THE FAITH OF ENOCH

Part II

Our second thought:

2) The fruit of Enoch’s faith

We have seen how Enoch revealed his faith by speaking of the coming judgments, but also of the possibility still to be saved. But then we read also in our text: “For before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” This favour of the Lord was from eternity: “I have loved thee with an everlasting love”: this is from before the creation, before the fall of mankind. Then the Lord promised: “lo, I come; in the volume of the book it is written of Me, I delight to do thy will, O my God. Thy law is within my heart.” Christ gave Himself from eternity and He came in the fulness of time to do everything that is necessary for the restoration of God’s attributes and the salvation of man. Because of His eternal Mediatorship it was also possible under the Old Testament to be saved. That did not happen in a different way than in our our days. Under the administration of the Holy Spirit they became sinners, too, who could not live without the Lord. There were also different steps in the spiritual life of God’s people; we can say that Enoch was privileged, because the Lord gave testimony that he was a child of God. If we are a child then we are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. By faith he received Christ and His benefits. When we are united with Christ, then we are cleansed in His blood and presented to the Father without a spot or wrinkle. This great blessing was given to Enoch, which was visible in his life. He was conscientious in his deeds and words, because the Lord kept him in all his ways. Sin is always the reason why the Spirit of God departs. It was his continual prayer: “Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil.” Nothing of the world had any hold on him. The matters which filled the hearts of other people, could not please or attract him. His only pleasure was to walk in the ways of the Lord and in personal communion with God. When the Lord left him by reason of sin, he began immediately to examine himself. Enoch’s life was a continual walk with God. By this experience, that communion with God, he had the certainty that he pleased the Lord.

How seldom this is heard in our days! Do you know what the reason is? Our life is too loose. We are too much conformed to the world and we like the pleasures of the world. We talk about sin, but we make no protestation to the government and our neighbors against all kinds of foolishness, all kinds of sin. If we had, by the working of the Spirit, a closer life with the Lord, we would experience more that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. If we really missed Him more in our days and could not miss Him, we would hear more of Enoch’s life. What we don’t miss, we will not seek. So many don’t seek, because they don’t miss Him, because they think to possess Him. Many say that they have found Him, while they never have felt what they miss. When we never feel that we miss the Lord and that we have become sinners before Him then there is no need for Him. In those circumstances we are satisfied with ourselves as we suppose we possess everything. But it is a sandy ground, and we will be ashamed, because only God’s work will stand forever.

This was experienced by Enoch. From the Epistle of Jude we know that the seed of the serpent, the wicked world, made plans to kill Enoch and to close that warning mouth. They did not want to listen to his pious talk, nor of the coming judgments, because that made them sometimes a little uneasy. The devil wants the world to live on carelessly in sin. We hear it so often in our days that there is no place any more for warnings from the pulpit and in the families. We want to be free and to live our own life, that is our business. It is the same attitude as in the first world. It is terrible when we have known the way and refused to go therein, because then our punishments will be heavier. Don’t harden your heart, as the first world did, because that is terrible. They have set a day, that they will execute their plan: they will murder him. Now it is God’s time to intervene: “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him.” Enoch, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds; more and more he became ripe for heaven, to be with Seth and Enos to praise the Lord. Then the Lord gave him his desire. In a moment Enoch’s body was changed, glorified, and made in the likeness of Christ’s body after His resurrection. Enoch has believed in Christ’s coming on the clouds of heaven, but he is the first, who may meet the Lord in the sky. Unexpectedly, suddenly, Enoch is taken away and is no more. No death struggle, no deathbed, no funeral with all that belongs to it. From the church militant to the church triumphant, his corruptible body has now become incorruptible, so that he can be in the presence of the Lord. What a change for him, from the sinful world and the cursing people to the spotless sanctuary with the holy angels and saints, who always praise the Lord, without end. It is inexpressible!

Only Enoch of the first world and Elijah of the second world ascended into heaven and were types of Christ, Who became the Victor over death and the grave, Who ascended after forty days. He is at the right hand of God the Father to pray for His children. Only in Him it is possible for Enoch to enter this sanctuary, that His merits are applied to him; because by the passive and active obedience of Christ, satisfaction is given for all the sins of his people. And Enoch was, notwithstanding his pious life, a sinner by reason of his original and actual sin. His best works were unclean, but in Christ they were cleansed and now he will keep his white robe clean.

Enoch did not see death, the last enemy. Often there is fear in the heart of God’s children for death, especially when they look to themselves, what they must be and what they are. When Christ is not revealed or when Christ hides Himself, then it is dark, and fear fills the heart for that appearance before the Lord. In one word, when faith is not in exercise, then we are not ready to stand before the Lord, and this happens more in the life of the church, than that we are ready. The reason is that our walk is so much in the world, and not in heaven where Christ is. With faith in exercise, Paul could say: To be with Christ is far better; having a desire to depart and be with Him. At such moments we are loose from the world and long for that restored communion with Him.

It will not happen in the same way as Enoch, that was an exception. The regular way, which the Lord keeps, is through death, as the catechism explains: “Our death is not a satisfaction for our sins, but only an abolishing of sin, and a passage into eternal life.” The Lord is free to bring his children to glory as He chooses: the one in his youth, the second middle-aged and the third when he is old. But all must say: “Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life; life is short and soon it is cut off and we fly away.”

Every day we can see it around us, that death is coming to all mankind. Could we impress it upon your heart, that there is but one step between us and death. I am sure, that we had no rest any longer without a shelter.

Young people, you hope to become old, which is not impossible; but even when we become a hundred years old, and are still unconverted, then death comes untimely. That we may begin to ask for that work of the Holy Spirit in our youth. From that moment we will realize that we must die and stand for our own account. For Enoch it became different by divine grace. He did not have to die: “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God had translated him.”

The enemies came that day to look for him and to kill him. They searched for him all over to execute that evil plan, but they could not find him. Now they did not hear his warnings anymore, they were not stopped in their sins any longer and soon they forgot all about it. It did not bother them at all. No, they were not grieved over him, they were glad that he was gone, even when they did not know what had happened to him. Now they can “break all bands asunder, and cast away all cords. But He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.” He shall strike them at His time in His sore displeasure. And so it will be with all the enemies of the Lord. Here they laugh and mock, but it will end in eternal woe.

The family and relatives mourn about the disappearance of Enoch, but they don’t understand the ways of the Lord. But He has said: “My counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure.” They also sought for Enoch, because God’s Word does not speak about witnesses of his ascension, but they did not find him either. He sparkled between the cloud of witnesses before the throne. On this earth his place was empty, but he entered the house of the Father with its many mansions. The Lord made it known that Enoch was in heaven, which was a great comfort for the church militant on the first world. This was an example of the triumph of the seed of the woman over Satan, as it was promised in Paradise. Enoch was a type of Christ, Who also ascended on high. What a comfort this is for the church that Christ entered in His human nature that place of glory; there He is their advocate in the presence of the Father. But also that His human body is in heaven as a pledge, that Christ will bring our bodies also in the same glory.

Christ is at the right hand of the Father in the highest glory, but still He remembers His church in all their needs. He has all power in heaven and in earth, which He uses for their good, and for the protection of them from all evil. A consequence of this is that when they may look upon Christ by faith, they have no fear for their enemies. Also, when we have sinned, then there is the Advocate, Who pleads our cause and blots out all our sin: “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?”

It is a blessing when the Lord has stopped us on our way, but then we miss so much of this comfort in our life, compared with them that may know Christ in His humiliation and exaltation. In Him is everything for a poor sinner as He has promised in His Covenant. The Poet says of it in Psalter No. 425:5:

Jehovah’s truth will stand forever,
His Covenant-bonds He will not sever;
The word of grace which He commands
To thousand generations stands;
The Covenant made in days of old
With Abraham He doth uphold.

