It's a good hymn, scriptural. John said that, walk in the light
if he is in the light. Hebrews 11. Every time we study God's Word
together, it is highly profitable and vitally important. That's
the way we ought to approach Well, I ought to approach the
preaching of it, and you ought to approach the hearing of it. It's a life-and-death matter.
It's vitally important. God said His Word would not return,
but He said He would accomplish it every time He said it. Every time we meet together under
the sound of His Word, it is highly profitable, vitally important,
and deserves our utmost attention. No one message is any more important
than another. Any time God is exalted, we are
amazed Christ is exalted, the world is expounded, it's a good
message. A good message. Now this message is very important,
very important. I was greatly impressed with
this passage of scripture myself. Very deep, very edifying. Now
right after the story of Abel, Here in Hebrews 11, Abel begin
the sacrifice of faith, showing us Christ's blood, his sacrifice. That's the first example of faith,
and the clearest picture or example of what faith is, it's an object,
it's a person, it's a person in works of Christ. Alright?
So right after that sacrifice of faith, And we see the walk
of faith. Right at the back, we see Enoch.
He's the next. You see, right at the sacrifice
of faith, the object of faith, then we see the walk of faith.
And that's really what Paul had concluded in chapter twelve when
he said, therefore, he said, wherefore, seeing where cup was
about with so great a cloud of witnesses, He talks about, let
us run with patience, looking unto our Lord Jesus Christ, the
object of our faith. Let us run. Let's walk. Let's walk of faith. All right? All right, let's read
verses five and six again. Let's walk of faith. If you're
taking notes, I have a four-point outline for you. Very easy to
follow. All right, verses five and six. By faith, Enoch was
translated. That word is transported. That
he should not see death. He didn't die. He was not found,
the Lord says. He disappeared. Because God had
translated him, transported him from this earth. For before his
translation, he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without
faith it's impossible to please God. Now he's going to tell us
here what faith is and how it was that Enoch pleased God. Without
faith it's impossible to please God. Four, he that comes to God,
anyone who comes to God is going to be with God, accepted by God,
someday live with God. must believe that he is, and,"
and this is one time when I do not like the word they added
here. We don't believe that he is a rewarder, and of course
we believe that, but what it says here is, he that cometh
to God must believe that he is, and he is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek him. All right, now turn back to Genesis
chapter 5 and keep Hebrews 11 marked there. Genesis chapter
5 is the story of Enos. Not much is said about Enos. Well, not a lot of words, but
there sure is a lot of content there. It says he walked with
God. That's saying a lot. But there's not much of an account
of Enoch's life. It doesn't need to be. Wouldn't
that be wonderful to put on your tombstone? If that's all that
was said about you, that'd be all right. He walked with God. He walked with God. Well,
as you've often heard, I've read the epithet or the funeral or an obituary concerning
some person who died. I've read things about them which
talked about their accomplishments and what they did and their education
and where they've been and all this and that and the other.
That's all rubbish, isn't it? This right here is the epitaph
to have. He walked with God. Alright,
he just lived 365 years. 365 years. And he walked with
God at least 300 years. Now, I'm not going to answer the The
game sayers of the word of God, this is something. This is something. He lived 365
years, just like my father lived 969 years. He lived that long. 969. that he walked with God at least
three hundred years, and it says he was not, or he disappeared,
for God took him. God took him. Right? Now, here's the four-point outline,
if you're taking notes. First of all, we're going to
look at Enoch the man. The man, Enoch. Secondly, we're going
to look at Enoch's walk. Enoch's walk. Thirdly, Enoch's
generation. or the world that he lived in. And fourthly, Enos' end. All right, Enos the man, Enos'
walk, Enos' generation, and Enos' end. All right, Enos the man. Here in Genesis 5, we see that
he was just a man. He's not a superman. He's a man,
flesh and blood. He had the needs of a man, the
necessities of this life that every man and woman has. He had
the responsibilities of a man. He had the temptations of a man. Look at it here in Genesis 5
verse 21, Enoch lived 65 years and begat Methuselah. That means
he was a married man and he had a family. All right? And Enoch, verse 22, walked with
God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years and begat
sons and daughters. Now a woman can have a child
every ten, eleven years is reasonable, isn't it? Enoch may have had as many as
two or three hundred children. You reckon he had a job? John? You reckon he had a job? Or two? Moonlighted? He had a job. He had a big family. He was married. He had a job.
