FAITH: The Greatest Power in The World p.3
Faith that Pleases God
Hebrews 11:5-6, Genesis 5:21-24 & Jude 14, 15
INTRODUCTION
A Television commercial sometime ago reminded us that "walking makes the good life better.
"According to medical authorities, walking is one of the most profitable forms of physical exercise.
At my most recent medical appointment, my doctor gave me good news and not so good news. HE said that by blood sugar count was at the normal stage for a diabetic. That means at this point I am what could be called successfully progressing.
However, he added that this is not enough. Now the next stage of my program needs to take place. I was told to now aggressivily pursue Diet and exercise.
What was the number one form of exercise he recommended? You guessed it, WALKING.
Walking stimulates the heart and lungs, strengthens the bones and muscles, increases the blood flow throughout the body, and reportedly contributes to the loss of excess weight.
Did you know that the average pair of feet take 7000 to 8000 steps a day; about two and one-half million steps a year. It makes you tired just thinking about it, doesn’t it? That means that in a lifetime, you will walk approximately 115,000 miles.
From God’s word we understand that the Christian life Is a dynamic walk of faith-a journey which requires dedication, courage, and persistence.
The successful completion of this walk Is dependent not upon one’s natural or physical resources but upon the strength, leadership, and controlling influence of the Holy Spirit.
Enoch is one of the most striking personalities of the Old Testament. He Is one of but two men of whom it is said "he walked with God." He Is one of but two men who lived on this earth and went to heaven without passing through the portals of death.
He is the only one, except our blessed Lord, of whom it is written that "he pleased God." The reason for the remarkable qualities and successes of this man Is recorded In Genesis 5:24: "He walked with God."
Who was Enoch anyway? Enoch is a fascinating biblical character. All we know about enouch is found in three passages of scripture, that total about 9 verses.
There are three primary passages which give us insight into Encochs life.
First of all we learn that Enoch walked with God FAITHFULLY. The first time we read
About Enoch is in Genesis 5:21-24, where we learn after he became the father of Methuselah,
Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether,
Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more
because God took him away.
Enoch lived in one of the darkest period of the history of the world. Enoch lived just
before God had to destroy the earth because of man’s evil, yet Enoch managed to keep
himself pure.
The Hebrew form of the verb means he walked closely and continually with God. The
walk that Enoch experienced was on of deepening intimacy with God. He lived every
day in the presence of the Lord and in constant communion with Him. His faith and his
obedience, as well as his worship, were outstanding.
The Bible says that at 65, when his son Methuselah was born, he began his journey of
faith. His walk never waivered. For three hundred years he faithfully walked with God.
So many Christians are discoraged because they cannot see any rapid growth. Listen,
Enochs walk is a reminder to us that our faith walk is not a 100 yard dash, it is a life
long marathon. Furthermore, what the Lord looks for most is not the instant results,,
but faithfulness to His word and will.
What was Enoch doing for these 300 years? He served God MISSIONALLY. In another
Small passage from Jude reveals how that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied,
saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute
judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness tha
they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly
sinners have spoken against him."( Jude 15-16)
If you are like me I have the picture of a wild eyed, TV preacher waving a bible in one
hand and a finger pointing with the other. But what this tells us that Enoch not only
lived out his faith, he talked about it as well. He lived Peters instruction to be ready to
give an answer for when people ask questions concerning your hope.
Enoch lived his life with mission. It was his reason for getting up in the morning. He
did not live his faith for himself, he wanted others to experience the same grace and
mercy from God he had received.
I believe Enoch’s testimony is an example for how God desires us to live life, with
Mission and purpose.
The Bible gives promise, ‘For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ‘ ( Jer.29:11)
Every circumstance has purpose and design to bring us closer to God and make us
more like Jesus, ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love
him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also
predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, ( Romans 8:28-29a)
Enjoyment and fulfillment in life is experienced when we discover how to live the way
Enoch lived. Enoch lived MISSIONALLY
However, the hallmark of Enoch’s life was that “He loved God INTIMATELY .”
Hebrews 11:5 tells us, 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."
Enoch was one of only two men of whom it is never died, but were ‘taken’ Elijah the prophet was said to have been ‘taken in a whirlwind to heaven accompanied by a fiery chariot.
The word which occurs twice in this verse, means ‘transferred’ or ‘translated’ from one realm to another.
