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Come,
let us reason together
8/12/09
<><> <><>-- in humility receive the word
implanted, which is able to
save your souls.
<><>But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves
James
1:21-22
Faith To Walk With God
(Isa.
40:28-31); --- “Do
you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the
creator of
the ends of the earth --- does not become weary or tired. His
understanding is
inscrutable. --- He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks
might He
increases power. --- Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous
young men
stumble badly, ---Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new
strength; They
will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not
get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.” As
Christians we must depend on God for strength and courage in all we do
or hope
to do. --- We must have unwavering faith in Almighty God to bountifully
supply
every ounce of strength and courage we need to carry out His will in
our lives.
--- For without God’s mighty strength, we would fail miserably. ---
Remember
what Paul said in (Phil. 4:13); --- “I
can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
--- Christians are
to fly like eagles, run and not get tired, walk and not grow weary. Now, most
people would naturally think: --- Babes in Christ walk, and as
they gain
strength, run well in the faith, --- But when they have matured
in
Christ, or have grown up unto perfection, they will now be able to fly
like a bird soaring high in the heavens! --- But friend, that’s not
God’s order
here. But rather we are to grow in descending order. --- Think about
it. Babes
fly because they’re so excited and full of zeal. --- Later they began
to
realize that the Christian life is not all smooth sailing, so they sort
of come
back down to earth and run the race set before them. --- But the height
of Christian
maturity is to walk and not grow weary; --- Just keep on keeping on
walking
with God. --- Beloved, we need to walk with God, and in order to
accomplish
this, we need faith to walk with God!
<>
But in what particular way did Enoch manifest his faith?
--- What was
Enoch’s claim to fame? --- It was the fact that he walked with God. ---
As a
matter of fact, he walked so close with God that God took him up to
Abraham’s
bosom (or rest), without having to go through the pains of death. Now let’s go back to the
Old Testament book of “Beginnings” to (Gen. 5:), and we’ll find out
back then
what the New Testament writer was talking about. --- But first let’s
notice
something about Gen. 5 which is very remarkable. --- Gen. 5 is like
walking
through a cemetery or reading the obituaries in the local paper.
Notice: (Vs. 5);
--- “so
all the days
that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he
died.”
---
(Vs.
8); --- “So
all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and
he died.” --- (Vs. 11); --- “So all the days of Enosh
were nine hundred
and five years, and he died.”
And
we could go on and on, --- and he died, and he died ect.; --- It just
reads
like an obituary column, but there is one name which stands out like a
gardenia
in a desert of death, the name Enoch! Please notice with me on
down in (Vs.
21-23), and we can see a change of pace, things began to be a little
different.
--- “Enoch lived
sixty-five years, and
became the father of Methuselah. --- Then Enoch walked with God
three
hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had
other sons
and daughters. --- So
all the days of Enoch were three
hundred and sixty-five years.”
--- At this point you would expect it to say, “and he died.” --- But
look close at (Vs. 24); --- “Enoch walked
with God; and he was
not, for God took him.”
Now compared to all his forefathers Enoch was still a
fairly young man
when God translated him, and most likely his parents were still living.
--- I
know his father was. If you notice in (Vs. 20), it shows that his
father Jared
lived to be nine hundred and sixty-two years before he died. --- So
Enoch’s
claim to fame was that he walked with his God, and nothing finer could
be said
about you, that your faith causes you to walk with God. Lesson We’re
going to study several aspects of Enoch’s walk with God and first of
all let’s
look at;
Incidentally, there are only two people in all the Bible
of whom it is
said they walked with God. Noah and Enoch. ---So what exactly does it
mean to
walk with God? ---Well, this is simply a figure of speech that implies
a most
intimate fellowship with God.
Every so often, my wife Betty and I go for a walk and
might even hold
hands. You talk about good tonic for any marriage relationship; --- You
husbands, just once in a while take your wife’s hand and say, “Come on
honey,
let’s go for a walk.” (not right now though); --- You see, a walk is
two people
who are deeply in love going side by side, hand in hand in the same
direction.
--- As one song writer put it; --- “My God and I go in the field
together, we
walk and talk as good friends should and do; We clasp our hands, our
voices
ring with laughter, my God and I walk through the meadows hue; ---“ Jesus said, in (Jn. 14:23); --- “If
anyone loves Me, he
will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to
him, and
make our abode with him.”
