ENOCH, WALKED WITH GOD

Genesis 5:18-24 (KJV)

And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch:

And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:

And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.

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: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

I read an article this week having to do with the spiritual condition of the younger generation in the United States.

This article suggests that, rather than being atheists, a large number of young people have developed a faith similar to pantheism – the concept that everything embodies a power that is “god.”

“According to Pew Research Center, the percentage of young adults who believe religion to be very important as compared to their elders is greatly lower, dropping a total of 31 percent from the Greatest Generation to Millennials. This is not to say, however, that young adults experience spiritual curiosity at lower rates. Pew Research Center also reports that 46 percent of Millennials feel a great sense of wonder about the universe, …, although less intrigued by the thought of a strict religion, hold roughly the same importance to questions of spirituality and the nature of existence as their elders. Combining these ideas of a loose religious fabric with an unceasing sense of wonder opens a door to a new future of religious philosophy, one that incorporates both divinity and humility: an idea known as pantheism.”[1]

This article goes on to suggest that, “As today’s youth adapt to changing religious views while still holding curiosity towards the uncertain, the need for a new religion becomes apparent” and offers pantheism as that new religion.

The offer is laughable because, all through the article, we are told that pantheism is am ancient religion.

Hey, I know! Let’s take an old religion, call it a new religion and maybe young, confused people will buy into it from us!

What I think is important to see in this article is the statement that young adults, “hold roughly the same importance to questions of spirituality and the nature of existence as their elders.”

·   The question has nothing to do with whether there is a spiritual world. Every human being knows inherently that there is a life after death.

·   The issue has always been one of guiding those same people to the truth about that life after death.

I remind you that the Bible is the only source for spiritual thought that proves its message by the resurrection of the messenger, Jesus Christ.

Every other religious or spiritual idea is only theory – it has no proof and no way to be proven.

You’ll get no argument from me that there have been men claiming to be Christians who have done terrible things.

That only demonstrates the corruption of man. It in no way invalidates the message or the resurrection of Christ.

People have misused the Bible.

But the Bible is still where all reliable spiritual answers are to be found.

With that in mind, I undertake to study what it means to be a spiritual man by studying the lives of men of the Bible known to be spiritual.

I want to begin with Enoch.

There is this interesting connection between the book of Genesis and the New Testament.

A lot of people think the Old Testament is all about the Mosiac Law and the New Testament is all about the grace of Christ.

In reality people lived for 2600 years before the Mosiac Law was given

If we don’t take into account that period of time before Adam and Eve sinned, there is something like 2550 years without the Mosiac law.

Abraham is the most obvious illustration of the relationship people had with God during this period of time.

Galatians 3:17-18 (KJV)

And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

Abraham’s relationship with God was based on a promise and not a law.

The obvious point Paul wanted to make was that, the same is true in the New Testament.

Abraham’s relationship with God is built on the same foundation as the New Testament Christian’s.

Enoch is also a figure of how the relationship of believer’s before the law is the same as the relationship of new Testament Christians.

Enoch walked with God.

Galatians 5:25 (KJV)

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Let me just say this then, a spiritual person walks with God.

I want to use Enoch to describe what that walk would look like.

I. WALKING WITH GOD IS PERSONAL

Genesis 5:22 (KJV)

And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:

I find it intriguing that Enoch’s walk with God is mentioned in relationship with his family.

Some Bible students have demonstrated how, it was after the birth of Methuselah that Enoch walked with God.

They have put together then names of the children born in Genesis five and believe that the names, combined were a message from God declaring that it was in the days of Methuselah that judgment would come.

Methuselah means “man of the dart” or a reference to judgment.

They say that Enoch, inspired of God, named him Methuselah, put all of those names together, and began walking with God because he knew that is was after him that God would bring judgment.

What I am interested in is that he has a family and walks with God.

I have a few thoughts:

A. Your family should not prevent your walk with God

It’s heartbreaking to me how many people allow family to ruin their faithfulness with God.

·   It might be a parent who pressures them into family gatherings instead of going to church

·   It might be a child who loses interest in church, so they get them into sports

·   It could be some family member who insists on dropping by or calling on the phone just as you are getting ready to head out to church

It might be that family duties prevent some from personal devotions.

We had a wonderful family in our church in Astoria – they are still friends.

She had grown up Catholic and her mother hated the idea that she attended a Baptist Church.

