HEBREWS 11:5-6

November 11, 2018

A few weeks ago, Tana and I took a vacation to New England. We flew into Boston, which we love for the clam chowder, lobster, Mike’s Pastries and history. We did the normal tourist things – walking The Freedom Trail for a ways. On our way to Boston Common, we passed two old cemeteries – the Granary Burying Ground and King’s Chapel Burying Ground. They were crowded – kind of odd for a cemetery. Why? Because, there are famous people buried there – Revolutionary heroes. We don’t visit their graves because of their births or even necessarily their deaths – but because their lives were significant.

Webster’s Dictionary defines an epitaph as, “an inscription on a tomb or gravestone in memory of the person buried there.” The idea is to write a tribute to the person, trying to summarize the life lived in one succinct piece of prose or poetry. Now, think about that. Usually, when you look at a tombstone, what do you look at? The date of birth and the date of death. But, what really matters is the little hyphen that separates those two dates. What matters is what was accomplished in life. Well, the epitaph, in a few short words, tries to describe the hyphen – the person’s life. One of my favorites, from New York, “Here lies Harry Smith, who looked up the elevator shaft to see if the car was on the way down. It was.”

If you could write your own epitaph for your tombstone, what would you like it to say? Faithful Father. Devoted Mother. Worked Hard, Played Harder. Talented Athlete. Gifted Artist. Successful Businessman. Lifelong Republican. Committed Pastor. How do you want to be remembered? Now, understanding your friends and family will likely write your epitaph, will they write what you want – in other words, are you living the way you want to be remembered?

We are studying the book of Hebrews, and we’ve arrived at the very famous Hall of Faith in chapter 11. There, the author lists many faithful people of the past – and records, if you will, their epitaphs. And they all had one thing in common – they were remembered for their faith. And so, all of a sudden, maybe Faithful Follower of Jesus Christ might be a good epitaph. He lived, she lived, by faith. Does that describe you?

Now remember, he recorded these as encouraging examples to us – others have run with perseverance the race marked out for them – you can, too. Yes, the Christian life is challenging, even difficult in the midst of rising opposition. But don’t quit, you can do it. Consider these, who have – who demonstrated enduring faith.

He started the chapter with a definition of faith, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” And we are finding faith is an assurance, a conviction that actually impacted the way they lived their lives. Like there’s something more important than what we see. Let me say it this way – it’s one thing to say, I believe, I’m a Christian. It’s another thing to live like we believe. Well, he then gives a list of many famous, faithful people. In fact, we’ve seen he uses the word faith 24 times in the chapter, 18 of which are the words, by faith. That’s not a bad epitaph either – I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself up for me.

Last week, incredibly, our author began with the words, by faith we. He included us – his readers – in the Hall of Faith. How? By faith, we understand God created everything there is from things not seen. That’s part of the definition of faith. We are starting to understand faith is not in what we see, but what we don’t – and yet, what we know to be real. By faith we understand there is a God of creation, creating out of nothing, everything that is, with His unheard word – at least by any witnesses. We weren’t there, neither was anyone else, but we still believe. In other words, we’ve evidenced faith in things not seen – by looking back to creation. Now, he’s going to encourage us to have faith in future things not yet seen.

We then looked at the first name on the list – Abel, the second son of Adam and Eve, and brother of Cain. As the time of offering came, we found Abel brought a better sacrifice than Cain. How was it better? Because it was a blood sacrifice, as seemingly prescribed? Perhaps. But the author of Hebrews highlights Abel’s faith. In some way, Abel believed in the God to whom he sacrificed. He actually believed in a God He could not see. You see, there’s no evidence God walked with mom and dad – Adam and Eve – in the evening like He did before the Fall. In fact, it seems that fellowship was broken. Meaning, there’s no evidence Abel ever saw God. Cain either, for that matter. You and I either, for that matter. Yet, we believe.

Comparing other Scripture, we saw Cain had evil heart – clearly lacking faith, because without faith it is impossible to please God. By faith Abel offered the sacrifice, and obtained the testimony he was righteous. In other words, Abel demonstrated a worship of faith. He worshiped a God he had not, and could not see. Was that enough? Is it enough to come to church on Sundays, sing some songs, pray some prayers, give some money, read some Bible, and then live our lives for ourselves? What will you epitaph say?

Which brings us to the next person on the list – who demonstrated a walk of faith. Don’t miss that – a right faith produces a right walk. You see, I suggested last week there is a bit of a progression here. Yes, the author takes us through an OT survey, starting with creation. But then we see these three men:

Abel, who demonstrated a worship of faith.
Enoch, who demonstrated a walk of faith.
And Noah, who demonstrated a work of faith.

It may not be a progression, but it does highlight a truth, faith does something. It changes us. Yes, we believe, but then we walk and work like we believe. We live like people of faith.

Which brings us to the next person on the list. Now I have always been fascinated by this second man on the list whose story is told in a few short verses in Genesis 5. It’s particularly amazing because of where the story falls. You see, things are pretty awful in the first 11 chapters of Genesis – in fact, those chapters are there to highlight the faithlessness or failure of humanity – to demonstrate our need of a Savior. Three significant failures happen in those first few chapters: The Fall, the Flood, and the Tower of Babel.