--- And that’s what God wants for you and
I. --- You see, the Bible says that Enoch was pleasing to God. And
likewise it
pleases God when we walk with Him. --- Do you know what the trouble
with many
of us is? --- So many of us know about God, but we don’t really know
God. At
this time I would like to bring your attention to a portion of an essay
written
by a seventeen year old High school student in a so called “Christian”
High
school. --- Now, notice the words very carefully because I’m not going
to
reveal his name until after the end of the essay, or at least excerpts
from it.
And the title of this essay is: “The Union of Believers With Christ
According
to John 15:1-14”. And I quote; ---
“If we examine the history of man’s nature as an individual,
it is true that we always see a
spark of divinity in his breast, a passion for what is good, a striving
for
knowledge, and a yearning for truth. But the sparks of the eternal are
extinguished by the flames of desire; enthusiasm for virtue is drowned
by the
tempting voice of sin, it is scorned as soon as life has made us feel
its full
power; the striving for knowledge is supplanted by a base striving for
worldly
goods, the longing for truth is extinguished by the sweetly flattering
power of
lies; and so there stands man, the only being in nature which does not
fulfill
its purpose, the only member of the totality of creation which is not
worthy of
the God who created it. But that benign Creator could not hate His
work; He
wanted to raise it up to Him and He sent His Son, through whom He
proclaimed to
us.” And then he went on to quote
Jesus; --- “Now ye are clean through the word which I
have spoken unto you” (John 15:3). And "Abide in me,
and I in you” (John 15:4). --- And continuing he says,
--- “Our hearts, reason, history, the word of Christ, therefore, tell
us loudly
and convincingly that union with Him is absolutely essential, that
without Him
we cannot fulfill our goal, that without Him we would be rejected by
God, that
only He can redeem us.” --- And so, on it goes. Sounds pretty good, dosen’t
it? And can
you imagine who wrote this? Are you ready? --- None other than the
father of
Communism, Karl Marx. --- Karl Marx, as a student in a religious school
wrote
an essay, and a good essay I might add, on The Union of Believers with
Jesus
Christ”. --- But there was just one thing wrong, dreadfully
wrong. --- He knew the answer, but
he never knew God. --- He never knew what it was like to walk with God.
--- And
friends, knowing about God, acknowledging God and knowing God are two
entirely
different things. --- The Bible says in (Js. 2:19); --- “You
believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and
shudder.” Do you know what happens to
so many
people, even in the Lord’s church? --- They come into worship services
on
Sunday morning or Sunday night and nod their heads, and say “amen” to
every
aspect of God’s truth, and yet they have never learned to walk with
God. --- The
apostle Paul characterized these type people thusly, in (Rom. 10:2-3),
when he
said; --- “For
I testify about
them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with
knowledge.
--- For not knowing about God's
righteousness and seeking to establish their
own,
they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of
God.”
And also in (2 Tim. 3:7), Paul says there were those who were; --- “Always
learning and never able to come to the knowledge of
the truth.”
--- They fill their heads with all sorts of knowledge, can even quote
Scripture, but they are simply unable to recognize truth if it was to
hit them
between the eyes.
The Psalmist wrote in (Ps.
37:23-24), (and
we’re just talking about the meaning of the walk); --- “The
steps of a man are
established by the LORD,
And He delights in his way.--- When he falls, he
will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD
is the One who holds his hand.”
--- Now, what this means is, as I serve
the Lord, I’m to do so by walking with Him, keeping in step with Him,
one step at
a time. --- The walk of a good man is ordered by the Lord, and that
tells me
that God has a plan for me in my life. --- I’m not to live a
hap-hazard,
willy-nilly sort of life. --- I’m not to go around like a ship without
a sail
or a compass on a stormy sea. God most assuredly has a plan for me and
for you
in this life, if we would just let Him direct our steps through
His word. --- Do you not realize dear
soul that the greatest discovery you could ever make is to learn what
God’s
plan is for you in this life? --- And the greatest achievement is to DO
IT??
--- Look at it again; --- “The
steps of a man are established by the LORD,
And He delights in
his way.”
You know, it’s not just you that enjoys the walk; --- Now,
I enjoy
walking with my wife, but I’m sure she enjoys walking with me also (if
I don’t
get too far ahead of her). --- And I’m positive that Enoch enjoyed
walking with
God; --- but you know what? --- Did you notice that the Bible says that
God was
delighted to have Enoch walk with Him? --- Listen! When you walk with
God, not
only should you enjoy the walk, but God Himself enjoys the walk. ---
That’s
what it means to walk with God in the most intimate fellowship
possible. --- We
sing that grand old hymn, --- “What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
leaning on
the everlasting arms; --- O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim’s way,
leaning on
the everlasting arms; --- O how bright the path, grows from day to day,
leaning
on the everlasting arms.” “The
steps of a man are established
by the LORD, And He delights in his way. --- When
he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because
the LORD is the One who holds his hand.”
