Enoch Who Received the Evidence of Faith by Walking with God

Enoch Who Received

the Evidence of Faith by Walking with God

Genesis 5:21-24; Jude 1:14-15; Hebrews 11:5-6

 

Enoch is mentioned in only three places in the Old and New Testaments, but he takes the lion’s share in terms of redemptive history. If his proportion could be measured in terms of weight, it would be tremendous. Enoch “walked” with God (Gen 5:22, 24), as did Noah (Gen 6:9). Prophet Malachi said, “He walked with Me in peace and uprightness” (Mal 2:5-6), as he admonished the lives of religious leaders and priests. Prophet Micah also said that what God wants the most from men is to walk with Him.

 

Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

 

The key to walking with God 

First, it is to please God with faith (Heb 11:6). Second, it is to walk with God in a life of gratitude. Without gratitude, there is no faith; there is nothing.

Can you walk with God without thanksgiving? When you’re grateful, you don’t expect anything in return. There is no such thing as, “How much will you give me since I went with you?” Those who offer sacrifices of thanksgiving glorify God and are shown His salvation (Ps 50:14,23). God is most pleased with worship from those who live lives of thanksgiving. He takes responsibility for those who worship with thanksgiving. We should always be thankful, not only at church, but also at home and work. The fact that you — could see the world clearly when you woke up this morning, didn’t have a headache, are healthy, came to church today and met pastors, evangelists, and saints, and ate together — how grateful are you for all these things? If your stomach hurt or one of your internal organs didn’t function properly, you wouldn’t be able to eat together, would you? That’s why at every meal we must confess, “Thank you, God.”

It says, “Rejoice in God” (Ps 37:4; Job 22:26). To please God, we must have thanksgiving, praise, and prayer. You must rejoice in God. Not because of power or money, or because He gave you a job, but just rejoice in the Lord (Isa 58:14; Phil 3:1; 4:4). The joy of God is our strength (Neh 8:10).

 

God has given us the grace of health. If you are healthy, you have strength. With the strength given by God, we should sing praises and offer prayers to God, read the Bible, and give thanks. This is God’s grace. Where gratitude overflows, there is joy. God’s grace never leaves the family or individual, but is always hovering over them. Therefore, you will be blessed when you come in and when you go out (Deut 28:6; Ps 121:8). Even if you get cancer, try to truly give thanks to God and pray. The cancer will be cured unwittingly. Jesus came to this world for two reasons: First, to take away our sins and to save us; and second, to take up and bear all our pain and diseases that resulted due to our sin (Matt 8:16-17). 

 

Matthew 8:16-17 When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases.”

 

We should always give thanks to God the Father for all things in the name of Jesus Christ (Eph 5:20). The key to walking with God is to be strengthened in the faith and overflowing with thankfulness (Col 2:7). We must always devote ourselves to prayer, keeping alert with an attitude of thanksgiving (Col 4:2). God does not accept reluctant or halfhearted prayers which you offer just because you are going through difficulties or people tell you to. Only with thanksgiving can we offer voluntary prayers. Though it seems to be given by man, it is actually given by God. Grace and truth belong to God. If I do not receive His grace nor understand it, I cannot help others. Even if you have a lot of money, you think, “I earned this money without even sleeping!” But it is God’s grace that you were able to stay up, work, and think. It is Jesus who gives all to this person.

 

Colossians 3:17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

 

Everything is by God’s grace. How wonderful it is! Those who live like this do not have illnesses. 

 

Enoch’s walk with God

Enoch was the seventh generation from Adam, the first generation since the creation (Jude 1:14). He was the son of Jared who lived 962 years (Gen 5:18). Enoch fathered his first son Methuselah at the age of 65. His life prior to the age of 65 is not recorded in the Bible. However, when Enoch repented of his sins and fathered Methuselah, God showed him the Second Coming of the Lord and the judgment by flood during Noah’s times (Jude 1:14-15). Enoch could not help but be in shock. Although it is a difficult passage in the Bible, it will be explained in the History of Redemption series. I’m telling you this in advance.

 

Genesis 5:21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah.

Genesis 5:22 Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters.

 

Enoch is a special character. From the first generation Adam until the tenth generation Noah, the phrase, “and he died,” is recorded 9 times (Gen 5:5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 28, 31; 9:29). However, Enoch alone did not die but ascended into heaven alive.

 

Genesis 5:24  Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.

 

The Bible records only one reason as to why Enoch did not die but ascended to heaven. It is because he walked with God (Gen 5:24). The Modern Bible translates this verse as, “While he was having a deep relationship with God during his life, God took him and he disappeared.” “Walked with” means that “he had a deep relationship with God.” Prophet Amos said, “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” (Amos 3:3). Only when the will and heart are in harmony can we walk together, give and receive, eat together, have fellowship, and do business together. God and Enoch always walked together. There were so many secrets they exchanged. God also said about David, “I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do” (Acts 13;22). Then, what could be the “will” that God wants for you? May we never forget Micah 6:8.

 

Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

 

What God desires and asks of mankind, is first humility and walking with God.

