Pathway of Faith: Enoch

Believing God – Message 3

July 5, 2020

1. Introduction: We continue our survey of Hebrews 11 called Believing God. (Genesis 5:21-24; Jude 14-15; 2 Kings 2:11)
1. Today’s message, which focuses on Enoch, is entitled, Pathway of Faith.
1. Our theme verse is Hebrews 11:5a (NLT)—It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying… [Quite surprising, isn’t it?]
2. The Greek word translated taken up in English is metathesis, which is translated into the English word “translate” in the KJV, but also “transfer” and means, “move from earthly to heavenly state without experiencing death” (with the implication that the two locations are significantly different).
3. The Bible points out another person who was transported (another meaning) from earth to heaven without dying. Do you know who? What about how? [2 Kings 2:11]
4. Why did God treat Enoch in this special way? I think the Scripture gives us insight.
5. Genesis 5:23–24a (NLT)— 23 Enoch lived 365 years, 24 walking in close fellowship with God ….
6. Enoch walked with God; he lived in continual relationship with God.
7. Abel worshiped by faith, Enoch walked by faith; let’s see what we can learn from him.
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2. Walking with God include… (Hebrews 11:5-6)
   1. #1 - Pleasing God by faith. (Hebrews 11:5b-6; C/R: Romans 5:1-2; Ephesians 5:8-10; Colossians 1:10; 1 Peter 1:8-9)
   1. Hebrews 11:5b-6a (NLT)—5b …For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. 6 And it is impossible to please God without faith.
   2. Enoch pleased God, but to do so, he first had to be reconciled to Him by faith.
   3. Only by God’s grant of forgiveness, could Enoch, who was born in sin and separated from God, return to Him. (Rom.5:1-2)
   4. Faith means believing God’s promise that He has forgiven sin through Jesus’ sacrifice.
   5. We must all be forgiven, cleansed, justified, to please God. (Eph.5:8-10; 1Pet.1:8-9)
   6. Hebrews 11:6b (NLT)—Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists [which is not faith, but is the first step toward faith] and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him [The second step, which motivates the effort to pursue God].
   7. The belief in reward is not merely wanting some sort of prize or blessing, rather, the reward is the relationship, the possibility of communication, even intimacy, with Him.
   8. This belief means that we are convinced that God is personal, that He possesses personality; that He is aware of us, He listens and responds, dialogues, with people.
   9. If God were merely some impersonal cosmic force, or some powerful, but distant and indifferent, Creator, expending effort to communicate with Him and the desire to know Him would be fruitless, frustrating, and foolish.
   10. Walking with God pleases Him because it reveals what we believe—actually know—about Him: He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-wise, but perhaps more important, that He knows us, is interested in us, cares about us, always wants what is best for us!
   11. God is pleased by our pursuit of Him, to know Him better, more intimately.
   12. ILL.: Aren’t you pleased when a friend calls? When a grandchild reaches for you?
   13. Colossians 1:9b-10 (NLT)— 9b …We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.
   14. APP.: Do you want to please God with your life? What do your efforts to please God reveal about your beliefs about Him?
       
       