But again, in the midst of that evil, there are those who rise to the top, by faith. Abel in Genesis 4, Enoch in chapter 5, and Noah in chapter 6 – in the midst of evil, and it’s not too much to surmise, opposition. Abel certainly was opposed – he was killed. It doesn’t take much imagination to suppose Noah was opposed – building an big boat a hundred miles from sea.

Very little is written about Enoch – really, just his epitaph found in Genesis 5. Get that – his name on the tombstone was Enoch – and his epitaph was this – Enoch walked with God. Well, that’s what it would say if you could find his tombstone. But there is a problem – Enoch doesn’t have a tombstone. We’ll talk about that in a minute.

As you’re thinking of what you would want your tombstone to say, can you think of anything better than that? Enoch walked with God. What was it about Enoch’s life that caused it to be recorded in the eternal pages of Scripture? Let’s begin by reading the couple of verses that mention him in Hebrews 11:5-6.

Now, right off, you may notice the author of Hebrews doesn’t specifically say Enoch walked with God – rather, he had this witness, that he was pleasing to God. So, let’s go back and read his story in Genesis 5:18-24 to see him walking with God.

¹⁸ Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and became the father of Enoch.

¹⁹ Then Jared lived eight hundred years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters.

²⁰ So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.

²¹ Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah.

²² Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters.

²³ So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.

²⁴ Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

So, Genesis says he walked with God, but Hebrews says he pleased God. Certainly we please God by walking with Him, but remember our author is quoting the Greek translation of the OT called the Septuagint, and that’s the way they translated Enoch walked with God.

But now think about it. If I were to ask you, who is the oldest person who ever lived, you would probably say, Methuselah, the son of Enoch, who lived 969 years. The second oldest was Jared, the father of Enoch, who lived 962 years. But actually, the oldest was Enoch, because he never died. He is many thousand years old, and counting. His tombstone, if there was one, would have the date of birth, the hyphen, but no date of death. By the way, there is only one other person in Scripture who also did not face death – Elijah, who was taken up in a whirlwind to heaven. Well, while we’re at it, let’s read the third passage that mentions Enoch, Jude 14,15.

¹⁴ It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones,

¹⁵ to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

That prophecy likely refers to the coming flood, but also has a ultimate fulfillment in the Second Coming of Christ. The point is, in each of those passages, I think we can see a different characteristic of his walk that contributes to his eternal epitaph reading, “he walked with God.”

First, in Genesis 5, we see he had a Consistent Walk
In Hebrews 11, we’ll see he had a Faithful Walk
In Jude, we’ll see he had a Talking Walk

So bear with me this morning while we expand our look at Enoch beyond Hebrews 11. Incidentally, before we get started with Enoch, you might be interested to know there is one other person in all of Scripture of whom it is said he walked with God – his name was Noah and he is found in the very next verse – we’ll look at his walk next week.

Look at the first one – what do we see that describes a consistent walk in Genesis 5? First, look at the quality of his walk, that is, the way his life is described. If you read through the genealogies in Genesis 5, you would find a certain pattern. So-and-so was born, had a firstborn, had other sons and daughters, lived so long, and then died. That’s it. Not much of an epitaph – they lived, they begat, they died – sounds like a tombstone.

But of Enoch, it does not say he lived for so many more years. His living for so many years wasn’t that important. What he did for a living, which is what’s important to us, wasn’t that important. Rather, his genealogy describes his time on earth as a walk with God. Think of that – everyone else’s genealogy speaks of duration – of quantity – Enoch’s speaks of quality. He didn’t just live and die to be forgotten. His walk was so consistent that when people thought of him, when Moses thought of him, he didn’t just think of his progeny, he thought of one who walked with God.

When you first meet someone today, what is one of the first questions you ask? So, what do you do for a living? And, if we were honest, most of us live for that occupation, and if our epitaphs were correctly written, that’s what they would say, “Here lies John Smith, Brick Mason. Ralph Taylor, Doctor, or whatever, because our lives are defined by what we do. How do you think people would respond if, when they asked you what you did for a living, you responded with “I walk with God – and everything I do supports that enterprise.” That’s what was said of Enoch. (Stuart Briscoe)

There’s another way we see the consistency of a life-long walk, and that is in terms of quantity. Notice, the text says he walked with God after his son Methuselah was born, at age 65. We don’t know what, something happened when Methuselah was born – children will do that to you, especially if you have one when you’re 65. Something happened, and he walked with him till God took him – in fact, it appears he walked so closely with God on earth that, one day, God said, enough – I’ll now walk with you in heaven. Think of that – 300 years! When did you become a Christian – at age 10, 15, 20? Can we walk with God for 40, 50, 60 years? Enoch is an encouragement that, by the grace of God, we can. One of the things I’ve noticed as a pastor for many years is that, in our older years, our waning years, if you will, our commitment seems to wane. People who were greatly committed to Christ and His church in their early years often burn out, or frankly become more self-focused in their empty nest or retirement years. That did not happen with Enoch.