He had a big family. He had responsibilities. He had
the needs. Oh, did he have needs? How much
milk would he take? Bet he had cows. Well, Enoch was a man, and he
was totally dependent on God for these things. A married man
with children, sons and daughters. He had a job to work, or jobs. He had problems His problems
in marriage, his problems in fatherhood, motherhood, aren't
they? Trials. You reckon he had trials with
his kids? He may have, at any one given time, he may have had
a hundred teenagers. Trials. You reckon? You reckon he had troubles? Problems? He's a man. He's a man. He had 365 years worth of trouble,
but he walked with God. We think we live long lives and
have such a tough time, you know, and oh, when's it ever going
to end? I just imagine that, you know, there were about, Adam,
930 years. Methuselah. When he was 968 years
old, he thought, oh, I don't know if I can go on. Trouble,
trials, trouble, temptation, yes, but he walked with God.
But he wasn't a superman. He was a man. He was a man. And to have that big a family
and so forth, he couldn't have isolated himself from the world.
He was not an isolated man. And none of the characters in
Scripture, none of these examples were isolated from the world.
No. They were in the world, not out of the world, we're going
to say. But they were in it. They had to, to do commerce with
and dealings with and so forth, to live in it. All right. But it says, He walked
with God by faith. He walked with God by faith.
He walked And now, do you remember how I started this Hebrews 11
app by reminding us, these people didn't have a Bible. And he walked in the light he
had. He walked in the light he had and the grace God gave him.
And you know, you walk in the light you have, God will give
you more light. You walk in the grace he gives you, he'll give
you more grace. Give us more grace. Enoch was
a man, and like all men, he was like all men except this, he
walked with God. He walked with God. He believed
God. We're going to see this, the next point. He believed God.
He walked according to God's Word. And I'll keep repeating
this. Since he walked with God, that
means he's out of step with his Word. He can't walk with God. All right,
all right, here's the second point in Enoch's walk. Enoch's
walk. Now, look at it again. Verses
5 and 6 in Hebrews 11. By faith, Enoch was translated
that he should not see death. Hebrews 11, verse 5. He was not
found. That is, he disappeared. God
translated him. Before his translation, he had
this testimony that he pleased God. But without faith, it's
impossible. It's impossible. It is impossible
to please God. All right, we've already looked
at what faith is. What faith is, it's the life of God in the
soul of a human being. It's eternal life. It's a regeneration. It's the gift of eternal life. It's the life the believer lives
is by the faith of the Son of God. This faith Enoch had was not
something he produced. It was a gift. But Enoch's faith
was God's gift. Enoch didn't just up and one
day decide, I'm going to walk with God. He didn't even know
God until God revealed himself to him. Right? Faith is gift. We're not going to brag on Enoch
or magnify Enoch here. We're magnifying the grace of
God to him. Enoch's faith was a gift. It
was the sovereign grace of God that caused Enoch to walk with
God. Nothing less. The sovereign grace of God. It
had to be. He didn't have a Bible. He had
no Bible. This was early. in the time of
God's purpose. This was thousands of years ago
in God's purpose, in time. Thousands of years ago before
Abraham, and before the papyarchs, and before Jews, and before law,
and before prophets, and before Christ. I don't know, it's the
sovereign grace of God that this man walked with God. Come by
the early on, the real early on. What did he know? What did
Adam know? He knew God is. He believed, knew who God is.
He knew the true and living God. Christ said, This is eternal
life, that they might know thee, the only true God. And what else
did Adam know? Jesus Christ, whom he would send.
He didn't know the name Jesus, but he knew that Christ was coming,
and God would send him. He knew what Abel knew, didn't
he? Enoch's faith was a gift, and
faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, doesn't
it? Well, where did he hear the Word of God? Well, he heard it. Faith comes
by hearing. Hearing by the Word of God, doesn't
it? Huh? Faith is not of yourselves. It's a gift of God. If faith
comes by hearing, hearing by the Word of God, how are they
going to hear without a preacher? Well, Enoch believed God is God. He believed man is an absolutely
depraved, fallen creature. He believed that Christ was coming.
The gospel concerning the Christ, His blood, His righteousness,
where'd they get all this? Well, there was an old man of,
let me count it up here, there was a five hundred and thirty
year old man named Adam. Adam lived three hundred years.
300 years after any performance. And there's no indication, it
seems to indicate to me that all these bunch of people, except
for Cain's posterity, live in and around Eaton, where the garden
was. Somewhere around Eaton, over there, for sure it's over
there in the Middle East somewhere. It says they were east of Eaton. And don't quote me on this, but
that Garden of Eden with the tree of life in it might have
been right where the cross stood. At any rate, they live somewhere
in that area, all of them. All right? Adam, he talked with Adam for
300 years. What did Adam tell him? Do you
reckon he told him about the fall? Uh-huh. Do you reckon he
told him about the woman's sin? Uh-huh. You reckon he told him
about Abel? You reckon he told him all this?