This was not another word for death. No, this was a miraculous transferal from this world to Heaven directly by the hand of God.
Many scholars have likened Enoch’s expereince to what will happen one day, when the Angel sounds a trumpet and millions of believers will be instantly translated to heaven in the Rapture. ( 1 Thess.5)
But we miss the point when only emphasize Enochs personal rapture. What is most important is not Enoch’s miraculous departure, but the testimony of a life THAT PLEASED GOD.
For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.
THIS SPEAKS OF Enochs personal walk of intimacy with God.
His walk of faith was not out of duty, religious pride, or for personal gain. Enoch walked with God for the sheer enjoyment of personal relationship. And this did not waiver for more than 300 years.
He did this all BY FAITH. You see, apart from faith neither Enoch nor any of us can please God.
This morning you are here for one of two reasons. One reason is because this is what you have always done. It is part of your religious tradition. And there is nothing wrong with that. Howerver, tradition alone will not bring you the kind of abundant life Jesus promised those who would trust and follow Him.
The other group are here because of a hunger to want to grow in worship of your Heavenly Father.
And you can only do this BY FAITH. This verse does not say it is difficult to know and please God, but rather that it is IMPOSSIBLE, because anyone who comes ( as a worshipper) must demonstrate two elements of faith described in 11:6
First , we must come to God believing He exists. That is we come not only believing that there is a God who created the universe and the world. It is not believing in any God.
On the contrary, the writer is reminding us it is not the belief in the existence of A God
that is meant, but belief and trust in the existence of the ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD
ALMIGHTY who is, ‘King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for
ever and ever. ( 1 Tim.1:17)
Secondly, the writer says we must, ‘believe he rewards those who diligently seek
That means to earnestly with all of your heart mind and strength. It is not with a weak, nonchalant attitude. It says to seek God with everything you’ve got.
But this faith is not based on some sort of mystical mind over matter or positive thinking mentality.
We do not seek God only when we feel like it or when it is required.
Faith, as one commentator writes, ‘involves trusting God according to His word, and promises, resulting in a confidence of what we hope for .
In other words faith enables us to believe that God’s word is true, to desire and seek him earnestly even when others do not.
Faith enables us to believe in the goodness of God’s character even when the circumstances of my life may be difficult and unpleasant.
The more secure and intimate your relationship is with God, the stronger your faith in Him will be.
And what is the reward for those who diligently seek Him? As it was for Enoch it will be for you…
The Joy of finding Him: The prophet Jeremiah encouraged Isreal with this promise, ‘…You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord,. And Jesus declared to His followers, ‘Seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you, ask and it shall be given to you pressed down, shaken together and running over.’ The verb tense means to keep on seeking, keep on knocking and to keep on asking. Gods resources are never ending and overflowing with life and joy.
Then there is the reward of KNOWING Him. Jesus said, in John 15, “I am the true vine,and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Again Jesus uses a verb meaning to keep on abiding. Faith is a living relationship of growing intimacy with God. It is an intimacy that existed in the garden, it was broken because of Adams sin, but has been restored now through Christ ‘s death on the cross.
Finally the ultimate reward of faith is to ENJOY HIM FOREVER. Jesus gave this promise to His disciples in John 14, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Pleasing God begins with faith. Faith operates out of relationship not a vacuum. To Please God, You Must First Learn To Walk faithfully with God, serve God missionally in your world, and to love God intimately over everything in this world.
Are you walking with God? Enoch’s life teaches us how to walk with God in a fallen world and live lives of faith that please God.
We need to live our lives so that they please God… not living lives that simply please the people around us or our leaders, or our pastors. Our focus must be on God, not on man.
So how do we please God?
Isaiah 64:6 says something very appropriate to this. All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
Nothing we can do as people can please God except the things we do THROUGH CHRIST.
It’s one of the paradox’s of Christianity. Only when we learn that we can’t please God in our own strength can we then start to please God. Interesting eh?
So how do we live to please God? Is it possible???
Yes… Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it is impossible to please God… so with faith and in faith we can certainly please Him.
Isn’t that awesome… that we can please God… we can actually please the Creator. What an awesome truth.
So how do we please God? We please God …
The key word is GROW. It is God’s plan that all living things grow. This is true of the natural world as it is spiritually. Nothing brings more pleasure to the fathers heart than when HE sees His children
• GROWING FAITHFULLY
God is pleased with us when we operate in faith, love and a desire to give glory to Him.
