Walk by Faith
Hebrews 11:5-6 (Pastor Heo)
Hebrews 11:5 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.
Do you please God in your life? Do you want to? How can we do this? According to this verse, only by faith.
Genesis 5:21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
Enoch’s lived years = the same number of days in the calendar.
“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1
- v 1-4 = Description of faith
- v 5-end = Demonstration of faith
- Last week: Abel
- This week: Enoch
Enoch is one of the mysterious figures in the Bible. In the Bible, there were two Enochs. Cain’s first son’s name was also Enoch. But this Enoch is a different Enoch.
Last week, we saw that because of Abel’s faith, he was killed / murdered.
As for Enoch today, because of faith, he did not experience physical death. What does this mean?
But we cannot say that this means that God shows favoritism, but that he has a different plan for each one of us. God has a plan for each one of us, but because of faith in Christ, we must suffer difficulties, sometimes even persecution for Christ. But in ALL THINGS – we must believe Romans 8 – that “God works all things together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose.”
This Enoch was a long-living man before the Great Flood. But about this story, he was most famous for the incredible thing that happened to him. He lived over 3.5 centuries on earth – can you imagine it? If his life had ended this year in 2020, he would have been born in 1655 – even before George Washington (1732). This is amazing. He is one who lived one of the longest lives – and yet did not experience physical death. He walked with God and God took him up, translated him to himself without physical death. We don’t know HOW that happened though. Whirlwind? Like Elijah? Spiral of a strong tornado.
In the Bible there are only 2 people who did not experience physical death: Enoch and Elijah (2 Kings 2?)
In the twinkling of an eye, his earthly body became a spiritual body. His weak body became a strong, eternal body. This is just a picture / type / shadow of how we will be in Christ one day.
1 Thess 4:16-17 “The Lord will come down with a trumpet sound and the dead in Christ will rise first, and those who still live will be caught up second in the air and we will be together with the Lord forever.”
“I am the Resurrection and the Life. Do you believe this?”
His Rapture is his closer and nearer working with God.
By faith he walked with God, he was taken up, and he was not here.
v. 5 “…before he was taken, he was commended as one who walked with / pleased God.” (walking more clearly reveals HOW he pleased God)
What does this mean?
Have you ever walked with somebody from first to last? Husbands, are you walking with your wives? Wives, are you walking with your husbands? Are you all walking with God in your whole life?
Enoch walked with God for at least 300 years. What does this mean? “walking with God”
We know what this means physically with another person through our experience. Walking with another person suggests a mutual agreement of souls.
If I go right, and you go left, we are not walking together. To walk together, we must:
- walk in the same direction and
- have the same destination.
- We must also be the same in stride, speed, pace. If someone is too fast, and someone is too slow, they cannot walk together.
- This also means having continual fellowship and communication on the same path.
Enoch “walked with God” = he was on the same path, at the same speed, communicating, with the same destination. How is this possible? By faith.
So, v. 6 is the conclusion here: (memorize and try to put this verse into practice into your own life – meditate on it – can you?)
v. 6
“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.”
- This verse doesn’t say, “without faith it is VERY DIFFICULT to please God.”
- Also it doesn’t say, “without faith, you need EXTRA work to please God.”
- Actually, “it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God without faith.”
Without faith, no matter how much we try, we are under the wrath of God, the curse of sin. Romans 14 “Everything that comes without faith is sin.”
Without faith, the more we try to do something, the more sinful we become. Why? Without faith, everything all human beings are doing is motivated by selfishness. Without God, without faith, without Christ in me, I’m selfish. I struggle with my own selfishness and my old nature. Without faith, all things humans are doing is driven by selfishness.
So, without faith it is impossible to please / walk with God.
To please God, we need two things:
- to believe that he exists (he IS)
- “I believe that God IS”
- and that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him
- Jesus is not only our rewarder, but also our reward, himself
v. 6
“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.”
#1 God IS
What does this mean? “I believe God IS.”
In my personal evangelism, I meet some people who are not Christian, but even they say, “Yes, an absolute being, an absolute, original cause must exist.”
Even James 2:19 “Even demons believe God IS…” (but the meaning is different).