Thirdly, we see his consistency expressed despite his environment. You should understand Enoch’s great grandson was Noah. Things continued to get worse from the Fall until every inclination of man’s heart was evil, and God destroyed mankind off the face of the earth. As I said earlier, there is only one other person in all of Scripture of whom it is said, he walked with God – Enoch’s great grandson, Noah. It’s interesting to note – when Enoch walked with God, God took him and left everyone else. When Noah walked with God, God left him, and took everyone else out. In the midst of his evil environment, Enoch consistently walked with God.

So let’s look secondly at our at Hebrews 11 passage. What can be said about his walk in these verses? Don’t miss it – it was a walk of faith. The second part of verse 5 and verse 6 suggest it was a pleasing walk because it was a walk of faith. He saw Him who was invisible and walked with him every day. He was sure of the reality of the presence of God. Albert Einstein, a brilliant man, once said, “Certainly there is a God. Any man who doesn’t believe in a cosmic force is a fool. But, we could never know him.” Tell Enoch that. His faith consisted of believing that God exists, and that He rewards those who seek Him; who want to know Him.

Now, we should note at this point what happened as a result of his faith. Both Moses and the author of Hebrews tell us that Enoch never died. Genesis says it this way: instead of saying he lived so long and then he died, it mysteriously says that he was no more, because God took him.

The author of Hebrews sheds more light on the topic. The text says that he was taken from this life so that he did not see or experience death. God took him away. He experienced his own personal rapture. One moment he was walking on earth, the next moment he was walking in heaven. I heard a song once, speaking of Enoch, which said, “He walked right out of this world.” I don’t know about you, but I’d like that kind of walk. Not that I wouldn’t experience death – that’s not the point, but that I walk so close with my Lord that it’s almost like I’m there.

Finally, we look at Jude 14, 15 where we see the third characteristic of Enoch’s walk – it was a consistent walk, it was a walk of faith, and it was a talking walk – he walked the talk, and talked the walk. Let’s read it again:

¹⁴ It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones,

I’m not going to exegete that text – we’ll wait till we get to the book of Jude. But notice, Enoch lived both sides of effective evangelism: he walked his talk, and he talked his walk. This prophecy was recorded originally in the Apocryphal book of I Enoch. It was not necessarily inspired there, but it was here. It likely had a two-fold fulfillment – one in reference to the flood that was coming that would destroy the wicked generation, but also in terms of the Second Coming of Christ when He will come to judge the world. At any rate, we see in these words Enoch had a verbal testimony in an ungodly society. And notice, it wasn’t a very popular message. I’m sure he wasn’t the man of the year in Mesopotamia. He probably didn’t write any books on how to win friends and influence people. But, he was pleasing to God.

So, I would say for us today, that we too need a verbal testimony in an ungodly world. It’s not enough to have a walk with God, we must talk the walk. And our message won’t be that popular either. The gospel is called a rock of offense – we begin with the truth that people are sinners in need of a savior – not a very popular message today. But it is true.

Which brings us to our conclusion. Look at verse 6 of Hebrews 11, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Enoch had this witness before being taken up – that he was pleasing to God. How? By faith. It’s interesting to note that Genesis 5 says nothing about Enoch’s faith. But the author of Hebrews commends Enoch for his faith. How did he know he had faith? Because he pleased God, and without faith, it is impossible to please God.

And how is that faith described in verse 6? Two ways. First, Enoch believed that God is. I’ve said it before – it’s not enough to say you’re spiritual, just not religious. What does that even mean? Faith must have a proper object.

Remember the story of Moses delivering the Israelites from Egypt? When God gave Moses the task, Moses asked God, when they ask me who sent me, what should I say? What’s your name, God? And we know the answer, I AM that I AM. Tell them I AM sent you. But the Septuagint translates it this way, “Tell them I am the one who exists.” This is what the author is quoting. Tell them, the One who exists as I Am sent you. Enoch believed in, lived by faith in I Am, the one who exists – don’t miss it – the God of the Israelites, at a time when pluralism or a multiplicity of gods was rampant. Tell them, there is one true and living God – and He is I Am – the one who exists. To have faith like Enoch that is pleasing to God, is to believe in, live by faith in the God of the Bible. And that God says, I am God, and there is no other. Faith must have a proper object.

How did he demonstrate he believed that God is? He walked with Him. Now, to be clear, as with Abel, there is no evidence that Enoch physically – that is, with physical sight – walked with God. Quite the contrary – he walked by faith. And faith is the conviction of things not seen. So Enoch’s faith was evidenced in walk with God – a walk that was consistent, faithful, and talked. It wasn’t enough to have an intellectual knowledge, even assent to an understanding of God. No – it is a walk with God, which describes a fellowship with God.

And second, he believed in the promises of God – that He was a rewarder of those who seek Him. How does He reward them? By relationship with Him. Don’t miss the wording – those who seek Him. Though we cannot see Him, we believe in Him, and He will fulfill His promises, and give us Himself. God is our inheritance.