In the third place we will ask your attention for:

3) The necessity of faith

The faith of Enoch was visible in his walk with God, that he pleased the Lord. From this we know that faith is the root of Enoch’s holy life, as it is impossible to please the Lord without faith, however religious we are. It is written in verse 6: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him.” Through all ages lots of people have tried to please the Lord, but without faith. Cain tried it, but he was rejected because his heart was not upright before the Lord. Many other examples can be given; think of the church of Rome and many who go in the same path; with their good works they try to please the Lord, and they hope to get credit for it, as the priests promise. What a disappointment this will be, because our best works are unclean before the Lord. The doctrine of free sovereign grace is a rock of offence for the self-will religion, because we expect wages on our labour. I am afraid that many, who have spoken in the Name of the Lord, have cast out devils in His Name and have done many other miracles, will be disappointed at the end of their life and will hear that they are unknown to the Lord. Nothing of man can please the Lord; not even the deeds which the Lord will reward with temporal blessings. Ahab humbled himself before the Lord, when Elijah spoke of his coming punishment, and the Lord delayed it, it was not executed at the time. When the inhabitants of Nineveh heard the preaching of Jonah, they fasted and cried to God and for about a hundred years longer that city existed. Moral good works can be done to our neighbor, but we cannot do good works towards God without grace. First of all, the Lord must look upon us in mercy, we must be regenerated, which means also a renewal, and that becomes visible in the fruit of our life. Faith makes a division between self-will religion and God’s children, as it is written: “For he that cometh to God, must believe that He is.”

Many don’t believe in God, that is only imagination. The fools say that there is no God and try to deceive themselves and others; so many get entangled in these nets of Satan, especially in our days; the atheists doctrine is spreading all over the world, as this poison is given to our children in school. By nature our heart is open for this, and it is encouraged by Satan. Parents do not forget the commandment which the Lord gave: “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Set the truth over against the lie.

A lot of people believe that there is a God; we can see this in nature, we can feel this in our life, as the Lord has given an impression of His existence in our heart. Even the devils believe that there is a God, and they tremble. What the Lord has revealed in nature is not enough to salvation, because it does not teach us the origin of our misery nor how we can be delivered from it. This the Lord has revealed in His Word; what a blessing that we may have that Word of God. The heathens must miss it, which means, that there is no salvation for them; but in God’s incomprehensible goodness we have His Word. We all know that this is not enough; but it is the means which the Lord uses to work faith in our heart, under the application of the Holy Spirit. The apostle has said: “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” As we are born, we lack faith and we cannot merit it. It is a gift from the Lord, out of free grace. Still the Lord requires: “Open thy mouth wide.” This true saving faith consists in knowledge, assent and confidence. When we come to God by faith in prayer and supplication, then we come as a poor sinner, laden with sin and debt, with our poverty and emptiness. He who may come in such a way to the Lord in the need of the soul, will experience “For he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”

Nobody comes to God before he knows experientially his lost condition and feels that he is separated from God. Such a sinner begins to cry to God, Who is yet unknown to him. This seeking and crying is the fruit of God’s work. But the Lord leads them through that way of continual seeking for Him, however often Satan tries to prevent this. Think of the woman of Canaan. No one could help, but the Lord only, and He gave her her heart’s desire. By faith, fear is overcome and they receive the strength to flee to Christ, in the opening of the Word. They may hear the promise: “Everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters and he that hath no money, come, buy and eat; buy wine and milk without money and without price.”

In nature we seek for what we miss, and so it is in the spiritual life, that we will begin to seek for Him, when we realize that we miss Him. It is such a blessing, when we see our shortcoming in respect to the Mediator. It is possible that we have had a time, that we thought to be converted, and in that way we become unconverted again; but in those circumstances we cannot stop crying unto the Lord, to supplicate for mercy, as He works this Himself. He works the prayers, but He promised too: “Ask and it will be given, seek and ye will find, knock and it shall be opened unto you.” He who waits upon the Lord, his strength shall be renewed.” Such seekers of the Lord will be rewarded out of grace. So Abraham experienced this reward of the Lord and he knew that he was righteous before God. Was it not the same in the life of Enoch, who was taken up into glory? So it is in our days, when the church may live close to the Lord, and does not become conformed to the world, to those He gives His favor in their heart, which is better than the choicest food. This is only in beginning here. But if these firstlings are already such a great blessing, then the life in glory must be incomprehensible, an ocean which never can be emptied. On our deathbed it will be said: “He is no more,” but for God’s child it will be: “God took him into glory.” So they come to an end of their walk on this earth to walk forever with the Lord in heaven.

He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Amen.

Norwich

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