Christ, and consequently without a Savior. It would be infinitely better to be without eyes, without hearing, without wealth, without bread, without garments, without a home rather that to be without the faith that brings everything the soul requires. Without faith we are spiritually naked, poor, miserable, lost, condemned and without a hope of escape.”

Enoch had the witness that he pleased God. He had such faith in the mist of a wicked world that everyone knew that the Lord was pleased with him.

Enoch had the greatest testimony that anyone could have.

Spurgeon goes on to say “Enoch’s life went beyond the reception and confession of atonement, for he set before me the great truth of communion with God. he displayed in his life the relation of the believer to the Most High, and showed how near the living God condescends to be to His own children. Thus should the believer walk with God, resting on eternal tenderness and rejoicing in undoubted love. A believer should be unconscious of dread, either as to the present or to the future. Your Father can be trusted; He will supply all your need.”

Enoch pleased God and was faithful to God despite the world around him.

The faith that Enoch had is the kind of faith that takes the power of death away.

I’m not saying that you won’t die. Everyone will. What I am saying is that the power and fear of death is not for someone who has faith in Christ. It’s not for someone who is trusting Christ on their way to Heaven. Paul said to live is Christ and to die is gain. Basically if I’m living I’m telling people about Christ. If I’m dead I’m with Christ. Either way I’m good.

That is a powerful kind of faith who has no fear in death.

How do we please God? V.6 answers that question

Read V. 6

Hebrews Exposition

Faith is the secret art of pleasing God. God is the thrice-holy One; He is a jealous God, and a very little sin greatly provokes Him. But faith knows how to please Him. I do not wonder that Enoch did not die; it was a less thing to be translated to heaven than it was to please God. To live for three hundred years, in constant communion with God, as he did, to be ever pleasing God, was a mighty triumph for faith. May God grant that, during all the years that we live, whether they are few or many, we may so live as always to please Him!

We should be striving for that kind of faith.

Was Enoch perfect? Of course not but had a consistent, pleasing faith in Christ.

Warren Wiersbe says this “our faith in God grows as we fellowship with God. We must have both the desire to please Him and the diligence to seek Him.”

The Lord was very clear “If you seek me you will find Me”

What has to happen is a diligent seeking of the Lord.

How do we diligent seek the Lord?

The focus of what we do has to be Christ.

The goal of our live should be to please Christ.

The burning of our heart needs to be growing in our relationship with Christ.

This is usually where the disconnect is more most people.

The start of January started news resolutions. The number 1 is always to lose weight. When people want to lose weight they go to the gym. But going to the gym alone is never the solution to the whole problem. It’s only part of the solution.

The other part is that the eating habits that made you over weight has to change as well.

The people that make the gym work are the ones who let the gym change their life. They go to the gym and they will say something to the effect of “Because I went to the gym I’m not going to go to dairy queen and get a reeses blizzard.” Going to the gym changes other decisions for them if the gym is going to make a difference.

The people it doesn’t work for are usually say something like “well I went to the gym so I’m going to get a reeses blizzard. I’ve earned it.” These people are using the gym to justify their life and decisions. The problem is that the reeses blizzard has now negated the work you did at the gym.

If we want to please God, it must be from a faith that says I’m going to trust God with everything, and make sure I’m not doing something He doesn’t approve of.

We must let our trust in Christ change our lives so that the decisions we make will be from a Christ perspective and not my own.

We have to let the Holy Spirit and the Word of God change your life.

If your perspective is that you came to church today and you open your bible and now you can do what you want during the week; You are using church and the Word of God to justify your bad decisions.

Godly people use the things of God to change their life.

Religious people want spiritual things to bless their life.

If the word of God is going to transform your life then Sundays cannot be the only day it is opened.

If you want a pleasing faith draw near to God. Seek the Lord. Be diligently seeking Him. Continually seek Him.

Jude 14–25 CSB

It was about these that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied: “Look! The Lord comes with tens of thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly concerning all the ungodly acts that they have done in an ungodly way, and concerning all the harsh things ungodly sinners have said against him.” These people are discontented grumblers, living according to their desires; their mouths utter arrogant words, flattering people for their own advantage. But you, dear friends, remember what was predicted by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They told you, “In the end time there will be scoffers living according to their own ungodly desires.” These people create divisions and are worldly, not having the Spirit. But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life. Have mercy on those who waver; save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.