Oh yes, Enoch heard that. He heard of all these things. He heard the gospel. He heard
the gospel. He heard that God is just. Adam
told Enoch. God's a holy man. That's the
first thing he told him, John. I guarantee you. He told Enoch.
Son? Grandson, Enoch? God's a holy
man. He will by no means clear the
guilty. Oh, your grandmother, even I,
we were upright, created in the image of God, but we failed,
we sinned against God, we rebelled against God, willfully rebelled,
and we just failed in the sin and darkness and death, and God
kicked us out of the garden, and rightfully so, and He should
have wiped us out, but God! He ain't no kid merciful. He's
gracious, He's loving, but not at the expense of His justice.
You see, he told us the woman's seed is coming. That woman's seed is going to
be from God Himself. I just believe. You see, Eve
thought that Cain was it, but it wasn't. We've had many children
since then, none of them of the Christ. They're all sinners like
I am, so it's got to be a sinless seed. It's got to be a woman's
seed. I just kind of think it might be a virgin's son. a son
of God. He's got to be God. He's on one
without sin. He's on one that can save us.
He's on one that can live the life as a man that we need to
live for us. And God sent blood, a shedding
of blood. Without the shedding of blood,
there's no remission. It's the blood that makes the tomb. You
say, God didn't say that to Moses. Oh, yes, He did. Oh, yes, He
did. God tells all his children the
same thing. They'll all be taught of God, won't they? Same thing.
And he went on, Adam went on and on. Enoch, son, Christ is
coming and Christ is salvation. And by God's grace, through a
work of God's Spirit, Enoch believed in God. Trusted Christ, was looking
to the Christ. And he began to walk on that
day forward, walking by faith in Christ. The life that he then
lived was by the faith of the Son of God and Christ himself.
All right. All right. He believed. He knew all there was to know,
wasn't he? All he needed to know was to
be saved. And then I guarantee you, Adam
told him, God's not mocked now. You've got to diligently seek
Him. And that what it says there in our text, verse six, He said,
These are reward of them that diligently seek Him. Aint it?
You'll be found with them that seek Him with all the heart.
All the heart. Give diligence. Make your calling
electric. Give diligence. Out of the heart. Out of the heart. Diligently.
I looked up the word diligent, and it means to crave. Like David said in Psalm 27,
he said, One thing have I desired of the Lord, and that's what
I'm going after. diligently seeking. David said
in that same psalm, he said, You said, Lord, You told me seek
my face, and so I said, Thy face I seek. That's what it means. Craving. One thing have I desired,
Lord. That's what I'm going after.
Enoch, he'll not be found of you till you seek him like that.
Till you seek him and nothing else. And you know what else it means,
craving? It means to demand, like David, like Jacob. Remember when Jacob, an angel,
a man wrestled with Jacob? Now the Lord started the wrestling
after him. But old Jacob demanded something
of him. Now you know what I'm saying.
Fearfully and respectfully, but he said, I will not let you go
unless you bless me. Until you bless me. That's what
diligence means. Use whatever means and every
opportunity to hear it. Faith comes by hearing. You don't
have faith, young people, somebody. If you don't have faith, faith
comes by hearing. Better being there every time you turn. Diligence. He told Enoch that, and Enoch
did. Enoch saw it. It doesn't mean a one-time thing
either. Enoch walked with God, he said, three hundred years.
He didn't make his decision and was baptized, and then that's
it. He walked, he sought the Lord all the days of his life. Enoch walked with God. Now, something
about this walk. walking with God. One of my favorite verses, Amos
3, verse 3, says this. Can two walk together except
they be agreed? Can two walk together except
they be agreed? So Enoch walked. Who walked with
who? It wasn't God walking alongside
Enoch. You know, like footprints in the sand, you know? Oh no,
Enoch walks with God. That's what's doing the lead.
Enoch walks with God. The two walk together except
they be agreed. Enoch agreed with God. About
everything. You can't walk together except
you be agreed. Nobody walks with God and doesn't
agree with God about everything. I mean everything. Right? You know how we are. We walk
along with somebody, and we're talking, and we get into a little
argument or something, and we're going to keep on walking together. We're going to say, go on, man.
We don't agree with God about everything. Nobody walks with
God who doesn't agree with God about everything. About who God
is, about what man is, what salvation is. Agree with God. Walking with somebody. When you're
walking with somebody, when you're walking together, So, Fr. Henry and I are walking
together. Now, if we're walking together,
that means we're walking in the same direction. He can't be headed that way and
I'm headed this way. We're walking together, right?
