Recap–2nd example of faith is Enoch who by faith was translated, taken up, and did not experience death, because he pleased God.
Hebrews 11:5-6 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. 6 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.
The second hero of faith is Enoch. Abel exemplifies worshiping by faith, which must always come first, and Enoch exemplifies living or walking by faith.
Genesis 5:21-24 “When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. 24 Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”
The term walk is used many times in the N.T. to represent faithful living:
Rom. 6:4 “..even so we also should WALK in newness of life.”
2 Cor. 5:7 “For we WALK by faith, not by sight.”
Gal. 5:16 I say then: “WALK in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
Eph. 5:2 WALK in love,
Walk then implies fellowship. Amos 3:3 “Do two walk together unless they have made an agreement?” Enoch walked in submissive harmony with God. Faith in a God that Enoch could not see controlled his life. By faith, Enoch walked in fellowship with God, and his walk of faith produced righteousness that pleased God.
Even though Enoch lived during a corrupt age that was headed for the judgment of the flood, Enoch did not conform to the standard of the age in which he lived but walked in accordance with the standards of God’s righteousness and kept his life pure.
Enoch’s walk of Faith produced a life so pleasing to God that God simply took him away, and took him to heaven without physical death. Faith was the bases of Enoch pleasing God, and his pleasing God was the reason God took him from this world.
God was pleased with Enoch because his faith was not just something he felt in his heart. I want you to know It was heard on his lips and seen in his life. Jude 1:14-15 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
So Enoch prophesied, preached was a witness to his ungodly generation. And after 300 years of believing, walking in fellowship, and proclaiming the Word, he went to be with the Lord in an awesome unique way.
God just took him up without his experiencing death. What does that mean? It means Enoch didn’t experience death in the way we do today. But make no mistake about it, There was absolutely a transformation that took place.1 Corinthians 15:50-51 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
1 Corinthians 15:54-55 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” That’s why Some see in Enoch a picture of the rapture of the purified righteous church.
Vs6 “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.”
Obviously, you must believe that God exists before you can come to Him and begin seeking Him.
But God will not settle for mere acknowledgment of His existence. James 2:19 Even the demons believe God exists and tremble over the fact.
God has provided a way for us to draw near to Him by faith in Jesus as our redeemer and Lord. God wants a personal dynamic relationship with you that will transform your life.
Those who seek after God through walking in His will and way will find that they are rewarded with His intimate presence in our life.
Only two people in the Bible have been chosen by God to escape death, Enoch and Elijah. Enoch was given this privilege because he was a man who walked faithfully with God and pleased God. For what purpose was Enoch taken away? The Bible does not specifically say. The most common assumption is that he could serve as one of the 2 witnesses alongside Elijah, in the end times. (Rev.11)
Enoch draws a lot of attention due to the mystery surrounding him. A lot of speculation has gone into how and why God took Enoch away. Instead of speculating, we should be seeking to follow Enoch’s example by being men and women who walk faithfully with God and seek to please Him with our lives.
(NOAH) Our third example (Noah) shows a faith that persevered in acting upon God’s divine warnings and is found in Vs7 “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
James teaches us: James 2:26 Faith without works is dead. True faith always has actions to support its claim. So, In order for our faith to be valid, it must be visibly demonstrated with actions. So, if we truly believe in God, there will be evidence of it in the way we live, in the things we say, and in the things we do.
Three things in Vs7 give proof that Noah’s faith was genuine.
- First, he listened to and then heeded God’s Word.
- Second, he lived out his faith.
- Third, he became the heir of God’s righteousness.
When God told Noah that He was getting ready to destroy the world because of its wickedness and instructed him to build the ark. Noah believed God. That is a simple statement, but it was obviously not easily believed.
Noah lived in the middle of a dry land a long way from any sizable lake. Nobody at that time had ever seen rain much less a flood. To build a huge boat far away from water when no one had any memory of rain or flood took a commitment to God’s Word. (A faith that arguably is one of the greatest)
Noah’s strange activities would have been ridiculed but Noah persisted in obedience to God for 120 years in an undertaking that from a human perspective looked totally absurd, and absolutely impossible.
By faith Noah prepared an ark, he had nothing to go on but God’s word which clearly was more than sufficient for him.
Genesis 6:9 “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.” So righteous, blameless Noah for 120 years builds an ark that at its smallest estimation was 440 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. Nearly1½ times the length of a football field and more than four stories high. With three decks, the entire deck area was about 1.3 million cubic feet. Naval engineers have discovered that the dimensions and shape form the most stable ship design known. All this from a man that had never built a boat before.
Noah’s faith was rewarded by his becoming “an heir of righteousness” which is only given to those who trust God.
Today, this righteousness is the imputed righteousness of Jesus and is available to all who believe in God and believe He rewards all who diligently seek Him. Who live in obedient faith.
Even though Noah didn’t know what a flood was or where his walk of faith would take him, he obediently followed God.
In a dark, corrupt, ungodly world Noah chooses to follow God. And in this wicked, cruel, and dark world that Noah lived, Noah’s life, testimony, and faith shine as an example for us all to see.
In CLOSING
Noah shows us something very important, if God asks you to do something, He will give you the necessary strength to carry out that task for however long it takes. (120 years)
Noah’s faith condemned the world because he proved by his actions that God’s warning word was believable.
What kind of life pleases God? A life that is pleasing to God may be lived out in many ways but at its root is one thing above all, it is a life lived by faith in God.
God never intended works as a way for people to come to Him. He intends works to be a result of salvation, not a way of salvation. Faith, not works, is the way we approach God.
Genesis 7:6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth.
Genesis 5:32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.
Genesis 6:22 “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” Can this be said about you?
Sin never looks so evil until purity is placed next to it. Darkness-unrighteousness
May we too listen to God’s warnings, and worship, walk and work by faith in God, just as Enoch and Noah did.
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