The focus of today’s scripture is when Enoch started walking with God. There is no record in the Bible of how he lived until the age of 65. After giving birth to Methuselah at the age of 65, he started walking with God. God revealed a great secret to him: Enoch saw the second coming of Jesus and the judgment of the flood during the days of Noah. And God told him to keep quiet until the time was right. Therefore, he walked with God over 300 years after giving birth to Methuselah. Then, wouldn’t he have thoroughly repented of the sins he had committed for 65 years? As I prayed to God on Mt. Jiri, I felt thrilled and terrified upon learning this. Enoch walked with God over 300 years and had sons and daughters during these years. In the days of Enoch, there were tens of millions of people who had sons and daughters. But Enoch was different. If he had taught his children the commandments, covenants, and Word that God gave, but his children did not believe, would God have walked with Enoch? When I read, “Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters,” my heart pounds quickly and I get goosebumps. Others also had sons and daughters, yet God didn’t care. Enoch thoroughly repented of all the sins he had committed even if they were as trivial as a feather, and he was of one mind with God. After having sons and daughters, he passed on his faith to his children. It was an absolute obedience. Therefore, when it is said, “Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters,” all of these children were in God’s interest just as Enoch was.

 

Before the age of 65, Enoch also had a carnal mind. There was no spiritual world for him. But things changed as soon as Methuselah was born. Enoch lived with Adam for 308 years. Adam must have told all about the world before creation, post-creation, the fall and being expelled from the Garden of Eden. Hearing this, Enoch made a vow to God and prayed. God was so pleased. The world reeked of rotting corpses. However, Enoch and his family were fragrant with aroma. That is why God showed Enoch the second coming of the Lord and how the angels of heaven would move at the time. The decisive moment of their fellowship was the birth of Methuselah when Enoch was 65. His birth marked the turning point in Enoch’s life. Everything changed. He gave up all his former way of living, mindset, and faith, because he saw and heard with his own eyes.

 

The qualification to understand the mysteries of God

The Bible clearly states the reason for walking with God.

 

Deuteronomy 29:29  “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.

 

Just like this verse, we cannot help but discuss God’s secret providence that appears in the chronology. Only God knew of “the secret things,” and He did not tell mankind or any prophet about them. God’s plan and providence of not speaking them belong to Him. A secret is something that is profound and subtle. It is peculiar. You think you get it, but you don’t. When something is subtle, it’s not evident but mysterious so that it can’t be defined. It’s like the subtle emotions of a mixture of love and hate. “Those two look close on the outside, but in a sense, they don’t seem to be close.” Things like this are called subtle.

However, God told His mysteries through the Word for “the things revealed.” That is why it says they belong to us and to our sons forever. Then, who can understand the mysteries of God?

 

First, it’s one who fears God. It’s one who believes God in fear.

 

Psalm 25:14 The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant.

Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets.

 

Those who truly fear God know His secret as He reveals it to them. A person who has received God’s secret is adamant because he holds on to God. Whether this person sleeps or wakes up, eats or drinks, there is only God for him. So the intimacy with God is there with him (Gen 18:17; Num 22:38). The friendship of God will never leave those who fear God. If there is friendship between couples or friends, it will be hard for them to forget each other (Job 29:4).

 

Second, it’s one who is filled with God’s spirit. Without the Spirit of God, we cannot know God’s mind (Job 15:8; Jer 23:18; Rom 11:34; 1 Cor 2:11).

 

Third, only those who belong to God can know the words and secrets of life. Even among pastors, elders, and evangelists, there are many people who do not belong to God. They are just tagging along the true believers. He who is of God hears the words of God (John 8:47). It is because you are not of God, you give various excuses to not attend the worship service. All who belong to the truth hear His Word. 

 

John 8:47 He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.

 

Apostle Paul said that even when people hear the same Word in the same environment, they go down to different paths.

 

2 Corinthians 2:16 to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?

 

Same message is testified in Luke 2:34 as it declares the terrifying message.

 

Fourth, the righteous understands God’s mystery and His providence. Fellowship with God never ceases for such a person. He does not withhold from those who walk uprightly (Ps 84:11). Those who are upright receive the wisdom of God and experience the mercy of God (Ps 107:42-43). The wicked do not understand, only the wise may understand (Dan 12:10; Prov 10:29). After speaking of the end times, the prophet Hosea said:

 

Hosea 14:9 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; Whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right, and the righteous will walk in them, but transgressors will stumble in them.

 

Warning of Enoch, the one who has seen the secret of the Second Coming

 

Jude 1:14-15  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.”

 

Saints, be careful with your words. Adultery, rape, theft, and fraud are secondary problems. It says that He condemns for ungodly harsh speech. In the NIV version, it is translated as, “Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” (Jude 1:14-15)

 

This means that God will first judge first the words spoken here and there as if they had been excreted. If you love your life and want to see good days, you are told to keep your tongue (1 Pet 3:10). It is God’s command. We must spare our words (Matt 12:36-37). You will be judged for good or evil by the fruit of your lips (Prov 12:14, 13:2, 17:37, 30, 31, 18:21; Eccl 12:14; Rom 14:12; 1 Pet 4:5; Matt 5:22, Jam 3:2-12). We must watch our lips (1 Pet 3:8-12; Prov 13:3, 21:23, 12:13, 18:20, 21, 4:23).