This is where it all begins. FAITH. When we are acting in faith… God is pleased… when we do things from a heart and a principle and an attitude of love… God is pleased… and when we do things that bring glory and honour to God, He is pleased…
Do you remember the definition we have given for faith?
True Bible faith is confident obedience to God’s Word in spite of circumstances and consequences.
That does not mean that living by faith is always easy or without difficulties. No faith simply hears Gods word and then does Gods will for God’s glory.
• GROWING FRUITFULLY
God is pleased with us when we bear fruit through the good things that we do.
Jesus said that his will is that we bear fruit. The means to fruit bearing is remaining in Him through relationship. The word that is used in John 15, in the Greek for ‘bear fruit’ can also mean to be fertile.
What does a fruitless person look like? They look stale, they’re crusty in their faith, they’re stuck in a rut. Maybe they’re living to only please themselves or the people around them.
God wants people who are fertile, who are ready to be used, who are able to be used.
Over time, the person who is living to please God will begin to see a change in their values and we will see a change in their behavior.
• those living together outside of marriage will get married
• those cheating others will begin dealing honestly
• those who have been abusive in their speech will move toward kindness
• those who were known for using others will begin serving others
• those who relished tearing down others in their whispering will now seek to build them up
• those who had hoarded their resources will begin investing their resources in the work of the Lord.
Listen to prescription of Jesus is: "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." Did you hear what He was saying? We don’t go out to bear more fruit . . . we seek to draw closer to Him and the fruit will come naturally. It’s not a matter of trying harder but drawing closer.
In addition to faith and fruit bearing, we please God
• GROWING GRATEFULLY
God is pleased with us when we give Him thanks for the things He has done.
God simply loves it when we give thanks to Him. When we recognise Him as being the Giver of all blessing… He truly loves it. It says here that we should ‘joyfully give thanks’!
1 Thessalonians 5:18 says Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Have you ever noticed how much we complain?
• We complain about the weather (when we should be grateful to be alive)
• We complain about our income (or our taxes which take away our income) when we should be grateful that we have an income.
• We complain about the government (though we should be grateful we don’t live in anarchy)
• We complain about how our food is cooked (or how long the waitress takes) when we should be grateful we have food.
• We complain about other believers (they aren’t as spiritual as we! We’re the only ones doing it right) When we should be thanking God that all members do not have the same function.
• We complain about traffic when we should be glad we can travel with such ease.
• We complain about crowds in the store (when we should be glad we are able to shop).
You get the idea. We thank God for what He’s given while at the same time feeling he should have given more. We seem to think that if God really loved us we would have: less problems, more money, more stuff, more influence, less illness, more good times, less difficult times. But we tell God we’re grateful. If you were God, would you believe us?
Gratitude begins when we realize we do not deserve the inheritance that has been reserved for us. We should spend every waking moment being grateful that God by His Spirit has pulled us from the jaws of Hell. The Lord has taken our dead end life and set it on the course for eternity. We must think often of where we would be if He had not drawn us to Him.
An attitude of gratitude grows as we learn to open our eyes to the blessings we take for granted. When was the last time you thanked God for the breath you were able to take, or the blue sky, or the song of a robin? When did you last thank Him for the Bible, for fellow believers, for the music that lifts your soul? When did you last thank Him for a warm home and conveniences we consider "rights". When did you last thank Him for your family? When did you last thank Him for the diversity that exists that keeps us honest? Or the trials that give us perspective?And God is pleased with us when we thank Him. Isn’t that great!?
Conclusions
God is pleased ,
• When we Grow in faithfulness
• When we Grow in Fruitfulness
• When we Grow in Thankfulness
These are not traits we can produce in ourselves by greater effort. We must remember that the key is not to work harder . . . it is to draw closer.
It’s possible that you have listened today and realize that you don’t have this kind of relationship with Jesus Christ. It’s possible that you have just been "playing along" every Sunday.
Friend, before you can live a life that is pleasing to God, you must receive the salvation that God offers. Today I encourage you to acknowledge that Jesus died in your stead. I invite you to tell the Lord that you are willing to trust Him for your eternal destiny. You are willing to rely on His provision for you. I encourage you to let Him know that you are willing to let Him build a new life in you . . . the life you were created to live. That’s the first step . . . take that step today.
