What It Takes
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· 14 viewsWhat we want to discuss this evening are the characteristics of Enoch that God expects of each of us.
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Introduction
Introduction
Good evening and welcome back!
Tonight we are going to be skipping around a bit in our Scripture.
We are going to be reading from Genesis 5, Hebrews 11, and the book of Jude.
And the reason for this is we are going to be talking about a fellow named Enoch.
Enoch is a very interesting person in our Biblical History.
Enoch was the great grandson seven times removed from Adam.
So, there was quite a bit of time between Adam and Enoch.
If you count a generation as 30 years, Enoch would have been born about 210 years after Adam had his first son Seth.
Because Enoch was a descendent of Adam's son Seth.
In our first set of scripture that we will read, we find Enoch listed in the line of Adam's genealogy.
After that, little is said of Enoch in the Bible, but that doesn’t mean he was not important to our Biblical history.
Enoch actually even wrote a book that was never canonized but does contain Biblical truth and scripture does reference it on several occasions in other books of our Bible.
The biggest reason we know about Enoch is because Enoch was only one of two men that never died in the Bible.
Of course, Elijah was the other.
But there are some things about Enoch’s character that made Enoch special to God.
Special enough that he never saw death.
What we want to discuss this evening are these characteristics of Enoch.
Because Enoch serves as an example of the same characteristics that God expects of each of us to display in our own lives.
Specifically, we'll be talking about "What it Takes," to make it.
And to let the cat out of the bag early, the three characteristics of Enoch that we each should possess is:
Enoch Walked with God.
Enoch was pleasing to God.
Enoch witnessed for God.
And that should serve as an example for us all.
So, let’s jump into things, first in Genesis 5, starting in verse 21 . . .
Scripture Focus
Scripture Focus
When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
**Now let’s skip over to Hebrews 11 . . .**
By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
**And finally, Jude . . .**
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.
Enoch Walked With God
Enoch Walked With God
So, first let’s look at the passage I read in Genesis.
Again, the Bible tells us . . .
When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
So, Enoch was 65, when his wife gave birth to Methuselah.
He was getting ready to draw his social security and start thinking about retirement, but instead he had another baby.
Think about what it would be like to start raising a child at the age of 65.
We would think it was crazy, but Enoch was still a young man.
In fact, the child he gave birth to was Methuselah.
And we know Methuselah because he was the oldest man to ever live in the Bible.
The Bible though, says that Enoch walked with God for another 300 years after Methuselah was born, having more children.
So, in all Enoch was around for 365 years.
That in itself is a miracle, but what I want to key into is the phrase "walked with God."
Because that is really the key to Enoch’s longevity on this earth.
So what does it mean to "walk with God?
One commentator writes that "Walked with God"in the Bible is the expression that Enoch enjoyed "fellowship with God, as well as obedience to God, which resulted in divine favor toward Enoch."
So, given that understanding, then walking with God entails two things:
Fellowship with God. (Talking with God, spending time with God, Including God in the activities of your life.)
Obedience to God. -That's a tough one. (We have to obey God's commands, do what God has asked us to do.)
If we can do those things, then we too can "walk with God."
Some other scripture about walking with God:
“ ‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. “ ‘I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you. “ ‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.
And from the Gospel of John in our New Testament . . .
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
So, with walking with God comes some good things as well. When we walk with God then we . . .
Find favor with God.
Reap rewards from God.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Anybody interested in those things?
Now, that doesn't mean that we should strive to walk with God just so we can get things.
We strive to Walk with God because we love and respect God.
God wants to give good things and gifts to His people and by Walking with God we open the door for Him to be able to do that.
For Enoch, Walking with God, resulted in him being translated or called out by God.
Enoch never died.
God took him straight to heaven after 365 years and he has been there since.
Enoch Was Pleasing to God
Enoch Was Pleasing to God
So, again the first thing that God expects from us is to Walk with Him.
The second is for us to be found Pleasing to Him.
By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
So, we see here the account of Enoch being found to be pleasing to God.
Hebrews also records the events of Enoch's translation by God into heaven.
However, the Bible says that before this occurred:
He was commended as one who pleased God.
And Enoch was pleasing to God, not only because Enoch walked with God, but also because Enoch had faith in God.
Notice that this scripture about Enoch is in Hebrews 11.
This is known as the "faith chapter." It is all about faith.
We all know it but the chapter starts out with . . .
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
We hear a lot about faith, but what is faith?
Last week we read Mr. Webster’s definition, but another good definition would be:
It means that, in our various circumstances of life, we live out our belief "that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him" Those who live by faith take confident action based on what God has revealed about his character, seeking to do his will in all things.
Enoch had this kind of faith.
So, how do we get this type of faith?
Well, Paul tells us in Romans 10 that . . .
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
There it is again, one of the aspects of Walking with God.
We receive faith by hearing.
Not hearing just anything but by hearing the Word of God.
If it is that simple then, why do so many put their faith in other things than God?
They are bombarded with images and ideas of those other things.
They are overwhelmed with it.
After a while they start to believe the lie.
And they cannot distinguish the difference.
Paul also warns Timothy that . . .
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.
Enoch however, had faith and believed God could do all things.
Enoch also believed that through God he could do anything.
Do we believe this?
After all, our Bibles tell us that . ..
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
And it is important that we examine this and important that we develop this type of faith because . . .
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
And notice again that there it is again, we must believe that we will be rewarded if we just diligently seek Him.
How then do we "diligently" seek Him?
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
And one of my favorites from Matthew . . .
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
So, if we want to be pleasing to God, we have to have faith.
Which leaves two Questions:
Do we want to be pleasing to God?
Do we have the faith in order to do so?
Enoch Witnessed for God
Enoch Witnessed for God
So, there’s our first two, now to the last…Enoch witnessed for God.
In Jude we find . . .
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.
This passage actually reveals to us that Enoch was a prophet.
And Jude records part of Enoch's prophesy regarding the end times.
Enoch's witness for God was even evident in his own son.
Methuselah in Hebrew means "when he is dead it (the flood) shall come."
What Enoch was saying was that when Methuselah was dead then the flood would come.
Of course we know that Noah built the ark and after Methuselah died the great flood did come.
But Enoch's message was simple:
The Lord is returning with a countless number of saints.
He's coming to judge mankind.
He's coming to convict the ungodly of their ungodliness.
Sound familiar?
Enoch then describes the people and what they are like and how they responded.
They were:
Murmurrers.
Complainers.
Following their own fleshly desires.
Boasting about themselves.
Flattering others for their own advantage.
AND IN EVERY GROUP OF PEOPLE THERE ARE TWO CATEGORIES THAT WE FALL INTO EITHER,
THOSE WHO ARE WITNESSES FOR GOD.
THOSE ENOCH WITNESSED AGAINST.
Which group would we fall into?
Altar/Challenge
Altar/Challenge
Because, Enoch's message is just as true now as it was then.
If Christ returns today or anytime during our lifetime, we who believe, like Enoch, will not experience death.
However, we have to be ready to meet the Lord either in his return or after we leave this world.
Do we have what it takes though?
Are we walking with God?
Are we pleasing to God?
Are we a witness for God?
Only you know the answer.
I can't answer it for you.
However, if He is not you Lord and Savior.
If you have never accepted Him, or you have fell away, then the answer is "no" you do not have what it takes.
But what about the rest of us?
Are we living up to the potential and expectations that God has set?
It is nothing to be embarrassed about.
We have all be there at one point or another.
Time is too short to let the devil cheat you out of an opportunity to make things right between you and the Lord.
Let’s pray . . .