We're walking together in the same direction. And now, like I said, I'll keep
repeating this. But God said, My way is concerning
about man. He said, My ways are not man's
ways. My way is not man's way. There's
a way that seemeth right to man, but it's 180 degrees from God. It's opposite direction. We don't
walk with God and walk the way the world says. We walk the same direction. When
you're walking together in the same direction, you generally
have the same goal in mind. Like Brother Don and I walking
up those peaks of Aria, now we both want to get to the top.
We both had this one purpose in mind, this one goal in our
view. And isn't that what Hebrews 11
said? They that say such things say that they seek a city. if
they'd been mindful of other things, they'd had opportunity
to go back and turn. But no, they had said such things,
declared, that's where I want to go and who I want to go with. And when you walk with somebody,
you can't walk together with anybody any length of time and
not talk to them. You can, but I can't. I
know you women can. Not 30 seconds. But when you walk, when you talk
with somebody, don't you? You're walking with them, you're
conversing with them. You're speaking with them. That's
what it means to pray without ceasing. Doesn't mean you're
down on your knees, doesn't mean you're in a certain posture,
doesn't mean you're speaking out loud per se, but it's a heart
of a man and a woman or a young person that just goes out to
God all the time. And it didn't have a Bible. And it didn't have a large church for tents. And it didn't have what we have
in God. Talk with God. He doesn't have
a word. You know how God talks to us?
What kind of word? Oh, doesn't he speak with us?
Huh? All the great mysteries he makes
to anything that follows. But he spoke to God. I believe God spoke to him. He
even walked with God, and again, therefore, he was out of step
with the world. He was out of step with the world.
The world called him old-fashioned. They called him uncool. They
called him straight-laced. They called him good-to-shoulders, vivid, narrow, bigoted. Nobody believes like you do.
Nobody does that anymore. Don't you know that's accepted
by everybody now? It's permissible. It's the modern world, isn't
it? And ain't it, I guarantee you,
so you just go the way you want to go. The way you think's right,
it's destruction. Go it! One of my favorite verses, Psalm
119, 133. Order my steps in Thy Word, and
let no iniquity have dominion over me. Folks, this world pervades our
thinking. We're bombarded with its thoughts,
its opinions, its ways, its fashions, and so forth. Don't go that direction,
young people. Don't go that way. It's destruction. Lead me in paths of righteousness
for your name's sake. If it's out of step, big
deal. Who cares to be walked with God
means you don't care what the world thinks. You don't care
what the world's opinion is. You don't care which way the
world's going. You don't care how they're dressing, acting,
and doing, and talking, keeping up with the Joneses. The Joneses
are going to hell. Ain't that where you're headed? I'm getting in line with you,
buddy. Abraham. Jacob. This world, people, it ought
to, instead of us becoming insensitive to it, and more like it, it ought
to repulse us daily. The further it gets from God's
Word, and it is, it gets further and
further and more and more perverse, and the worse it gets, the more
it ought to obfuscate us and repulse us, and the more we ought
to shun it. Everything about it. I'm telling the truth. If you walk with God, you're outstaffed
in the world. Third, the Enoch's generation.
Look back at Genesis again. Look back at Genesis
4. You know, I don't apologize for
getting upset. We ought to get more upset with
ourselves. This thing ought to be solved.
We're living in perilous, perilous times. Dragging us and our children
down. Just 60 years after Enoch left
this planet, his grandson, his great-grandson was born. His
name was Noah. Does that tell you anything about
the day of Enoch? Word, you know, it makes
a point to tell us. These weren't cavemen. They weren't
cavemen, they were brilliant, talented, gifted people. And he goes on to talk about
them being artists and farmers and ranchers and musicians and
so on and so forth. He tells that in chapter four. I'm not going to read it for
time's sake. A world full of people, much like today. If you
look at chapter six, just before the flood, this is what God said
about the Yes, Enos' generation. Verse 5, in Genesis 6, God saw
that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, that every
imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continual. That was the generation that
Enos called. Sounds just like the Mennonites. And I remind us that we should
not be ignorant of this, beloved brethren, as Peter would say.
In the days of Noah, our Lord told us, in the days of Noah,
so shall the coming of the Son of Man be, in the days of Noah.