--- O how often I have shamefully fallen
into Satan’s snare of sin, and would have been utterly cast down, but
for the
Lord’s hand of mercy and patience. --- But as I walk faithfully in His
pathway,
He will hold me tightly to Himself. --- But woe to the poor soul who
starts
flirting with sin and the sinful pleasures of this world, for that
person will
be crushed and utterly cast down to die lost in sin; --- except he
repent. In
(1 Chron. 28:9), King David advises his son, Solomon; --- “As
for you, my son
Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole
heart and a
willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and
understands
every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find
Him;
but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.”
--- Very strong and healthy advice indeed.
2. The Motivation for the walk: What
do you suppose caused Enoch to walk with
God? --- Let’s go back to (Gen. 5:) and point out three specific things
which
motivated Enoch. And first of all; Family:
And this dear friends ought to
cause us all to walk close to God. --- Look at it if you please in (Vs. 21); --- “Enoch
lived sixty-five
years, and became the father of Methuselah.”
--- What a name, Methuselah. Now, he had a very good reason for calling
his
first son Methuselah, and later we’ll see why. --- But for now, please
notice
(Vs. 22); --- “Then
Enoch walked with God three hundred years after
he became the father of Methuselah.”
Now,
that’s significant to me. I’m persuaded that there was some kind of
spiritual
awakening that took place in Enoch’s life when Methuselah was born. And
there
was something about his family that triggered his desire to walk with
God. ---
One of the greatest motives for walking with God in His righteousness
is that
someday I might be a guiding influence that would bring my family to
obey the
blessed gospel of our Lord.
There’s an old story that portrays a soul winner going to
this certain
man’s home in order to teach God’s saving message to him and his soul’s
great
need. --- But that man, having been a man of distinction and much
knowledge of
this world sat there and listened to this Christian’ earnest plea. ---
And this
man wasn’t exactly rude to the soul winner, but he just gave this
excuse and
that excuse, and this silly argument and that silly argument. --- Well,
this
broken hearted soul winner was just about to give up and leave, when
the man’s
six year old son crawled up on his daddy’s lap and said, ---“We don’t
want to
be an old Christian do we, daddy?” Well, that was the proverbial straw
that
brought that father to humble submission to the Lord’s will, and he was
immersed into Christ that very night.
His family caused him to want to walk with God. --- And
Enoch’s family
motivated him to walk with God. What influence husbands and fathers,
wives and
mothers do you have on your family to cause them to want to walk with
God? ---
But let me tell you something else that caused Enoch to walk with the
Lord. ---
Not only family, but; ---
*****************************
Fear
caused him to
walk humbly with his God. --- We looked at the Scripture a moment ago;
--- “Enoch
lived sixty-five
years, and became the father of Methuselah.”
--- Do you know what the name Methuselah means? --- Now, it’s a
composite or
two part meaning according to Jewish secular history, which means; ---
“When he
is gone (sent out, or dies), It will be sent.” --- Aren’t you glad your
folks
didn’t pin a name on you like that? --- (When he is gone – it will be
sent)?
--- Now, you might say, “What on earth does that mean?”
I’m quite sure that most reading this thought Ole Noah
(Enoch’s great-grand-son)
was the first man that God told about the coming flood, but not so. ---
In
(Amos 3:7), we find these words; --- “Surely
the Lord GOD does nothing
Unless He reveals His secret counsel To His servants the prophets.”
--- Enoch was a prophet of God, and the New Testament writer Jude tells
us what
he prophesied. In (Jude 14-15) Speaking of false prophets and all the
ungodly,
we read; --- “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, --- 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."
--- Now
Enoch by
inspiration knew about the second coming
of Christ to bring judgment on the world, and this of course is what
the
context has reference to. --- But was not the flood also a judgment of
God on
the wicked in the days of Noah? So
I’m persuaded that God also revealed to Enoch that a flood was coming.
--- And
Enoch (mere speculation) might have said something of this nature; ---
“Now
Lord, if you’re going to bring a judgment, when are you going to do
it?” --- And
I can just imagine God saying, “See that baby? When he’s gone, it will
be
sent!” --- Thus we can begin to understand why Methuselah lived longer
than any
other man on the face of the earth. --- How long did Methuselah live?
