ENOCH WALKED WITH

GOD
Genesis 5:21-24

By Evangelist Bob Thrower

Key Text: And Enoch walked with God after he begat

Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
and Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took
him." Genesis 5:22,24.

Enoch, the seventh generation from Adam, was a very special

person, a man that followed his religion. No doubt others were
dedicated to the cause of righteousness and had fellowship with
God and one another, but here is a man that had a continued
walk with God and God took him. "By faith Enoch was
translated that he should not see death; and was not found,
because God had translated him: for before his translation he
had this testimony, that he pleased God." Hebrews 11:5. "For
thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my
feet from falling that I may walk before God in the light of the
living?" Psalm 56:13.

Here are some thoughts about Enoch:

1. Enoch walked with God. He constantly set God before him

and walked pleasingly before the Lord. He acted as if he were
always under the seeing eye of God. His life was a life of
communion with God.

2. Enoch made God's Word and promises his rule and always
glorified Him. God's Word was the rule of his faith. All his
actions were directed to the glory of God.
3. Enoch made walking with God his constant endeavor. In
everything he wanted to please God and do nothing to offend
Him.

4. Walking with God is to comply with His will, to concur with

His designs and to be workers together with him.

5. By walking with God Enoch tells us that he was current in all

his faith and actions. He was in step with God's will. What else
could matter? The most important thing in the entire world is to
know the will of God and walk with Him. Some walk behind the
will of God while others are always trying to walk ahead of
God's will. Not so for Enoch. He walked currently beside the
Lord with His Word and His will. What a great lesson for God's
children!

6. Enoch was dead to the world but alive unto God. He lived
above the world and walked as though he was already in the
Kingdom. He walked with God not only in the good times, but
in the bad times as well.

7. When Enoch walked with God, he was walking the life of a

good man. Noah likewise walked with God and was a preacher
of righteousness. Communion with God was to Enoch better
than life itself. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live;
yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in
the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me,
and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20. "For to me to live is
Christ..." Philippians 1:21.

What happened to Enoch? "...for God took him." Genesis 5:24.

Nature did not take him. Disease did not take him. Death did not
take him.

General William Booth lies buried in Abney Park Cemetery and

inscribed on his grave are the words: "William Booth,
born...ascended..." Now friend, we know that Mr. Booth died
and is now resting in his grave awaiting the morning of the
resurrection. However, Enoch was born and ascended. Enoch
did actually go into heaven. As we just read in Genesis, the
Holy Scripture says, "...for God took him." Enoch never tasted
death as we know it. Enoch was born, he lived, and he ascended
to heaven.

In our sermon this month, let's give our attention to three points.
First, Enoch walked by faith and not by feeling. Secondly,
Enoch walked by fact and not by fiction. Thirdly, Enoch walked
in moral fitness and fellowship with God. Let us now look at
Enoch's faith.

I. Enoch Walked by Faith and Not by Feeling

"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and
was not found, because God had translated him: for before his
translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God." Hebrews
11:5. It is a dangerous thing for the people of God to walk by
feeling, but it is a duty and glorious thing to walk by faith. There
may be times when we are sick in body or disturbed in mind and
that would certainly be no time to walk by feeling. A tragedy, a
time of sorrow may come, and we may feel down and out and
all alone. This would certainly be no occasion to walk by our
feelings. Trusting our feelings in good or bad times is not
recommended in God's Word. People of God in the Old
Testament as well as the New Testament walked with God
during the best of times and the worst of times. Consider Job,
Noah and Elijah in the Old Testament. They all walked with
God. In the time of Jesus consider Peter, Paul and John. They all
took the yoke of the Lord and walked with Him.

A. By faith Enoch took the yoke. "Come unto me, all ye that
labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my
yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in
heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is
easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30.

B. By faith Enoch had a yearning for God. He pleased God.

"...for before his translation he had this testimony, that he
pleased God." Hebrews 11:5.

C. By faith Enoch had a yielding toward God. He gave himself

to God in full surrender.

"The men of Enoch's generation had mocked the folly of him

who sought not to gather gold or silver or to build up
possessions here. But Enoch's heart was upon eternal
treasures...His mind, his heart, his conversation, were in heaven.
The greater the existing iniquity, the more earnest was his
longing for the home of God". (Patriarchs and Prophets, E. G.
White, p. 87)

Enoch's faith claimed the righteousness of God, and his faith

looked upon the celestial city. Day by day, week by week and
year by year Enoch longed for that beautiful city to be with the
God he served. Feeling was not enough, but faith took him to a
higher level. Feelings would come and go, but faith stayed
firmly fixed on the goal. Sensationalism and highly worked-up
emotions will deceive you. Faith stays on course.

A college professor told a story of a young seminary student

who had just graduated. He was preaching two sermons every
weekend in a church where he hoped the congregation would
eventually call him to be a full time pastor. It was a large rural
church, and the young graduate student stayed in the home of
the chairman of the deacons.

The young preacher was all fired up. He had his first sermon
lined up in an organized manner, and he just knew the people
would see what a great preacher he was. He paced back and
forth in the pastor's study. He talked about how he had a sermon
for the people that morning that would bring revival to the
church, and the people would see how good he was and invite
him to be their senior pastor. Filled with pride and self-
confidence, he went up on the rostrum. When he came down he
was hanging his head in dejection. He felt he was a complete
failure. On the way home with the deacon for lunch, the young
preacher asked, "What do you think happened that caused my
sermon to be such a dismal failure?"

The deacon replied, "Pastor, you asked me, and I'll tell you. It
seemed to me that you were filled with pride and glory. Had you
given up like you came down, you would have come down like
you gone up."