Walking with God includes…

2. #2 - Pursuing God’s path. (Genesis 5:21-24a; C/R: Amos 3:3; Romans 8:3-4; Galatians 5:16-25; 1 John 2:15-16)
1. Genesis 5:21–24a (NLT)—21 When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 23 Enoch lived 365 years, 24 walking in close fellowship with God. …
2. The word “fellowship” is translated from the Greek word koinonia, which means “communion, partnership, communication, companionship or sharer.”
3. Walking implies a continuous, on-going action, sharing in life together continually, not a rare occurrence.
4. For three hundred years Enoch had fellowship, companionship, friendship, with a personal, knowable, merciful, forgiving and caring God.
5. It is clear that Enoch enjoyed walking with God—and the relationship was rewarding, encouraging, real—because he kept at it for 300 years!
6. A relationship couldn’t last for 300 years if the parties were in conflict.
7. Walking with God requires agreement about direction, harmony of attitude.
8. Amos 3:3 (NLT)—Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?
9. To walk with God we must pursue His path, because God’s doesn’t change His mind about right and wrong directions; He won’t redefine moral and immoral to get along.
10. If we want to continue walking with God, we must be led by His Word and His Spirit.
11. The Bible is God’s revelation to us; the Spirit teaches and applies His truth to our lives.
12. The New Testament refers to our continual relationship with God as walking in the Spirit in the KJV and NASB, but I like the way the NIV expresses it.
13. Galatians 5:24–25 (NIV)—24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. [See Gal.5:16-25; Rom.8:3-4]
14. Walking with God becomes more pleasurable as we remove doubt and disobedience from our lives, which cause us to shy away from God, hiding, fearing exposure.
15. Walking with God means surrendering ourselves to His direction, abandoning sin and selfish motivations, as well as worldly pursuits (1 John 2:15-16).
16. As we keep in step with the Spirit, we are transformed into new people as our thinking is changed (Rom.12:2) and we become more like Jesus (Rom.8:29), who was one with the Father. (Jn.17:21), so our natures become more like His and harmony grows.
17. We live continually with awareness of the Spirit’s presence, direction, and truth.
18. We keep in step by putting each decision, each temptation, each desire before Him, asking for His direction and His power; this active obedience, not reluctant submission.
19. Walking with God requires coming by faith, but it also means continuing to have faith.
20. ILL.: Asking, “Where are you? Why are you letting this happen?” “I haven’t changed.”
21. Walking with God was not easy for Enoch because, according to Jude 14-15, he lived during a time when there were many false teachers.
22. Enoch confronted this false teaching, which likely resulted in opposition and persecution, but he continued to pursue God’s path despite difficulty.
23. APP.: Are you pursuing God’s path? Are you experiencing resistance?

Walking with God includes [our]…

3. #3 - Presence in God’s kingdom. (Hebrews 11:5a; C/R: 2 Corinthians 5:8-9; Philippians 3:20; Colossians 1:13; 2 Peter 1:4)
1. 1. Hebrews 11:5a (NLT)—It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” [Gen.5:24]
2. After 300 years of believing and walking with God so closely for so long, Enoch walked straight into heaven without dying.
3. I think heaven is a present, parallel, but unseen dimension, so it, and God, are close.
4. By faith, Enoch was translated; he entered into the actual spiritual presence of God—and received a spiritual body (1Cor.15:44), a heavenly body (not spirits without bodies, 2 Cor.5:3), a glorious body like Jesus (Phil.3:21) (1 Cor.15:42-44; 2 Cor.5:2-5)
5. We do not know why God waited 300 years before bringing Enoch to be with Him.
6. Perhaps it was to allow sufficient time for him to reach his unbelieving generation.
7. I believe God has a purpose for each of us to fulfill. (We can’t die until complete).
8. It may be that God took him to spare him further ridicule, rejection and persecution.
9. Quite possibly, it was just a special blessing to one who pleased Him, removing the remaining separation which exists between Him and a person He loved.
10. Psalm 116:15 (NLT)—The Lord cares deeply when his loved ones die. [His beloved)
11. God loves His people; they are precious to Him.
12. He enjoys His relationship with us, has great affection for every one of His children.
13. If we are born again, we already live in God’s kingdom (Col.3:13), so He is never far away; His Spirit resides within each of us.
14. Philippians 3:20 (NLT)—But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.
15. We are already share in the nature of God and have escaped domination by sin.
16. 2 Peter 1:4 (NLT)—4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
17. As we reside in this world, but live as citizens of heaven, walking with God, we become more conformed to Christ, so we fit in less and less in this world.
18. God will one day take each of us, either through death, which means we slip from this world into the next without losing consciousness because our spirit doesn’t die, or perhaps, like Enoch, becoming glorified without our bodies dying.
19. 2 Corinthians 5:8–9 (NLT)—8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him.
20. APP.: Do you want to walk the Pathway of Faith with God, pleasing Him every step?
    ?