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.”[a] For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.”
Introduction
Enoch and Elijah were the two individuals in the Bible who were directly carried away to heaven, this is not something to skip and go to the next chapter, surely we would like to know more about them. Enoch got qualified for this ‘special flight’! No visa, no passport, no paper work but direct flight to heaven. Phew!
God took him -These words squeezed my heart! God was soooooo moved by this guy Enoch that He took him away to be with Him.
The words ' chosen by God' has become familiar that we fail to comprehend the essence of it
The Bible says ' 1 Peter 2:9:
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light
Ephesians 1:4:
"For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence".
John 15:16:
"You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain.'
There are many scriptures related to this but I picked the above to make you understand what it means to be "chosen '.
Illustration: I talked about being picked out by God to my Abide School students today by citing Noah as an example. My actual title was 'measurements' to the students, I mix Bible verse with education and speak to them. I was preaching this message in the midst of pagan teachers who had just celebrated a big hindu festival, and mixed group of students from various religions. I consider this platform precious, and I was not going to skip it.
Why would God select only , I repeat 'only Noah' from the whole world? Tell me. (Genesis 6:8)If God did not find anything fantastic in Noah, He would not have selected him, also God gave Noah very specific measurements for the building of the ark:
Genesis 6:14 -16-
The ark is to be 450 ft long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Genesis 6:16 instructs Noah to construct the ark with a roof and a ventilation or light opening of approximately 18 inches (one cubit) below the top, leaving space between the roof and the side walls for light and air. "
Meditate:::Just look at the precise details! Look! Don't just quickly read the Bible, look, look, read, make notes and meditate. Instead of sitting and overthinking , Apostle Paul says, don't overthink but just meditate only on those that are true Philippians 4:8( 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.) Hallelujah!! Fear the Lord who expects you to perfectly 'measure'. God would not have given this project of measurements, if Noah had been a careless and reckless person. Anybody listening? God is just not going to select you for wearing a big cross or jumping during worship, He is looking for good deeds. Anybody listening?
Personal testimony: I was unable to find a good tailor when I moved to Hyderabad so I gave my clothes to stitch with a sample dress also. But when I went to collect, I found it very tight and small. When I asked him the reason, he saw Shalu (my daughter) stand close to me so he said,' ok no problem, give it to your daughter.' This is the kind of people we see around the world, that includes Christians too, who live lacklustre life without perfection.
God weighs your life, has measured you and created you, you were fearfully and wonderfully made. Proverbs 21:2, which states, "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart". God had the measuring scale with Him while He created you, not just approximate but perfect. Anybody listening????
Likewise, listen to this, He will weigh your deeds and bless you accordingly. Romans 2:6"God will render to every man according to his deeds:". Your life is measured!
God trusted Noah to build the ark according to measurements and to perfection because God watched his life.
👉Noah woke up sharp 5am to pray, not beat around the bush and say,' I pray the whole day.'
👉He walked with God and talked with God and his life reflected it.
Coming back to what I said earlier, I preached all what I said above in the school. Whenever I spoke about God, I made sure to say 'Jesus Christ '. Amen.
I shared my personal testimony of how I was selected among 400 people who came for the interview, for a multinational bank. How God showed favour and changed my life not to make me rich but to make me His servant. I fell sick and was in death bed while working for the bank and during this time I had an encounter with Jesus that transformed my life. To be chosen was no small word!
After preaching the word I went into my room , my hindi teacher followed me into the room with tears in her eyes. She is a hardcore idol worshiper who goes jumping from one temple to another. She said,' God chose me to work for Abide School, while there are so many people around, He chose me, I'm grateful for that.' After listening to the message, she said 'she sat frozen because of the impact of the Bible verse.' That is realisation friend! She further said, ' I am just excited to hear how God measured and made us!' Glory to God!
So, coming back to be chosen, God found something spectacular in Enoch which we will now check out
I. Birth of Methuselah :
Though there isn't much said in details about Enoch; however, let us allow Holy Spirit to help us look deeper into his life. The main historical data about Enoch that we have is contained only in four verses in Genesis 5:21-24 '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: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.'