What do feelings do? Following your feelings instead of living

by faith will cause you to go down and up like a yoyo. Friends,
Enoch had no yoyo religion. He walked by faith, not by feeling.

II. Enoch Walked by Fact and Not by Fiction

"And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
and Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three
hundred years, and begat sons and daughters." Genesis 5:21,22.
We see it everywhere. The lives of Hollywood writers and
actors are made up of fictitious and imaginary characters. Books
are written for children and adults about imaginary characters
and events, so we wonder what is true and what is false. There is
no wonder with Enoch, no guess- work. His was a life of faith.
The world around Him was a life of facts. Yes, there was a man
named Enoch, and he did walk by faith.

Enoch is a tremendous character. He is one of two men of whom

it is said that he walked with God. Noah is the other person.
Enoch is one of two men that did not see nor taste physical
death. The Scriptures tell us, "And Enoch walked with God; and
he was not; for God took him." Genesis 5:24. Elijah is the other
man who did not see nor taste physical death. "And it came to
pass, as they still went on, and talked, that behold, there
appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them
both (Elisha and Elijah) asunder and Elijah went up by a
whirlwind into heaven." II Kings 2:11.

As we look closer into the life of Enoch, we see according to

Scriptures that he is one of the very few who lived before the
flood. Now, let us consider some facts about Enoch's walk of
faith.

A. It is a fact that Enoch had a reconciliation to God. Paul and

Amos asked the question, "Can two walk together except they
be agreed?" Amos 3:3. See also II Corinthians 6:14-18.

B. It is a fact that there was communion between Enoch and

God. There was a common ground between Enoch and God.
Enoch's faith was that common ground. It gave him light, and it
also opened the door of heaven.

C. It is a fact that Enoch had a surrendered will to serve God. He

took God's yoke and bore it until it became his own desire to do
God's will.

D. The fact of knowing God by faith caused Enoch to grow in

grace and knowledge. Enoch came into a living contact with
God. There was delight and joy for him in doing the will of
God.

E. It is a solid fact that Enoch was a great witness of the true

God of creation. Not only was he a witness, but he was a part of
the evidence his walk with God was his evidence. The man,
Enoch walked humbly before his God. Micah 6:8 provides a
vital clue and insight. Micah did not say, "Be humble," or Walk
humbly," he said, "...walk humbly with your God." Micah's
counsel is to walk daily with a humble heart and dependence on
God. With heart set on God, Enoch went forth as a righteous
witness preaching the coming of the Lord with ten thousands of
His saints.

"And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these,

saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his
saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that
are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they
have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which
ungodly sinners have spoken against him." Jude 14 and 15.

In Enoch's generation there were many multitudes, a large

majority of the people, who did not believe in God. They did not
believe Noah, and they did not believe Enoch. The same is true
of our generation. Sometime ago I read where an unbeliever
wanted to make a point. He had these words inscribed on his
tombstone: "All dressed up and no place to go."

It is true in our time that we dress people up and lay them in

their graves at death, but the Lord Jesus Christ made it clear that
there is a day of resurrection and judgment. See John 5:25-29.
Enoch's facts were not fictitious nor imaginary. His message
was a fact regarding the reality of the resurrection and judgment.

All dressed up and no place to go? Wrong! We are destined for

eternal life or destruction in the lake of fire. It all depends on
whether we trust the true Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior.

III. Enoch Walked in Moral Fitness and Fellowship with

God

Enoch pleased God: "And Enoch walked (in habitual

fellowship) with God; and he was not, for God took him (home
with Him)." Hebrews 11:5, Amplified Bible. "Because of faith
Enoch was caught up and transferred to heaven, so that he did
not have a glimpse of death; and he was not found, because God
had translated him. For even before he was taken to heaven he
received testimony (still on record) that he had pleased and been
satisfactory to God." Genesis 5:21-24, Amplified Bible. Enoch's
moral fitness caused him to do the following:

A. Walk in the light - Walking with God, Enoch was walking in

the light. "And there shall be no night there; and they need no
candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them
light: and they shall reign for ever and ever." Revelation 22:5.
Jesus is the Light. See John 1:4-7.
B. Walk in the truth - "Enoch was a man of strong and highly
cultivated mind and extensive knowledge; he was honored with
special revelations from God; yet being in constant communion
with Heaven." Patriarchs and Prophets, E. G. White, p. 85.

C. Walk in fellowship - Enoch's spiritual communion and

fellowship grew as the years went by. The fellowship that Enoch
enjoyed with God was not an off-and-on thing, but rather an
ongoing way of life. What a splendid walk! A walk of three
hundred years! His walk was not a run, a jump, a leap, a sprint,
but a steady and continued constant walk. He heart was in
harmony with God's will.

In closing I want to appeal to our readers of the Hour of

Prophecy newsletter. Enoch's translation is a perfect type of all
God's children living at the time of Christ's second coming. The
living saints will be translated, and all of God's children resting
in their graves will be resurrected. The two groups will then be
taken to heaven, just like Enoch.

Friends, are we watching, working and waiting for that glorious

event? Are we walking with our God? Are we "Looking for that
blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our
Saviour Jesus Christ?" Titus 2:13. God wants us to enjoy life,
but He also wants us to live for Him, and be ready when the
trumpet blows. Are we looking up? Let's enjoy life, but
anticipate heaven.

Fanny Crosby wrote the following song:

"Take the world but give me Jesus

In His cross my trust shall be,

Till, with clearer, brighter vision,

Face to face my Lord I see."

Beginning next month, January 2001 we will have a new series
of four sermons on the general theme, "The Biblical Truth of the
Gospel." The four messages will be on the life of Jesus, the
death of Jesus, the burial of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus.