Hebrews: Hall of Faith

Thanks, Naomi. We're going to turn to the word of God now. We're going through the book of Hebrews but we're gonna read apart from a passage from Genesis first. So if you wanna get to Hebrews chapter 11, and then and then go back to Genesis chapter 5.

To be honest, I actually never I never stopped being surprised by the Bible. So we we choose a sort of series to do and and very often it's like, oh, no. You know, what are we gonna what are we gonna get out of that? Or you know, how relevant is that going to be. And it's a little scary when you start out with a bible book.

This is God's word. You know, who are we to handle this? And and then, you know, what are we going to say? And then it's just extraordinary. How up to date this book is, how alive it is, how it deals with our issues today.

It is the Word of God. It cannot be anything else. It's an ancient document, but it's like it was written today. And and that's what we're finding in this Hebrew series. It's really good.

Anyway, Tom's wanting me to stop. Okay. So I start preaching. Let's have a look at Genesis chapter 5, we're gonna read 1 to 24. Genesis chapter 5, 1 to 24.

This is the written account of Adam's family line. When God created mankind, he made them in his likeness. He created them male, and female and blessed them. And he named them mankind when they were created. When Adam had lived a hundred and 30 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image, and he named him Seth.

After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. All together, Adam lived a total of 930 years and then he died. When Seth had lived a hundred and 5 years, he became the father of Enoch. After he became the father of Enos, Seth Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters, altogether Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died. When Enos had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kennon.

After he became the father of Kennon, Enos lived 8 15 years and had other sons and daughters altogether, Inosh lived a total of 905 years, and then he died. When Kennanet lived 7 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalala. After he had became the father of Mahalala, Kennan, lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether Canon lived a total of 910 years, and then he died. When Mahalal had lived 65 years, He became the father of Jared.

After he became the father of Jared, Mahalalal lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters, altogether, Mahaladale lived a total of 895 years and then he died. When Jared had lived a hundred and 62 years, he became the father of Enoch. After he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters, altogether Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died. When Enoch had lived 65 years, He became the father of methuselah. After he became the father of methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.

Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God, then he was no more. Because God took him away. Aha. There's a clue.

Let's go to chapter 11. Of Hebrews, and read the interpretation of that story. So Hebrew is chapter 11 and verse 5. By faith, Enoch was taken from this life. So that he did not experience death.

He did he could not be found because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as 1 who pleased God. And without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who, earnestly, seeks him. So reads the Word of God. And welcome.

My name is Tom Sweetman. If we haven't at a chance to meet, and I'm 1 of the pastors here. And it would be really helpful if you could turn back to both Genesis chapter 5. And also to be able to see Hebrews Hebrews 11 as well. And as we come to the word of God, let's bow our heads and pray.

Loveing God, we thank you that every day, you give us new mercy, and you give us fresh stores and supplies of grace. And we pray that you would give us grace now that we might be able to hear you speaking to us through your word. Lord, we desperately need that because without you, our stiff necks are not gonna turn. And our stubborn wills are not going to yield to you. And we will choose wrong paths and make wrong decisions and think unhealthy thoughts about you and about other people, we need your clarifying words to give us light and love and truth.

That we might think correctly about you and that like Enoch, we would walk faithfully with you. And we ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, this morning, we are looking at a truly outstanding individual. This man called Enoch, of the hundred and 17000000000 people that experts think have ever lived.

Hundred and 17000000000 people who've ever walked on the face of this earth. We're told that thousands of them have been able to scale the heights of Mount Everest. 12 have been able to walk on the surface of the moon. Only 3 of them that we know of have been able to travel to the very bottom of the ocean, to go to the deepest place on planet earth, and we know from recent news, just how dangerous an expedition that actually is. But we are looking at a man this morning who belongs in an even more exclusive and an even more elite club.

Eenoc is 1 of only 2 individuals, 1 of only 2 men that we know about who did not experience death, who didn't die, who was taken away in his life. That he did not taste death. That's remarkable, isn't it? And of course, there's all kinds of questions that we might have about that, and we are free to wander about the details. So does that mean that there are 3 people in heaven right now?

Who have physical bodies, just 3. 1 would be Elijah, 2 kings, 2. 1 would be Enoch, and 1 would be Jesus. In his resurrection body. Only 3 people with physical bodies in heaven now.

And what is gonna happen to the likes of Elijah and Enoch, who did not experience death, will they have to experience death first? Before they can enter into resurrection? Or will they be like those who are still alive when Jesus returns? They're gonna be transformed in the twinkling of an eye. And how do you think Enoch felt?

When Elijah turned up in heaven. There he was, all alone. He had the place to himself, The only 1 there with a physical body is suddenly this guy appears. He's come up in a whirlwind behind a chariot and you'd be quite annoyed, wouldn't you? A bit frustrating.

You'd be in your very own private members club in heaven. The only 1 with a body, and then Elijah shows up. It's remarkable, isn't it? 1 of only 2 people, Enoch and Elijah, who we're told never tasted death. And what makes it even more remarkable It's the context in which we find Enoch's story and Enoch's life.

So Genesis chapter 5, we had that read to us, and the repeated refrain over and over again is, and he died. And he died. And he died. It's amazing, because what might impress us initially is how old these people were. And the years that they managed to clock up on planet Earth, but really, rather than being impressed, we should see it as a tragedy.