Belief that “God IS” has 3 levels of belief. Let me ask once more: Do you believe “God IS”?
3 levels of belief in the existence of God:
Level 1: God IS (literally) – “there must be someone / something”
The Bible does not seek to prove the existence of God. Rather, it opens with the first sentence as a FACT that assumes “God exists” already.
I’m speaking to you now, so I don’t need to prove my existence to you, right?
The Bible says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘there is no God.'” (Psalm 14:1)
Believing in the existence of God = only the beginning (Level 1)
In this Hebrews, it doesn’t mean Level 1.
Level 2: (Belief as in the Old Testament) – God Exists and reveals himself through what he does.
God created: God is Creator (Genesis 1, God spoke all Creation into existence)
Job 38:7 “When the morning stars sang together, all the sons of God shouted for joy.”
God is the Creator of all Creation, yes? Psalms: “The heavens declare the glory of God.”
We believe in this Creator, but we must not stop there.
We must believe he is a Personal God
Do you believe you were made by the hands of God?
Psalm 139:13-14 “God created my inmost being; he knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise God, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
We must believe in a personal Creator of my whole being. We must believe that the personal God is in my life.
We must also believe in God’s miracle working power – that he saved his people by the miraculous works of his almighty hand. We know he saved Israel from Egypt – he sent plagues, he opened the Red Sea, the Jordan River, he sent manna and quail for 40 years, he destroyed the walls of Jericho.
We must believe this miraculous power is still available today?
But this is not all.
Level 3 (belief of God as New Testament belief) – The God of the New Testament is revealed in Jesus Christ – the Son of God.
Hebrews 1:1-3
“1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
John 1:1-3
“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
This sentence, in Hebrews = we must believe in the New Testament revelation of God (Jesus Christ).
We believe in the Creator God
“…all things were created by him and for him…” (Colossians?)
Jesus made all things – every crevice in every celestial body. Every color, every plant, every animal, every mite that crawls on the ground. Jesus is creator God. We must believe that to please God.
Jesus is Sustainer God. Not only Creator, but also Sustainer.
Col 1:17 “Jesus Christ is before all things, and in him, all things hold together.”
He is supporting and sustaining ALL things. He is holding the moon, the stars, the sun, the sky in place. How is this possible?
Yes, we try to prove scientifically, but basically, they are there because Jesus created them and sustains them. Hebrews: “He sustains all things by his powerful word.” This is the word of the Bible.
We believe all things were created by God for a special purpose. Do you believe this? I believe that God has a special mission / purpose in my life / for my life.
This mic has a mission, the stars, the sun, the moon have their own mission. How much more, we who are created in his likeness?
Col 1:16 “All things were created by Him and for Him.” (for = toward – pointing at him as the final goal / destination). All things have been created and pointing toward him.
Everything is moving – nothing is eternal in this world. All Creation is moving toward its goal in Jesus Christ. This is the purpose why God created his creation. Everything in Creation, in history, in spiritual reality is moving for Jesus Christ, toward Jesus Christ.
Jesus is also the Lover of our Souls. How? Jesus is Creator, Sustainer and the Goal of all Creation. How? How does he love us? Why does he love us?
1 Cor 1 “God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Jesus Christ to reconcile all Creation to him by making peace through his shed blood on the cross.”
Jesus loves us as Father. The cross is the measure of this love. If you want to know how much he loves you, we need to meditate on the cross.
John 3:16 “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Jesus is the Rewarder of those who seek him earnestly.
But wait, there’s a condition. Yes, he’s rewarded and reward, but the condition: “to those who seek him earnestly…” Are you seeking him earnestly? All the time?
Rev “Behold, I’m coming soon, and my reward is with me. So I’ll give to everyone according to what he has done… Be faithful even to the point of death and I’ll give you the crown of life.”
We know his invitation: “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I’ll give you rest. Take my yoke upon me and learn from me.”
1 Cor 15:58 “Therefore my dear brothers, stand firm and let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
This is the guarantee, the promise of reward. Please, do not receive the grace of God in vain. NOW is the time of God’s favor, the time of God’s grace because we are in the presence of God.
v. 6
“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.”
Let’s pray.
