Enoch: Walking with God

Turning, please, to Genesis chapter 4. Genesis chapter 4, at verse 16. And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord. Verse 17.

And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bare Enoch. And he builded a city. They called the name of the city after the name of his son Enoch.

And unto Enoch was born Erad. Will you notice, please, in this chapter up till this point that you've got Adam, Cain, Enoch. Then in verse 18 you have four generations down to Lamech.

So Lamech is the seventh from Adam. Read on now, please, shall we? Verse 19. Lamech took unto him two wives.

The name of the one was Ada, and the name of the other Zillah. Ada bare Jubal. He was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as of cattle.

His brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all such as handle the harp and the organ. Zillah, she also bare Jubal, Cain, an instructor of Irtisiphor in brass and iron.

Over now, please, to chapter 5. Verse 21. And Enoch. Now, if you read down the verses before, you would find that Enoch is the seventh from Adam.

That is confirmed by Jude. I'll explain these things in a moment. 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. Now, extension to the reading, please.

Hebrews chapter 11. Verse 5. 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. Over again, please, will you, to little epistle written by Jude. Just before the book of the Revelation.

Jude, please, at verse 14. And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. Another extension, please.

Just turn back a who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brothers righteous. Back now, please, again, will you, to Genesis 4. It may sound to some of you that I drew your attention to two men who were both the seventh from Adam.

Let me explain. In Genesis chapter 4, you have the line from Adam through Cain, away from God. And on that line, the seventh from Adam is Lamech.

In Genesis chapter 5, you have the line from Adam through Seth, who clung to God. And the seventh from Adam is this man called Enoch. So I want to draw today, as quickly as I can, this contrast.

I want you to note, please, that there was a day when this man Cain, already a murderer, went out from the presence of the Lord. John tells us he was of that wicked one. He represents a line that is governed by satanic power and satanic authority.

He married a wife, and ultimately there was born this man Lamech, the seventh from Adam, on the line of ungodliness. He too will be a murderer. He too will be, he too, he will be a pilgrimist.

And I want you to note that Cain, going out, built a city. Now, map carefully. So that the world system was begun by a man away from God.

A man who was of that wicked one. A man who was utterly evil. A man who would persecute and murder his own brother, because he was contrary to all that he stood for.

So you've got the setup. The world system commenced by a man away from God, energized by Satan. The Bible says that this world system that you see all around you is energized by Satan and sustained by the ungodly.

Now drop your eye now, please, will you, again. I want now to trace the beginning of this civilization. I'm down at verse 20.

You have this man called Jabal. He was the father of such as dwell in tents and as such as of cattle. So the first thing that marked this civilization was the question of the provision of food.

The beginning of agriculture. The development of farming. Come again.

Verse 21. His brother's name was Jabal. He was the father of all such as handled the harp and the organ.

So here you have the beginning of the arts and music. Notice, please, the harp and the organ. Two ways to produce music.

The harp, the stringed instrument, the organ, the wind instrument. We haven't developed that much. But here you have agriculture developing.

Here you have music and the arts to entertain. All commenced by a man away from God. Now down now, please, will you, to verse 22.

And you have Tubalcain. He was an instructor of every artisopher in brass and iron. So here you have now the beginning of industry, heavy industry.

And that's how it all began. It's good for you and I to take note of these things. Now this question of a world system is a big subject.

This question of government by God is large. But what I want to get over to you just at this moment is this. That as Christians, we are surrounded by this system in its variety and form.

I don't know whether, whether anyone ever taught you that there are different systems in the scripture and taught you the difference. The difference between the Sodom system, the Egyptian system, the Jericho system, and the Babylonian system. All systems that mark this present age, some of them religious, others the very opposite.

You and I can't be unaware of a Sodom system that brings its climate of evil and filth and dirt. A gay society marked by homosexuality and lesbianism, condemned utterly by God in the Old and New Testament. You and I must be conscious of an Egyptian system, the world with all its so-called wisdom and secular education that is marked out to make you independent of God.

That's right. And many of them, as you know, have been educated. And somewhere along the line, faith, if there at all, has gone.

These are very, these are very, these are very important things that you and I learn. And if we can get lessons over like this during this conference weekend, to recognize that there are two worlds. And as Christians, we live in relation to each of them.

That's what creates the tensions. For we have to live in a world like this. Yet on the other hand, there's a spiritual world.

And we are aware of it. For faith gives substance to things hoped for, and is conviction to things that are unseen. And any man that comes onto this platform to teach you divine truth, only what is of God in the man will make any impression upon you.

We represent God. We stand before you as the servants of God. We bring to you the Word of God.

We expose all the evil that's all around us. But the man himself, the man himself must have known something of God, to have touched and transformed his life. And every true servant of God will bring to you in the exposition of divine truth, his own impressions of God, what it means to him.

Now turn to chapter five. I want to talk to you about what you don't know. The seventh from Adam.

Some of you over the years may have heard me say this. There are three ways to approach your Bible. You can read it.

You can read it carefully. Or you can read it more carefully. Any person that ever taught you divine truth amongst these many secrets, there was this.

He had learned to read more carefully. Now we'll find out just how carefully you have followed the reading today, for you possibly think that you know these scriptures well. Let me say this.

Those of us who read our Bibles know that there were two men translated. One of them was Enoch. Those who read our Bibles carefully may have noted it is only recorded of three men that they walked with God.

I'm not saying only three men walked. Only recorded of three that they walked with God. And one of them is Enoch.

Again. Those of us who read more carefully may have noted it is only recorded of two persons that they pleased God. And one of them is Enoch.

This man lived 365 years, the complete cycle of time. Here's the complete life, a year for a day. Let us give ourselves for a moment or two to look at him.

Drop your eye to verse 21. Now let me read it please into verse 22 and see if you notice anything. Enoch lived 65 years and begat Methuselah.

And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah. Notice anything in the reading? Anything strike you? Let me read again with a little emphasis. Enoch lived 65 years and begat Methuselah.

And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah. Stop! Right away, right away at the very beginning of this exposition, there is indicated to us that there is a difference between living and walking with God. Come now, come now.

You profess to be a Christian? Tell me, are you merely living? Or do you walk with God? Whatever that might mean. You see, you can live. Give all your time and energy to what is secular.

To promote your own interests and make a name for yourself. And never, no never, know the sacredness and the peace of walking with God. Now look again.

It says that he ceased to live and began to walk with God after Methuselah was born. Now that's interesting. To use our language, he got converted.

Now there are some people get converted when their child dies. This man got converted when his child was born. The name Methuselah means, when he is dead, it shall come.

When he dies, it shall come. What shall come? The judgment. What judgment? The flood.

Now just you listen to me please, and you might be raising questions in your mind, I'll answer them. Have you got it? When this child was born, God spoke to Enoch. Now he says, listen Enoch, when this child dies, the judgment is coming.

And in the light of judgment to come, this man got converted. He won't be the last person to get converted in the light of judgment to come. And you can think of it.

Every time Enoch looked at that child when it took hell, he faced eternity. He said to himself, is this it? Is the judgment coming now? No. Now but just a minute please, just a minute.

You might say to me quite intelligently, we don't mind you building in the meaning of a name if you do it sanely and wisely. After all, the opening verses of Hebrews 7 gives you a lot of authority for that. But tell me, say you, tell me, is it true? Was it really true? It's alright to tell us he got converted.

It's alright to tell us that God gave the message. When he's dead, the judgment will come. Was that true? Was it true that the flood came when this man died or wasn't it? Well now we'll need to address ourselves to that now.

Now we are now going to trace Methuselah in relation to the flood. Now Genesis 5 please, drop your eye will you? Verse 25. Methuselah lived 187 years and begat Lamech.

Methuselah when Lamech was born was 187 years old. Down now to verse 28. Lamech lived 182 years and begat a son and called his name Noah.

So when Noah was born, Methuselah was 187 plus 182. Now to save you any mental anguish, 187 plus 182 is 369. So when Noah was born, this man Methuselah was 369 years of age.

Over to chapter 7. Verse 6. And Noah was 600 years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth. So when the flood came, if this man is still around, he'll be something like 369 plus 600. Back to Genesis 5 please will you? Verse 27.

And all the days of Methuselah were 960 and 9 years and he died. He died the year of the flood. The year he died the flood came.

Now I've went into all that to show you good folks that you can trust your Bible. If the Bible says that it's right. And we've traced it right through to show this.

That when God said to this man 969 years before it happened, when this child dies the judgments coming, God was right. He never believed it. He never lived to see it.

You know the Bible's like that. You don't need to be present at any event to believe in it. Isn't that right? Isn't that what your Bible says? Hebrews 11 verse 3. By faith we understand the worlds were framed by the word of God.

So that the things which were seen were not made of things which do appear. What does that mean? It means this. Now listen to me.

In relation to creation, the Christian is prepared to believe the word of God who was there rather than the word of the scientist who wasn't there. You're clear on that? Listen again. In Hebrews 11 verse 7. By faith Noah warned of God of things not seen as yet prepared an ark for the saving of his house.

What does that mean? Warned of God of things not seen as yet built an ark. Well now, one day God came to Noah and He said, now listen Noah, I'm going to destroy the world by water, by flood. But just a minute, nobody had ever seen rain.

The Bible's quite clear. A mist rose from the earth and watered it. And when God said to Noah, Noah, I'm going to destroy it.

Noah believed God and built an ark to save him and his house. Warned of God of things not seen as yet. I want to say something to you.

Now listen to me, will you please? In God's name, listen. Don't you believe when they come along to you and tell you this, that you must understand to believe. That's not always true.

Anything but true. There's a whole host of things that we believe and then go on to understand. And some of the things we'll never understand.

You believe in virgin birth, come on now. You don't understand it. How could you understand an eternal person being found in the darkness of a virgin's womb and coming forth as a tiny babe? What about Calvary in all its wonder and majesty and glory and breadth? We'll never understand Calvary.

But thank God, thank God we believe in it, don't we? Oh yes, a whole host of things that we believe we don't fully understand. In the things of God, things are majestic, they're mysterious, they're miraculous. No need for faith if you could explain it all.

Come again now please, will you? Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah. Now what does that mean? How would you explain it if you're up here? Now we'll test how carefully you read. Verse 22, Enoch walked with God.

Verse 24, Enoch walked with God. Did you note that the inspired writer in Hebrews 11 verse 5 told you what these two expressions meant? He went out of his way to tell you. Did you read it? You say, what does it say? By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death, was not found because God had translated him.

For before his translation, while he was yet here, he had this testimony that he pleased God. To walk with God is to please God. The Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament, renders walking with God as pleasing God.

Now stop. I want to ask you a question. You say you're always doing that.

That's how the Lord taught. Now tell me, honestly, sincerely, at the start of these three days of conference of the Lord will, tell me, are you living to please yourself? Or are you living to please God? Tell me, what's your standards? I move around a lot. Folks talk to me like this about certain things.

They'll say, you know Jack, it's quite harmless really. Tell me, is that our standards of Christianity, whether a thing is harmless or not? Come on now. Or is there a higher standard? By which things that are harmless must be set aside because they fail to reach the standard.

Is not the standard, will it please God? Will it bring refreshment and satisfaction to the eternal? Will it delight his heart that down here there are those who do not live to please themselves, nor do they live to please the brethren or other Christians. They're living to please God, to bring satisfaction and delight and pleasure to the God who saved them and to the Christ who died for them and rose again. We must live to please God.

Brethren and sisters, listen. At its finest, we are but simple godly people. Isn't that right? Simple godly people.

Who during the little while here just want to please God. They'll lose you friends. I tell you its recompense is far beyond computation.

To walk with God. To give God your company. It's amazing it's put like that, isn't it? He walked with God.

He turned his back upon living, merely living. And he gave himself completely to walk with God. Drop your eye again to verse 22.

He walked with God 300 years. Stop. Do you remember at 65 he was introduced to that kind of life? Do you remember at 365 he was not? And in between those 300 years he walked with God.

That meant he never backslid. Are you listening? He never went back. He never gave up.