--- Look in
(Gen. 5:27); --- “So
all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and
sixty nine years, and he died.”
--- Why did Methuselah live so long? ---
Because of the mercy and patience of God.
Why has it been so long since Jesus Christ promised to
come again? ---
Has the Lord forgotten His promise? --- Friends, there is only one
thing that
keeps Jesus from coming again. --- Peter assures us that the
Lord
has not forgotten His promise, no sir!
--- In (2 Pet. 3:9-10) Peter says this; --- “The
Lord is not slow about His
promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,
not
wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
--- But
the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens
will pass
away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat,
and the
earth and its works will be burned up.”
---
Listen, God never wanted to send that flood, and that’s the reason He
allowed
Methuselah to live so long. --- Nine hundred and sixty nine years of
God’s long
suffering!
Let’s go to the Scriptures to see for ourselves that when
Methuselah
died, the flood came. --- Just get out your pencil and paper and we’ll
do some
simple mathematics. --- Look if you will in (Gen. 5:25); --- “Methuselah
lived one
hundred and eighty-seven years, and became the father of Lamech.”
--- We see here that Methuselah was 187 years old when he became the
father of
Lamech, his first son, so write down 187 on your paper. --- Now watch
as we go
to (Vs. 28); --- “Lamech
lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and
became the father of a son.”
--- Now, if you add187 + 182, you’ll get
369 years for Methuselah to become a Granddaddy.
Alright now, watch this, --- Who was Methuselah’s
Grandson? (Noah), and
Methuselah was 369 years old when Noah was born. --- How old was Noah
when the
flood came? --- In (Gen. 7:11-12) Moses tells us; --- “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, --- The rain fell upon the
earth for
forty days and forty nights.”
--- When did the flood come? --- 600 years
after Noah was born. --- Just add it all up and you should come up with
969,
which is exactly how old Methuselah was when he died, and that was when
the
flood came. --- God said, “That’s it, that’s enough”, and then the
flood came.
So, what does all that mean to us? --- That tells you and
I that,
although God sometimes puts His promises afar off, He never, never
forget His
promise. --- There are many people today (perhaps some of you), who are
living
in what might be called a “fool’s Paradise”. --- The Bible has warned
us time
and time again of Jesus’ coming and the fearful judgment and awesome
wrath of
God which will be poured out on those who live ungodly lives. --- And
many
people today continue to mock and say, “Where
is the promise of His coming?
For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was
from the
beginning of creation.”
--- Let me take this opportunity to ask;
--- “Are YOU ready, if He were to come today?” No
man knows when that day might be. God has not given us a New Testament
“Methuselah” to look to, --- But He has most certainly warned us over
and over
to get ready and stay ready, or else! --- Fear motivated Enoch to walk
with
God.
I’ve heard some people say, “I don’t believe that fear
should ever be a
motivation to serve God.” --- Let me tell you my dear friends, fear is
a very
good motivator (not primarily), though. --- In (1 Cor. 5:10-11), Paul
used
fear; --- “For
we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the
body,
according to what he has done, whether good or bad. --- Therefore,
knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men.”
--- And again, in (Heb. 10:31); --- “It
is a terrifying thing to
fall into the hands of the living God.”
--- Let me say again; fear is a strong
motive for walking in God’s way! --- Now, having established that,
there is a
far better motive. Or as the apostle Paul would say, “I
will show you a
still more excellent way.”
(1 Cor. 12:31) --- Not only family and
fear caused Enoch to walk with God, but also; ---
God
is a living God; therefore, a saving faith must be a living and working
faith.
--- Notice if you will what the New Testament writer, James says in
(Js. 2:14);
--- “What
use is it, my
brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that
faith
save him?”
--- There are untold thousands of men and
women (and I’m talking about in the Lord’s church), who honestly
believe that,
by virtue of the fact they have been immersed in water for the
remission of
sin, that they’ve got their “ticket punched” and they’re going to be
ushered
right on into glory; --- But you never see them abounding in the work
of the
Lord. --- You never see these complacent church members bearing fruit
for the
glory of God. --- They are completely satisfied in their status-quo,
lukewarm,
one foot in the church and the other in the world, willy-nilly attitude! James
continues in (Js. 2:20 & 26); ---
“But
are you willing to
recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? ---
For
just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without
works is
dead.”
