FAITH THAT GIVES LIFE EVERLASTING
Hebrews 11:5 & 6
My brothers and my sister when it comes to everlasting life, there is one key ingredient, it’s called faith. The thing that should make Christianity appeal to all of us is that we have the assurance of knowing that we have everlasting life. That is what separate Christianity from the rest. While many religions appeal to the common reasoning of society, Christianity appeals to the satisfaction of knowing that our caring and loving God gave His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, to died for our sins as the Father’s sacrificial Lamb. And the appeal of Christianity can only happen to those believers that have absolute faith in God’s Holy Word.
Last week, we talked about the Spiritual Power of Faith. We learned how Abel, who was a keeper of the sheep and Cain who was a tiller of the soil, understood what was required for a sacrifice unto the Lord, it called for a blood sacrifice. But as we found out, Cain, instead of sacrificing what the Lord had prescribed, offered up the first fruit of the ground, while his brother Abel sacrificed unto the Lord a little lamb, which resulted in God respecting Abel and his sacrifice. This pleased God so much that Abel obtained God’s witness and the Father called him righteous. Even after his death at the hand of his brother, Abel’s sacrifice unto the Lord is still speaking volumes to us today.
In today’s lesson we will witness Enoch and his faith. The text lets us know that Enoch did not experience death because he was translated to God because of his walk with God. Enoch’s walk with God was so rewarding that it pleased God and God would not have him to face death, but to be taken up to be with God.
So, let’s look at Enoch’s faith, and see how his faith lead him into everlasting life, without facing death.
First of all verse 5 tells us that . . .
1. HIS WALK WITH GOD WAS ENOUGH FOR HIM TO NOT EXPERIENCE DEATH (v.5)
“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.”
Oliver Green in his book [The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews] said about Enoch’s translation and I quote; “It has been said that Enoch was walking with God one day, and they walked and talked so long in such sweet fellowship that near nightfall God said to Enoch, ’It is nearer to my house than to your house, so let us go on to my house.” As wonderful as that might sound, the bible says that Enoch walked with God, and was not, for God took him. As we venture back into the old testament, we would find in Genesis chapter five the genealogy of Adam. We should pay close attention to the event of each of Adam’s descendants lives. You would see their name, the age of the person, his siblings and the length of time he lived. Then it said “and he died”. To show you what I mean turn in your bibles to Genesis Five verses three through five and it said, “And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. 4. After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters. 5. So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty eight years; and he died. The scriptures said basically the same thing about Adams descendants. Seth begot Enosh, lived to be nine hundred and twelve years, and he died. Enosh begot Cainan, lived to be nine hundred and five years old, and He died. Cainan begot Mahalalel, lived to be nine hundred and ten years old, and he died. Mahalalel begot Jared, lived to be eight hundred and ninety-five years old, and he died. Jared begot Enoch, lived to be nine hundred and sixty-two years old, and he died. But our focal point should be on Enoch, because this fifth chapter verses 22-24 says, “After he [Enoch] begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years and had sons and daughters. 23. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God had took him. The thing that we should have seen differently in this chapter was that the rest lived, had children and died, while Enoch lived, had children and walked away with God, never to see death. You see Enoch was the prototype in the old testament of what the New Testament Christians that have faith in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit will experience. Although we will experience physical death, but through our faith in God’s Word and the belief that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, and that He has gone away to prepare a place for us that we will live forever be with the Him throughout eternity. So like Enoch we must learn to walk with the Lord.
Now the next two points are directed to us, because the text speaks squarely to us.
Secondly . . .
2. WE MUST BELIEVE THAT GOD IS (V.6a)
“But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is,”
My brother and sisters we must understand that there is a big difference in believing in God and believing God. The first being that you will believe that God exists or that there is a God. We can look out of our windows and see the creation of God. No one but God, can create a tree, dresses it in green foliage, and at the end of a season redress it in fall colors. He can also make a snow flake and not make any two of them alike. As hard as man has tried, only God can create a man from the dust of the earth and put in him senses like, hearing, smelling feeling, He gives us tears for cleansing our eye as well as to help us show our emotions, we have hands that can lift heavy weights, and with those same hands, we can handle a baby so gently, we have eyes that can see the sun and moon thousands of mile away, then in the next instance read a book right in front of us. I tell you my brothers and sisters no body but God can make a man with those types of abilities. So we believe that there is a God from what we have seen of God. But we must learn to believe God, and there is a difference. When you believe God, you can trust Him when you don’t feel His presence. You’ll have faith in Him when you are faced with the impossible. You will also have faith in Him with the things unseen. So, there is a difference in believing that He exist, and believing that He is. And I need to make a point here. When you believe that there is a God, you are leaving yourself open to be persuaded that there is a possibility of another. So the Father is not another God like some would like to think, HE IS GOD!
The bible says, “for he that cometh to God must believe that He is,” In believing that God is our Almighty, we not only believe that He exist, but we believe that He is not slack concerning His promises to us, and that He cannot lie. But before we get to that point we must truly believe that He exist. This is the first thing required in worship. Evidently we cannot come to Him in an acceptable manner if we doubt His existence. We do not see Him, but we must know that He is; we cannot form in our mind a correct image of God, but this should not prevent a conviction in our minds that He is. But the declaration here implies more than that there should be a general persuasion of the truth that God exists. It is necessary that we have this belief by drawing near to him, and that we should realize that we are actually in the presence of the all-seeing God, all the time.
Finally . . .
3. WE MUST BELIEVE THAT GOD REWARDS THE DILIGENT SEEKER (V.6b)
But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”
While many so called intelligent mind’s find it hard to believe in God, we the believers have no problem because we have found out in His word that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Now don’t read into the text something that is not there. It is not telling us that the Lord has a door prize for those who come to Him, although He has a gift that He gives in the Son, there is not a promotional prize for accepting Jesus, like a toaster or a calculator that some businesses give. We don’t need these door prizes because Philippians 4:19 tells us, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” But there are two divine promotional gifts that you will get from the Father for becoming a member of His family. The first being His Son and the second being eternal life. We should not look at this six verse without looking at some key words in the text. Let’s take a look, the writer said, “He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” The word I would like for you to focus on is (diligently). That word gives us the meaning of someone’s perseverance in their search for something or someone. And we should know that the Lord is a rewarder of them who show persistence and resilience in seeking Him.
CONCLUSION
Well it time to go now. I hope you are getting the point of this series. But before I go, I need to ask you a question. Are you diligently seeking the Lord’s company? Do you long to please Him? In-spite of what others says.
Are you diligently seeking the One who can set you free?
Are you diligently seeking the One who can heal your body?
Are you diligently seeking the One who can give you peace in the midst of the storm?
Enoch in his early years, the Genesis account implies that his early years were without walking with God. But something happened after Methuselah was born. Genesis five and twenty-two said “After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters.” I don’t know what happened to change his walk. But whatever it was it drew him to God. There is something else I don’t know and that is, I don’t know what might have drawn you to the Lord. But I do know that I was drawn because I heard that . . .
He is a friend to the friendless,
a Father to the fatherless,
a lawyer in the courtroom,
a doctor that never lost a patient,
a supplier that never runs out,
He’s my peace over troubled waters,
He’s an eraser of my sins,
But most importantly I was drawn to Him because I found out that He is GOD ALL BY HIMSELF and there is no one like unto Him.
This is why I love to sing;
All Hail the Power of Jesus Name
Let angels prostate fall
Bring forth the royal diadem and crown Him Lord of all.