And that sure describes our day. Enoch lived in a, his generation
was wicked, maybe, well, not necessarily more wicked. But
you know, Matthew Henry and some of them believe that there were
billions of people on earth at this time before the Flood. Billions! Enoch walked over 300 years. Now, like I said, I've got to
bring this to a close. Like I said, I'm not magnifying
Enoch. This ought to prove to us salvation by grace. His times he lived in, the fact
that he had no Bible, salvation by the grace of God. The fact
that Enoch walked with God when he did and how long he did without
a Bible in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation magnifies
the sovereign grace of God, doesn't it? And yet, God honors those who
honor him. That's why this is written here,
people. God honors faith. He sure does. God honors Enoch
before us as an example of faith. Yes, he did. God honored Enoch,
and he exhorts us to walk as Enoch walked in our generation. You know, and if you feel your
sin, like I do, you say, but I know with man it's impossible.
But with God, all that's possible. Is it possible to work in a factory
and walk with God? Is it possible? It sure is. It sure is. Enoch did 300 years. Can we make it, John? By God's grace. Yes, sir. He'll give us more. Well, Enoch's
end, back in Hebrews 11, Enoch's end, verse 5, it says, he was
not found. Because God had translated it. God translated it. By faith,
he did not die. He was literally transported,
that's what the word means, taken up into God's presence one day. I love thinking about that. And
he bid his wife goodbye one morning, went to work, and didn't leave. And the same thing is going to
happen to all of God's children some day. He did not die, as
all men do. Now, for reasons known only to
God, Enoch did not die. Why? I don't know. But he did.
Elijah did. For reasons known to God. Now
don't think it was because Enoch was more righteous or better
than everyone else. Don't think that for a minute.
He wasn't more righteous than Abraham. Abraham died. Abel? Oh no, Abel was a righteous man.
He died. Noah? Joseph? They died. It wasn't because he was a more
righteous or holy man. But for reasons no man knows.
Enoch was an extraordinary man, no doubt. Strong in faith. That's good. A godly man, yes. I'm sure he lived
a life above reproach. I'm sure he did. But he was a
sinner, saved by God. Yes, he was. Oh, yes, he was. He was a sinner saved by grace. He was accepted in the beloved. Yes, he was. By faith he pleased
God. And that faith is the faith of
Christ. He was a sinner. And this was written, I believe,
This story was written not only for our learning, to exhort us,
to admonish us, to rebuke us, to prove us, encourage us into
faith, but like all stories, this is a type, a spiritual type.
Look at Colossians 1, Colossians chapter 1, and I close with this
portion of Scripture. The word translated is only used
three times in the New Testament. Translated. It's used there in
Hebrews. And it's used here in Colossians,
Colossians chapter one. And do you know, and I don't
say this with presumption, but do you know my end is going to
be the same as Eden's? Yes, sir. And I don't, I think, oh my,
I'm not worried to tie that man too low, I'm sure. But I've received
the same gift that they have. The same gift. I'm accepted the
same way. I please God the same way. Because I've heard the same doctrine. And I have the same Lord. Same
Father. Do you? then your end is going
to be what it is. Matter of fact, it is right now.
You are right now as it is. Look at it here, Colossians 1,
verses 3 through 5. Colossians 1, verses 3 through
5. He says, We give thanks to God,
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love
which you have to all the saints. For the hope which is laid up
for you in heaven, whereof you heard before in the word of the
truth of the gospel. Verse 10. And he says, Oh, walk
worthy of the Lord. Walk. Worthy of the Lord, walk
with God, walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, unto
being fruitful in every good work, increasing in the knowledge
of God, strengthened with all might according to His glorious
power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness,
giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be
partaker of the inheritance of the saints in life, who hath
delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated
have translated us, have, he has translated us into the kingdom
of heaven. I am right now seated with Christ
in heaven. Yes, I am translated. Spiritually, spiritually I have
been changed, given life, regenerated. That's what the word translates. And by God's grace I have been,
and am being made fit to be partaker with the angel with Enos. He
hath translated me, and some day he will literally, literally
in a moment, twaint me with power. Enos, if you know what it is.
Please let it be. He walked one day right in the
presence of God and in the most quickly of his life. All right, let's stand. Our Heavenly Father, we thank
you for all your words, words of promise. Good news, mercy,
love, grace given to us in Christ Jesus before the world began.
We're so thankful salvation is by grace, through faith, and
even that's not of our sin. It's the gift of God. But with
man it's impossible. We're so thankful that it's by
faith to the end that the promise might be sure to all of us soon. We're thankful. We thank You
for this story. We thank You for this example
of Enoch. We thank You that he lived and
that You gave us this example and ask that You would give us
the same grace and strength that You gave him and his generation. Cause us to walk by faith, we
pray, to walk with faith. Be transformed by the renewing
of our mind, we pray. And in Christ's name we have
met here and ask these things. Amen. You're dismissed.