It wasn’t like her mom disowned her.

But her mother would never let up on her about not being a Catholic any more.

·   She hounded her about not christening the babies

·   She goaded her about not receiving the mass

She would come to me with tears in her eyes – she dearly loved her mother.

But her mother made her life miserable because she believed they were condemned to hell for not staying in the Catholic Church.

I’m just saying, don’t let your family – parents or children, prevent you from having a real walk with God.

Second

B. Your family should enhance your walk with God

It was after the birth of Methuselah that Enoch walked with God.

I had a preacher friend – pastored in a small town – who would read the local paper’s birth record.

The paper would actually report on every baby born that week. He kept a supply of small “Baby’s first Bibles” and would, a few days after the birth, deliver a Bible to the home, monogrammed with the baby’s name on it.

His thinking was that, with the birth of the baby, this family might be ready to get some things right with the Lord.

It isn’t uncommon for a person to at least think, “I ought to give my kids some spiritual training.”

The mistake so often is that they think the kids need spiritual training, not mom and dad.

Anita had a great conversation with a person not long ago. When this guy found out she was a preacher’s wife, he told her this story:

His son, for whatever reason, began asking him about baptism.

This guy, who had not ever taken his son to church, told his kid that he didn’t know, “Let’s Google it.”

Anita said that after researching it, they came up with pretty much the right answers about baptism and the conclusion was, if his boy decided he wanted to be saved and baptized his dad agreed to start attending church with him.

I am not saying everything about that event is right but it does illustrate my point, don’t allow your family to prevent your walk with God, they really should motivate your walk with God.

Third

C. Your family cannot replace your walk with God

It is a growing number of people who think of their family as their church and their children as their god.

·   They sacrifice everything for their children and

·   They devote everything to their children

In many cases

·   They stay home and have what they think are church services with their family

·   They administer the Lord’s Supper to their family

·   They think church is their family

I think it is because they distrust authority and they view church as an authoritative system they can avoid.

But it is not Biblical and therefore it is not spiritual.

Enoch walked with God. Walking with God is personal

Secondly

II. WALKING WITH GOD IS CONTINUAL

Genesis 5:22 (KJV)

And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:

Enoch walked with God, after the birth of Methuselah three hundred years.

He might have walked with God before Methuselah was born too. We are not told.

But we do know that, after Methuselah was born, Enoch walked with God three hundred years.

Other kids were born

He kept walking with God

Family expenses were increased

He kept walking with God

The world was getting more wicked

He kept walking with God

Maybe he does expect that God is going to judge the wicked

He kept walking with God

I know that people lived much longer than people live these days – Enoch lived 365 years before God took him.

But if Enoch could walk with God 300 years –

Can’t you and I walk with God without backsliding

·   20

·   30

·   40

·   50 maybe even

·   70

years?

Bad things happen

Keep walking with God

Pressures come on

Keep walking with God

Kids are born and raised

Keep walking with God

Disappointments happen

Keep walking with God

Hurt feelings happen

Keep walking with God

Wars and rumors of wars happen

Keep walking with God

Elections happen

Keep walking with God

Deaths happen

Keep walking with God

Enoch walked with God

Walking with God is personal

Walking with God is continual

Finally

III. WALKING WITH GOD IS PROGRESSIVE

Genesis 5:24 (KJV)

And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

I don’t know what we would make of this verse if it wasn’t that we also have,

Hebrews 11:5 (KJV)

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.

God took him, but he didn’t die.

The word translate means “to change sides.”

Someone has likened Enoch’s walk like this;

·   Every day, for 300 years, Enoch would walk with God.

·   Each day he would walk farther and farther, growing closer and closer to God

·   One day God said, “Enoch, your closer to my home than yours now. Why don’t you just stay with me?”

My question to you is this –

Are you able to walk farther with God now than you could when you started out?

Are you closer to God now that you were when you became a Christian?

Conclusion

I do not believe, during the course of this year, I will find a more appropriate description of the one that is spiritual than is walking with God.

It just means daily, every day, regardless of what else life brings your way, being in obedience and fellowship with the Lord.

Is that you?

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[1]THIS ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY COULD HELP US LIVE MORE HARMONIOUSLY IN THE MODERN WORLD, https://matadornetwork.com/life/ancient-philosophy-help-us-live-harmoniously-modern-world/, accessed 1-7-17