"And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah", in these verses we can detect a definite turning point in Enoch's life - the time when Methuselah was born. We are told that Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah. For 65 years Enoch lived a normal life; however, after Methuselah was born, God revealed Himself in a mighty way that changed his life upside down
Let me explain about Methuselah, he lived 969 years, the longest lifespan recorded in the Bible . Bible Commentator Matthew Henry says , the meaning of his name is "when he dies, it will happen,". Methuselah died just before the great flood, with the flood beginning the same year his life ended. So now we get the meaning behind the name Methuselah - When he dies, the Flood will come! After this encounter with God, the life of Enoch was never the same. Enoch was warned by God that He was going to destroy the world by flood after the death of his son Methuselah, you can imagine how he would have felt!
Friend, let me tell you something, a person’s life does not change dramatically and drastically without something divine and spectacular happen to them. So, what happened to Enoch?
He did not receive God talking to Him just as something thrilling but He believed it to be true and now he started 'redesigning' his life. Hallelujah!!! Revival should start with you! Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom!! I was saved and received water baptism but still I was struggling with lot of hurts, wounds and other stuff stored in my mind. (several years of stock unattended) I remember how I laid hands on an awesome book titled ‘Renewal of mind” which completely started reconstructing my mind, life and thoughts. BANG – can a book bring such changes – YES it did! That scripture right there in Romans 12:2 is an atom bomb:” Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
How can one set his mind on a high level? By filling the mind with the Word of God, anybody listening? Hebrews 8:10”.. I will put My laws into their minds, And I will write them on their hearts. And I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” Let me explain this, after my salvation experience which happened during the birth of my second child, I got total transformation of my mind, which was awesome, I cannot articulate my feelings in words. I had been to a jewellery shop with my entire family, my mom and sisters were also there, this was a huge showroom with gigantic neck chains and bracelets on display. All my other family members were going around the shop trying to pick something of their choice; however, I was nonchalant to the whole issue, I felt like a fish out of water – I had no interest. Period. I do wear gold ornaments even now, but just limited, I have no yearning towards it but this CHANGE was miraculous because before salvation I would wear 10 rings on my ten fingers and my bracelet alone was 5 sovereign of gold, none of them are with me now. Am I a monk? No, but I am a lover of Jesus FULLY sold out for Him. Amen.
Nothing lures me more than my Savior! How did this happen? Immediately after the birth of my son Joshua, I started drinking the word of God day and night, literally I read it through the night. I read it diligently, I checked the author of each book, delved deep into the writer’s life and while I was doing this, God divinely sent people into my life who gifted me with expensive Bible commentary books which further took me deep into His Word and shaped me for the assignment that God planned for me, to be His writer, preacher and teacher. Glory to Jesus! Seek and you will find!
Mind is gold mine! A person’s mind is a rich, untapped source of valuable ideas, potential, creativity and inner wealth, which can be discovered and ‘mined’ through effort and investigation. Guard your mind! What you feed your mind is important! Proverbs 4:23” Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Coming back to Enoch, now let us meditate the above scripture step by step so that we understand the full essence of this wonderful scripture:
A) Enoch was taken up: The verse describes how Enoch was "taken up" or "translated". This means he was removed from the earth without dying, a unique event in the Old Testament.
B) Faith: "By faith Enoch was taken up". He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" is a Bible verse from Hebrews 11:6
It was not just empty faith but his life style aligned with God's will. Aligning with God's will involves a profound shift in your heart and mind, dedicating your entire being—thoughts, actions, and desires—to His service, as urged in Romans 12:1-2
Personal testimony: After my miraculous healing and birth of my son Joshua, my life changed dramatically. I even stopped reading secular books, magazines because they contradict the Word of God. Secular magazines say 'flirting is ok' but my Jesus said 'Matthew 6:22-23 ("The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light") and Proverbs 4:25 ("Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you") Hallelujah!
I stopped watching cinemas and also broke cinema CDs and audio cassettes. Your encounter with God should be followed by action.
C) Seeking God's Guidance:
Meditating on God's Word is like listening to the heartbeat of God, it is that important. It provides wisdom and reveals His values and principles.