--- Of course this refers to the works of
God, rather than our own. --- All right, let’s move on toward the close
of this
lesson by talking about; ---
3. The Maintenance of
the walk:
Look at (Gen. 5:22); --- “Then
Enoch walked with God three
hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had
other sons
and daughters.” ---
Now, dear soul, Enoch didn’t just walk with God for
a short stroll, he walked with God for three hundred years, the rest of
his
life, or I should say until God took him up. --- O, the consistency of
his
walk, it’s no wonder why he pleased God. --- And where did he walk with
God?
Remember, he was a family man, he had sons and daughters. --- And that
tells us
he had a home and family, and as such he probably had to work for a
living. We sometimes hear people
say, --- “O, if I
could just get away from my environment, and maybe go off to a
monastery!” ---
Friends, there is no holiness in a hole, that’s not the idea. --- You
walk with
God in your daily life; --- In the hum-drum experiences, the ups and
downs of
life, or you don’t walk with God at all. --- I mean if it won’t work
there, it
won’t work at all. --- Enoch had a home, a wife and children and he had
responsibilities and burdens to bear. Someone might say, ---“O, it must have been so much easier back then!” --- No, no, no, not at all. Enoch walked with God in spite of the fact that wickedness and lawlessness was of such a great magnitude, that God said He was going to destroy the earth. --- The Bible says in (Gen. 6:12-13); --- “Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. --- God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. --- Then God said to Noah, " The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.” --- And you might recall, Enoch lived in the days of Noah. --- And what I’m trying to suggest to you is, if Enoch could do it back then, You and I can do it now. --- We stand wholly and utterly without excuse. <>
You might say, --- “But I’ve got so many problems!” ---
Big deal, we’ve
all got problems. --- The truth of the matter be known, most of us
today, don’t
even know what real problems are. --- Now, Paul had problems, Peter,
James and
all the early Christians had real problems. Take Paul for instance, a
man who
walked in the Lord’s way, and because of it just look at some of the
problems
he encountered. In (2 Cor. 11:23-27); --- “Are
they servants of Christ?--I
speak as if insane--I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments,
beaten times without number, often in danger of death.
--- Five times I received from the
Jews thirty-nine lashes. --- Three times I was beaten with rods,
once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a
night and
a day I have spent in the deep. ---
I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from
rivers, dangers
from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from
the
Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness,
dangers
on the sea, dangers among false brethren; ---
I have been in labor and hardship, through many
sleepless
nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food,
in cold
and exposure.”
--- Don’t you say I can’t walk with God
because of this excuse, or that excuse, because there is no excuse!!
---
Friends, if Enoch could walk with God in that ungodly and lascivious
generation; --- You can walk with God in this present age.
Enoch maintained his faithful walk with God for three
hundred years. ---
And there’s only one way I know of to accomplish this lofty goal, and
that’s
through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ and humble, fervent
prayer. ---
Our reading, studying and applying God’s power to save to our souls day
by day,
one step at a time. --- It has been wisely said, that a journey of a
thousand
miles begins with that first step; --- faith in Christ and His word.
--- Why
not be like Enoch and start your walk with God this very day, with a
faith and
trust in God as you have never had before? --- One
last point about Enoch’s walk and I’ll be
finished; --
4.
The Mystery of his walk: Look again at (Heb. 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;”
--- You talk about a mystery, that must
have been some suspense, such an awesome thing. --- I can almost
imagine this
wonderful old man going around singing; --- “This world is not my home,
I’m
just a passing through!” --- But Paul spoke of another mystery, a
mystery which
was pre-figured by Enoch. --- In (1 Cor. 15:51-58); --- “Behold,
I tell you
a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
--- in a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead
will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. --- For this perishable must put on the
imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. --- But when
this
perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have
put on
immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ‘DEATH
IS
SWALLOWED UP in victory. --- O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY?
O
DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?’ ---
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the
law; --- but thanks be to God, who gives us
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. --- Therefore,
my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your
toil is
not in vain in the Lord.” If
that trumpet should sound today, are you ready? --- Are you walking
with God in
faith and obedience? If not, my dear friend, you are in dire need of
repentance
and prayer.
THINK
ABOUT IT!!
Humbly submitted in the love of our dear Lord, Earl Wilburn
Questions
and
comments more than welcomed: ewilburn@austin.rr.com
Please
don't delete this from your files, as who knows that while you may not
at this
time be moved by these scriptures, but perhaps in time you might want to
refer back to this and come to know better the love of the Lord. --- ew
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8.