 

Ephesians 5:4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

 

God told us not to partake in the unfruitful works of darkness. Seedless words without content nor meaning are fruitless (Eph 5:11; 2 Pet 1:8; Acts 17:31). If you are proud, God will bring you down and all things in your life will become flat (Prov 29:23; 17:19; 2 Sam 22:28; Matt 23:12; Jas 4:6; Prov 11:2; 14:14; 16:18). King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was proud and hence became the lowest (Dan 4:29-31).

 

Enoch’s son Methuselah carries a profound significance in the history of redemption.

Methuselah’s son Lamech gave birth to his first son and named him Noah while praying. He said, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed” and named his son Noah, which means “rest” (Gen 5:28-29). After Enoch gave birth to his first son, apparently God gave him a name and it was Methuselah; God allowed mankind to be aware of the great tribulation to come through Methuselah. God’s mystery for that era was contained in the name “Methuselah” as the name contained the secret of life and death of the entire mankind for the people of that time,

 

In fact, Methuselah was a renowned name at the time. In the folktale that was passed down orally at the time, the guardian which appears in the tale was called Methuselah, “the one who raises a spear and protects the town.” Every town at the time had a guardian which was known to protect and guard its town, thus the guardian was not to be touched by anyone. If the guardian dies, the town was to be destroyed. However, God made Enoch to name his son as the “guardian.” Interestingly, Methuselah’s name has two meanings that illuminate his ministry. The first part of his name, mut, means “death”;  the second part, selah, means “to be sent”. In other words, it contains the message of God, that “when Methuselah dies, I will send”; In other words, “It will happen after his death.”

 

These words were fulfilled after 969 years. It’s truly amazing. After giving birth to Methuselah, Enoch walked with God for 300 years and ascended to heaven. Since then, the Word was fulfilled in 669 years. All things in the Bible came true. There is not even one year of error. Methuselah died on the tenth day of the second month in the 600th year of Noah. That day, Noah heard the voice of God and entered the ark with all the animals which took 7 days. On the 17th day of the second month, flood came.

 

Genesis 7:10-11  It came about after the seven days, that the water of the flood came upon the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened.

 

While Methuselah was alive, the world did not receive judgment, just like the folklore of the “guardian” protecting the town. But then that guardian, Methuselah, died, and as soon as he died, the revelation of judgment came to Noah. This was no coincidence. It is truly profound and mysterious that Methuselah gave birth to Lamech at the age of 187 (Gen 5:25). Lamech gave birth to Noah at the age of 182 (Gen 5:28). The flood occurred when Noah was 600 years old. This tells us that in that year, Methuselah was 969 years old (Gen 5:17). Enoch was foretold of judgment 969 years before the flood judgment (Ref- Jude 1:14-15; Heb 11:7)

 

Genesis 6:5-7 describes how men were in the days of Noah and it was the same for the days of Enoch. Enoch walked with God and had sons and daughters, but the descendants of Cain lived according to their own desires. Enoch was always on the alert as he knew the meaning of Methuselah. Noah also was on the alert as he walked with God (Gen 6:8-9). Jesus mentioned about the end times as follows: “The coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. Therefore, be on the alert” (Matt 24:37-42). The virgin like Enoch who is always on the alert can immediately take her lamp and go out to greet the bridegroom on the call. However, the opposite only then would go out to borrow her oil and the day would just pass by. The Bible is precise and has no errors. Dear saints, do not be stubborn but always be humble. Please have a prayerful attitude, always praying to God saying, “Please grant the grace to your lacking servant by sending the spirit of understanding, wisdom, and knowledge to understand whenever You speak Your Words.”

 

Dear saints,

What was the purpose of God calling Abraham, the father of faith? Genesis 18:18-19 testifies of God’s purpose: “Abraham, I must open the way to send the Messiah through my covenant with you. So I will give you a son and all the blessings promised to you will come true. However, in return, I have a wish.”

 

Genesis 18:18-19 since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? 19 For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.”

 

“Teach your sons and grandchildren the same way you do righteousness and justice, and I will fulfill the covenant through the Word.” This Word of God has not ceased and has continued to this day (Deut 4:9; 6:7; 11:18-19; 32:46; Ps 78:4-6). How precious is this Word? Please believe that the flow of the Word of God’s covenant has not been cut off to this day and is now staying at Pyungkang Cheil Church. Dear congregation, I pray for your good health. When you’re sick, you can’t do anything. May you always rejoice, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all that you do. This is the will of God for us (1 Thess 5:16). The members of Pyungkang must know and believe that the covenant of works given to Adam, the covenant of faith given to Abraham, and the unchanging covenant of salt must be testified in order for our church to become the living church and accomplish God’s will in the end.

3rd Lord’s Day service sermon by Rev. Abraham Park on Jan 30, 2011