Prayer: This is conversation with God in order to pour out your heart to Him.
D)PLEASING GOD:
Enoch pleased God, this qualified him to get unimaginable favour of God. Please Him!
2 Corinthians 5:9”….we make it our aim to please him.”
Personal illustration: I liked my English teacher at school so much that I would go great extent to please her, I would prepare the lesson before hand to please and impress her. She started noticing me, this excited me; one day the teacher – who also happens to be the headmistress of the school – saw a gaping hole in the bottom of my shoes. She called my mom and discussed about our financial status and came to know of our utter poverty during that time and she made an amazing promise to take care of my uniform, books and school fees until I finish my intermediate education. She kept her word! All this happened because I took the efforts to please her! Are you listening? Just imagine the delightful blessings God would give you, if only you go all out to please Him!
E) Enoch was not found: Hebrews 11:5'He could not be found...
This signifies his complete removal from the physical world.
Enoch was not found:
Hebrews 11:5'He could not be found...
Enoch could not be found on earth, Genesis 5:24: This Old Testament passage confirms the account: "And Enoch walked with God, and then he was no more, because God had taken him away".
Enoch was "taken up" by God to spare him from death, so he "could not be found", people were unable to locate him. Likewise, God has to totally lift us up away from ‘earthly stuff’ and transport us to a place of divine presence. Anybody listening? Somehow these words impacted me a lot! A person who has had an encounter with Jesus, who has surrendered his life 100 percent to God and now getting to know God deeper should never have anything with the world. Anybody listening? The Bible says: James 4:4 “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” You can almost feel the heat in this verse, look how the verse starts ‘You adulterous people’! Scary! However, believers don’t seem to mind the serious note of God behind these words, He wants His children to be separated, are you listening? Mingling and mixing with the wrong crowd brings woes!
In the bank where I worked before joining as full time servant for the Lord, they would take us to the theatres, would arrange parties and also take us out of station; however, my mentor aunty would say, ’you cannot go to such parties, there would be booze and worldly stuff that would affect your children.’ I did hesitate for a while, greedy for the goodies that were offered but very quickly I repented and obeyed my mentor. Until the day I resigned and even after that ‘my family and I never attended such parties even if it means loss.’ I think of how Enoch could not be found…..
There are ‘smoking zones’ in corporate sectors, a child of God should never be found in such areas, there are prohibited areas where demons would fill the air, believers should never foolishly venture into such areas. Stay away from idols," with the command appearing in several passages, such as 1 John 5:21 which says, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols". Leviticus 19:4 instructs the Israelites, "Do not turn aside to idols, nor make molten gods for yourselves. I, the LORD, am your God".
Abiding in His presence and hiding inside the shelter of His wings is the best place ever in this world today!
Luke 24:53”and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.”
Abiding in His presence and hiding inside the shelter of His wings is the best place ever in this world today! I mean it. The moment you come out, you have the TV, internet, Facebook, gym, mobile, emails, huge gamut of friends, food and what not to snatch you away from Him. Don’t disregard this message, many have strayed away from God for frivolous reasons and then they beat their chests later on for having lost flavor in their life.
D)WALK WITH GOD:
Walk with God and like God:
1 John 2:6: whoever claims to live in Him, must ALSO walk as Jesus did.
ENOCH WALKED WITH GOD: Because of this intimacy, God had revealed to Enoch that something very great and catastrophic was going to happen at the time when Methuselah dies. God gave crystal clear details of what would happen after the death of Methuselah. What was that? That great flood would come upon the earth - The universal flood that destroyed all life in the world except for 8 souls who were in Noah's ark.
Colossians 1:10“…so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
Connection to Genesis:
Boldness of Enoch
We know from Jude verses 14 and 15 that Enoch preached to the unbelieving world around him that God's judgment was coming. God must have given him the courage and boldness he needed to declare His word to men.
Twice in Genesis 5 that Enoch walked with God. Verse 22 tells us that he walked with God after he begat Methuselah for three hundred years - think of how Enoch sustained his walk with God everyday for 300 years!
The faith that led Enoch to cease walking in the way of the world and to walk with God for three hundred years brought pleasure to God. No turning back!