He never dishonored God. Oh these backsliders. I tell you they do more damage to Christianity than tongue can tell.

These people that make a profession. And then there comes a time when they turn their back on it. Every so called backslider is telling us that from this point onward I'm going to live independent of God and independent of Christ and independent of the word of God.

I'm not saying they're not saved. None of us are omniscient but I want to say this. No person has any right to ask us to believe they're a Christian if they're not living the life.

Now let's get it clear brethren. Please. In God's name.

Let's get down to the reality of these holy things. 300 years and begat sons and daughters. So he reared a family.

What kind of world did he lead? What was the mark of the world that he lived in? When he reared his family for God. Did you notice in the reading that Jude told you four times over the kind of world that he lived in? Come on. Do you read carefully? Oh yes he tells us.

That in that kind of world four times over he uses the expression ungodly. Ungodly. Ungodly sinners.

Hard speeches by ungodly men and women. And in that. In that.

He reared his family for God. I want to talk to you young folks. Do you ever hear some of the older Christians telling you I'm sorry for you.

It must be terrible to try to live for God in a world like this. You know the world today is far worse than it was in our day. Don't you pay too much attention.

I'll tell you why. They told me that. And mind you some of the men that were talking to me didn't know as much of the world as I knew for I wasn't reared in a Christian home.

And they used to say to me you know Jack it's a terrible world now. But just a minute I'm like you young folks. Then I was like you young folks.

Now I had no standard of comparison. The only world I knew was the one I was in. And you have no standard of comparison.

The world you know is the world you're in. And you'll need to learn to cope. And you'll need to learn to handle.

And you'll need to learn to live in triumph. For the path of holiness is such that there's recompense. And I want to tell you that God never put any person in the world at any time but there's power to live above it and beyond it.

To conquer and to triumph for God. Oh this life of victory supreme. Have you got that? Oh yes you can live for God quickly now for it's time I was down.

Notice please verse 24. And Enoch walked with God and he was not. What does that mean? Well you see I've heard you saying before read on it might help you.

Alright then let's read on. He was not for God took him. What does that mean? Now keep your Bibles handy please.

Genesis 5. And we'll see what it doesn't mean. Now come down with me a number of verses and we'll notice the person and what happened. Verse 5. Adam and he died.

Verse 8. Seth and he died. Verse 11. Enos and he died.

Verse 14. Canaan and he died. Verse 17.

Mahalil and he died. Verse 20. Jared and he died.

Verse 24. Enoch and he was not. So he didn't die.

What happened? Well now the inspired writer to the Hebrew three times over told you what it meant. By faith Enoch was translated. That he should not see death was not found because God translated him.

For before his translation Enoch was translated. What does that mean? Acts 7 round about verse 16 translates the Greek word again. It translates it by using the expression carried over.

To be translated is to be carried over. You say carried over what? Well now. One day this man living for God.

Something happened. God bent down. Lifted him up.

Carried him over and put him down on the other side. You say stop carried him over what? Carried him over the river of death. So down here he's walking with God and one day God lifts him and carries him over and puts him down.

Isn't that right? Notice please he changes his place but not his company. He walks with God here he's with God up there. There no stranger God shall meet thee.

Stranger thou in courts above. He who to his rest shall greet thee. Greets thee with a well known love.

I tell you I tell you brethren I'll know him. There'll be no disappointment on the other side. The God I walked with will be with me.

Here's an interesting thing. They searched for Enoch. And they never found him.

You say how do you know that? The inspired writer to the Hebrews told me. Oh you say no. I never noticed oh yeah.

My faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found. They searched for him and never found him. Do you remember Elijah and Elisha yonder? Second Kings 2 going along the banks of the Jordan.

Do you remember down yonder? And suddenly whirlwind chariot of fire and Elijah swept heavenward. Do you know they searched for him? Three days and never found him. Oh brethren and sisters say if the Lord should come tonight.

We're going. They'll look for us and they'll never find us. Now just a minute now.

I'm trying to get closed as quickly as I can here. Now you'll need to read very very carefully for this. But supposing today or tonight you went home.

