By Faith: Enoch

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Learning to live by Faith

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Introduction

Have you ever thought about just going on into heaven and not having to die to get there? Just be walking along and suddenly you are walking the streets of gold? Apart from the ascension of Christ after His resurrection, there are two people mentioned in the Bible that were taken up to heaven and did not experience death. One is Elijah who was walking with Elisha when a chariot of fire came down and separated them and Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. The other is found in our Hall of Faith where we learn Enoch did not experience death and he too was taken up to heaven.
As we continue to walk through the Hall of Faith, look at with me.
Hebrews 11:5-6
Hebrews 11:5–6 NIV84
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.
Again, this is something pulled from the Old Testament that the Writer of Hebrews wants us to know about the faith of Enoch. We learn from several things about Enoch.
We learn that when Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah.
After he became the father of Methuselah, we learn that Enoch walked with God for 300 years.
So what prompted Enoch to walk with God? It seems that it he started walking with God after he became a parent…I know that my parenting has certainly caused me to walk with God more!
We learn that Enoch also had more sons and daughters then lived to the ripe age of 365, then he “was no more because God took him away.”
It is worth mentioning that Enoch became the father of Methuselah who became the father of Lamech who became the father of Noah, so Enoch was the great-grandfather of Noah and lived in such a time where the world was very wicked and going against the ways of God.
We also know that Enoch became
We are fortunate to have such an example of faith recorded in God’s word. Let’s look at a couple of things you and I can learn from this example.
First, let’s look at Faith Walking.

Faith Walking

Now that we have been able to finally get some spring weather, I have been able to renew my love for walking. When you are an old has been that can no longer run or play basketball everyday like you did, 30 years ago, you relish the opportunity to get some exercise by walking. I love walking and spending time with the Lord. We have some pretty phenomenal conversations during those walks because it takes me away from the routine and gets me out and about where God can show me His attributes that I would not see just sitting in an office or doing something else. It is a special time of fellowship.
1 John 1:3 NIV84
We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
Why specifically walking as a part of my fellowship? The use of the word walk that is described of Enoch and his relationship with God can be traced back to this: during the day of Enoch, every activity required walking. This activity became known as a way of life.
In the 1986 movie Crocodile Dundee, the main character played by Paul Hogan, says he is going on a “walkabout.” When asked what that meant, he said, “A spontaneous journey through the wilderness of one's choosing in an effort to satisfy one's itchy feet, a need to be elsewhere, the craving for the open road, that space over the horizon...yes... something like that... you can't quite touch it so you have to go find it because it's you just know it's there...Or maybe it just feels good to go walking around ... Yeah,” he says as he winks, “It's WALKABOUT.”
What if you and I decided we were going to find our greatest pleasure in walking with our Lord?
I have found that just as I am doing a walk for exercise or a walkabout or a walk with my Lord as a way of life, there are several things I need to make this the best it can be!
First, I must establish a path by looking into His word.
Psalm 25:4 NIV84
Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths;
Psalm 25:
I can ask God to show me the way to go.
Proverbs 15:24 NIV84
The path of life leads upward for the wise to keep him from going down to the grave.
Psalm 23:1–3 NIV84
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Proverbs 15:19 NIV84
The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.
Proverbs 15:
Proverbs 15:
Psalm 23:
God will not only show me the way to go, or guide me in doing so, He will also light the way so I can see where I need to go.
Psalm 119:105 NIV84
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
Psalm 119:105
Through daily, consistent study in His word, I can find my path and stay on it.
Secondly, as I develop this walk with God, I am given precision to where to place my steps on this path.
I have learned with my big ole feet and after having 4 different foot surgeries, I have to be precise where I place these size 15’s lest I place them in a place that would make me fall.
When I am walking by faith with our Lord, I have to trust that wherever He is leading me, it is for my best interest! The Lord tells Joshua:
Joshua 1:3 NIV84
I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.
Psalm 31:8 NIV84
You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.
Psalm 31:8
I see that the Lord will also place my feet on solid ground:
Psalm 40:2 NIV84
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
Psalm 40:
This walking faith gives me a path and precision and it also gives me a pace that will be exactly what I need.
Isaiah 40:31 NIV84
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Last week a friend of mine stopped by the church and as we were talking he told me about his daughter competing a few weeks ago in the Boston Marathon. She is an avid runner and trained for that race for a long time. She was one of 2500 treated for hypothermia because it was so cold. but my friend Carl was sure to tell me that even though she couldn’t feel her feet, she pressed on and finished the race. Being a Christian and walking by faith is not a run to just feel good, but a marathon where we strive to finish no matter what the costs because we know that in finishing the race we will receive the blessing of God!
2 Timothy 4:7–8 NIV84
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:7-8
Enoch set out on his path with precision and a pace that allowed him to be eminently, actively, progressively, and perserveringly faithful in his conformity to the design of God. He demonstrated faith walking.
We have Faith Walking but we also have in , Faith Working.
Hebrews 11:6 NIV84
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.
We have Faith Walking but we also have in , Faith Working.
The Christian life begins by affirming that “God exists.” It leads to the confession that GOD EXISTS FOR ME. In order for this to be practical in our lives, we must hear the gospel message, experience the Holy Spirit, and give up self centered living.
We cannot do this apart from faith. For every action there is a reaction. As our faith grows in God, our fellowship grows with God. It is a work in progress.
In our society, we work to be rewarded. We trade hours for wages. Hopefully, we work using our talents and abilities to provide income and support our families and live the lives we want to live.
In God’s Kingdom, we live by faith and as a result, we will be rewarded.
Hebrews 10:35 NIV84
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
Heb
Hebrews 11:26 NIV84
He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.
Hebrews 11:26
Hebrews 12:11 NIV84
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:
Are you living a life like Enoch, walking in fellowship with our Lord?
I am convinced that God has called us as individuals and as a church to live by faith and that includes by faith walking and by faith working. Ask yourself: Where are you walking that is not by faith? What are you working on that is not by faith? What changes do you need to make? What do you need to do?
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