There is the story of a man named Walt Carter who lived during the Gulf War of 1991. He was a supporter of the decision of our government to remove Iraqi troops from the country of Kuwait in which they had invaded. Carter was so passionate about this that he wrote a letter to Senator John Kerry urging him to support this move. Walt received two response letters from Kerry. The first one agreed with him and bragged of Kerry’s strong support of President Bush. The second letter thanked Carter for opposing the war and bragged about Kerry’s vote against the war resolution. The second letter had been sent by mistake. 

It is true, the Bible does say that as Christians we are to be gracious. We are to be kind. We are not to always be looking for a fight (2 Timothy 2:24-26). The Apostle Paul even said that we are to please others in order that we may build them up in Christ (Romans 15:2). But while that may be true, there is something way more important than pleasing people. We are to please God, who is able to see into our hearts (1 Thessalonians 2:4). Pleasing God, at times, most inevitably will displease the people that are opposed to God. 

The author of Hebrews now turns our attention to a man named Enoch in the verses we will look at today. Even though he was a man known for pleasing God, he was outnumbered. He lived seven generations after Adam in a time that was almost completely evil. This was just before the great flood. (Jude 14-15) tells us that he prophesied to this evil generation. God gave him some harsh words to say to these people that would have not been popular. But even in all this, it is said that Enoch pleased God so much that one day God took him to heaven so that he never had to die a physical death. 

(Hebrews 11:5-6) CSB

⁵By faith Enoch was taken away, and so he did not experience death. He was not to be found because God took him away. For before he was taken away, he was approved as one who pleased God. ⁶Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

What lessons can we learn from Enoch about Faith?

1. Our main goal in life should be to Please God.

In verse 6 the writer uses the words “draw near.” It is the same words he uses earlier in (Hebrews 4:16) where he is encouraging all people to “draw near” to the throne of grace. Later, in (Hebrews 7:5) he says that Jesus is able to save forever those who “draw near” to God through Him. He also encourages in (Hebrews 10:22) to “draw near” with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience. 

Verse 6 also uses the words “those who seek Him.” This fits in well with the words “drawing near” because the Hebrew word that is used to translate “seek” originally meant to beat a path under foot. The idea here is that if you are looking for your neighbor often, then you would beat a path in the grass to his door. We’ve got to seek God so often that we literally beat a path to Him!

Pleasing God begins on the heart level, and it requires us consistently drawing near to Him and seeking Him. Drawing near to God and seeking Him is something you and I must do intentionally. But we don’t accidentally draw near to the most Holy being in the universe. There is no one who seeks God without God first calling and choosing him (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). Once He has called you and me to salvation we must respond in faith to His call. It takes effort and intention to seek God. It must be our priority and very aim in life! So, our number one goal in life has to be to please God from the heart by drawing near and seeking Him, but this passage also gives us an essential for pleasing God. 

2. You Need Faith to please God

Going back to verse 5 let’s look at two words: impossible and must. It is impossible to please God without faith. He says you must believe that God exists and that He reward those who seek Him. Why does the writer start with this basic conviction? Because his readers were under a real threat of persecution. They would have been a prime target for Satan to destroy them. 

When you and I have done what is right and still get persecuted for it, the devil comes looking for us and he is going to bring doubts about God. He is going to whisper into our ear that there is no use to trust in this God because a loving god wouldn’t treat you this way. Jesus experienced this in the desert. Satan threw everything he had at Jesus, but Jesus never flinched! 

If Satan can get you to doubt God’s existence, he won’t stop there. He will tempt you to doubt God’s goodness, His fairness and even His power. You may be thinking “If God really loves and cares about me then what is this happening to me?” But Faith stands against this kind of temptation. Faith is believing that God will reward you because you have sought Him. He does love and care for you in the midst of your suffering. God is able to deliver you, if that is His purpose. But do we convince ourselves that this is true be repeating it over and over again? That might help but there is more.

You’ve got to make sure you are trusting in Christ for your salvation. You are personally relying on Christ every day. You are not relying on religious rituals or vows. You must also understand that everything we have is from God and it is a gift by God’s grace. You will never earn your way to heaven. Finally, remember that the reward of faith is not necessary in this life but in eternity. Enoch being taken to heaven is an illustration of what God will do for those who are alive when Jesus comes again. Faith looks to God for the reward of eternal life in heaven, not for the good life here on earth. 

3. A Daily Walk of Faith lasts a lifetime

Twice in Genesis chapter 5 it is stated that Enoch walked with God. Although faith is not explicitly mentioned in that chapter concerning Enoch, it is stated that Enoch was well pleasing to God, and without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:16). So, Enoch did walk by faith. Although walking doesn’t seem like the most spectacular thing, his life was in step with God. He was headed in the direction that God choose for him. As he walked, he had intimacy and fellowship with the Lord. 

Humans are naturally attracted to the sensational, but God calls our attention to this man who simply walked with Him. When we walk with God it means the same thing as it did for Enoch. We are in step with God. We are headed in His direction and experiencing the intimacy and fellowship God so desires to have with us. Walking with God is a daily growth process where we are growing more intimate with Him because we are sharing everything in our life with Him and in the process, we are learning more of His ways. 

But no one else can do your walking for you. You must do this yourself. A spiritual life requires discipline (1 Timothy 4:7) “But have nothing to do with irreverent and silly myths. Rather, train yourself in godliness.” You must decide you are going to put in the time and effort that is required to walk with God. This means you will need to be very protective about your time alone with Him, reading His Word, applying it to your life, and walking with Him daily. We make this active in our lives by memorizing HIs promises while we are alone and, in His Word, and applying them in different situations in our daily walk. Living a life of faith is a Daily Walk that lasts a lifetime.