And you went down Genesis 5 and you tabulated these men. And the years that they lived. And they're living six, seven, eight hundred years.

Methuselah 969. And you tabulate it all down. But when you come to Enoch he goes up the list.

For he only lived 365 years. Do you know what you'll find? In Genesis 5 the first man to die was Adam. And before another man died.

God translated Enoch to show it was possible to leave the world without dying. Isn't that wonderful? Adam dies. And in Genesis 5 before another man dies.

God translated Enoch to show there's another way to leave the world. Oh this is wonderful. You would know won't you? There are four ways to come into the world.

There's only two ways to go out. Four ways to come in. Two ways to go out.

Quickly now please. Four ways to come in. The first way to come into the world is the way Adam came in.

Oh by the way. There have been two persons in this world who were never born. Adam never was born.

Eve never was born. The first way to come into the world was the way Adam came in. Now listen carefully to the language.

The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground. Breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Plural.

And man became a living soul. Adam never was born. Adam never grew up.

Adam never played as a child. He was created a full grown man. The second way to come into the world is the way that Eve came in.

She wasn't created directly. God put Adam to sleep. Performed the first surgical operation.

Took the rib and he built it or formed a woman. Second way to come into the world. Formation in Eve.

The third way to come into the world is the way in which you and I came in. Not creation directly. Not formation from a rib.

We came in by generation. Now there's only one other way to come into the world. Not creation as in Adam.

Not formation as in Eve. Not generation as in you and I. The fourth way to come into the world is incarnation. But the person who comes in must live before he comes.

Oh this glory. This glory of Christianity. This wonder of the person of Christ.

The sacred mystery of God. Becoming man. Oh yes.

Incarnation. He stepped into the world. I want you to notice something.

I want you to notice that Adam's body existed before he did. But with Christ. Christ existed before his body.

That's why. Oh this is interesting. Before, just before the incarnation.

The father and the son held a conversation. The conversation was about the inadequacy of the sacrificial system to put away sin. Oh what a subject eh? Not mine today.

What a big subject. And during that conversation. The father addressed the son and he said.

The son addressed the father and he said. A body hast thou prepared me. A body hast thou prepared me.

Me existed before the body. Oh I could go on endlessly. This is amazing.

When God brought Adam into the world. He brought him in without the agency of a man or a woman. There weren't any.

When God brought Eve into the world. He brought her in through the agency of a man but not a woman. She was the first.

When you and I came into the world. We came in normally through the agency of male and female. Father and mother.

When God brought his son into the world. He brought him in through the agency of a woman but not a man. Oh the depths that lie.

The seed of the woman. Contrary to nature. The seed of the woman.

Would bruise the head of the serpent. Tell me. Tell me.

If the Lord came today. To take us home. Would you be happy? Now.

Please now quiet. Quiet now. Now tell me.

Would you be happy if Christ came tonight and was all over here? Oh you say just a minute. By the grace of God and the value of the blood of Jesus. I'm saved.

Stop. I didn't ask you. If Christ came tonight were you saved? What I asked was would you be happy to go? My good brethren and sisters.

Listen to me will you? You won't be too keen to go. If you've never learned to love heaven better than earth. Come on now.

Come on now. Only as you've learned to love heaven better than earth will you be happy to go. Stop.

You might not be desperately keen to see Christ. Unless you have learned to love Christ more than anybody else. Come on now.

That supreme in your affections there stands the son of God. And anyone else that's in between and you love them more than him. Christ is his wrong place and so are they.

Oh it's time we get back to the basics isn't it? Learn to love Christ. He walked with God. Walked with God surrounded by a system commenced by a man away from God.

Where the power of evil was rampant so rampant that God brought it to an end in the flood. Here we are in Toronto today. Oh God's interested in these gatherings.

I want to tell you something. Just not very far away. God's going to bring this whole world system down in one tremendous act of judgement.

Just you beware. Now you go in for it and you'll likely perish with it. God help us.

God help us. To listen and believe. God help us to believe and to understand.

God give us a passion to walk with God. So may the Lord. So may the Lord fully and adequately bless his world.

Thank you for your patience.