It's a tragic chapter that death rains. It's like the sound of a scythe swinging through a field. And chopping down. And he died. And he died.

And he died. Satan had said, in Genesis chapter 3, you can eat from this, you will not surely die. He's a liar because they all died, and he died, and he died, and he died because the wages of sin is death. But then there's Enoch. And it's like looking down a huge corridor.

If you imagine yourself in a huge corridor, it's stretches as far as the eye can see. And there's a stainless steel table, and on the table is coffin after coffin after coffin after coffin. And everyone is sealed. Every coffin is sealed. It's been closed.

But 1, down the line, is popped open. And it's empty. There's nobody in there, because Enoch did not die. He was taken. He did not experience death.

He was taken away. And you imagine the impact of that on his family. I mean, what would methuselah have thought? His son. When he comes down the stairs in the morning for breakfast, and he sat around the family dining table, and mom's there.

And the other brothers and sisters are there, but there's an empty chair. And suddenly, after about 15 minutes, he turns around and says, they haven't seen that. They don't know where dad is. No, I haven't seen him. Oh, where's he gone?

And presumably at some stage, they must have worked out what had happened to dad that he'd been taken away. But imagine the impact of that. And then imagine the impact of it on future generations. You know, the great great great great grandkids would have been discussing together in playground. Do you have anybody outstanding in your family?

No, I didn't think so. There was so and so, and he was born, and he had me and my brother and sister, and then he died. What about you? I don't think so. I had a dad and mom and they had kids and then he died.

And and what about you? Well, actually, now that you ask. Yeah. My great great great great granddad, he was born, and he had me and my brothers and sisters, and then he was taken. He was taken and he did not die.

Imagine the impact through the generations. It's a remarkable story, isn't it? We're looking at this series. This is Hebrews 11 we've been working our way through. And we're asking the question what kind of faith is pleasing to God?

What kind of faith does he commend? That's the big word that's repeated in verses 2, 4, and 5 of Hebrews 11. There is a type of faith that God loves and commends. There's a type of faith that he loves and celebrates, and there's a type of faith that he doesn't love, a faith which shrinks back and fails to trust in his promises. But there's a type of faith that he loves.

An Enoch is 1 who was commended. 1 who was witnessed to by God. This is the sort of faith that God really loves and he's pleased with. And so how does Enoch help us to understand faith that is pleasing to God? That's the question.

How does he help us understand faith that is pleasing to God. And there's 4 portraits that we're gonna look at from his life to help us understand what faith he had and how it pleased God. We're gonna see firstly that Enoch walked with God. We're gonna see secondly that he walked in obedience to God We're gonna see thirdly that he walked in light of the future, and we're gonna see fourthly that he walked faithfully until the end. Those are the 4 portraits.

And this first 1, we're gonna see is that he walked with God. And if you turn back to Genesis chapter 5 and have a look at verse 24, that's repeated twice. So verse 22, it says, after he became the father of methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters, altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God and then he was no more because God took him. And that expression walk with God, if we've been reading through the book of Genesis already, We would have seen something like it in Genesis chapter 3.

If you just flick back in your bibles to Genesis chapter 3, and this is verse 8. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God, as he was, walking in the garden, in the cool of the day. Now, Genesis 3 is the famous chapter in which Adam and Eve rebel against God and disobey him. And so this walking with them in the call of the day happens just after the fall. So now, in the garden, There's guilt, there's shame, there's hiding, there's covering up, and they can hear the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden, But instead of wanting to walk with him in relationship, they're trying to hide from him because of their disobedience.

But if that's what's happening in chapter 3, it's fair to assume, and I think we can assume that that was happening before the fall as well. That the Lord God was in the garden, in the call of the day, walking in perfect relationship with Adam and Eve. In chapter 3, it's all got corrupted and messed up. But presumably before then, there was a time when mankind, Adam and Eve walked faithfully with God and it was a time of openness, and intimacy, and honesty, and relationship. Men and women were created for this kind of faith, a faith that walks with God.

And it's a wonderful image, isn't it? It's a wonderful relational term to walk with someone. I don't know if you've ever had a Christian friend who's given you a text or they've rang you up and said, you know, you free next weekend. Would you like to go for a walk together? We can get some coffee and go for a walk.

Now you know what they mean is I'd like to go for a talk together. Let's go for a walk together. What they mean is let's go for a talk together. Because walking and talking happen together. It's very relational, very natural place to have a conversation.

I think some of the best spiritual conversations I've ever had have been while walking with somebody else. Walking together breeds openness and relationship. Head to head is much more confrontational. Side to side is much more relational. And that's what we see in the garden.

And it's what Enoch did with his Lord. They walked together in openness, with honesty, and with intimacy. And this is what we were made for. So it's very interesting when we turn to the book of Jude, which we will do later on. Jude tells us that Enoch was the seventh from Adam.

He was the seventh from Adam. And if you know anything about bible numbers, 7 is the number of completeness, and of wholeness, and of perfection. 7 is like how things were made to be. Eenoch is the seventh from Adam, as if to say, this is back to the beginning. This is how it was meant to be.

This is the man and God completion. Walking together, the seventh from Adam. Think about how the days of creation end. The first 6 are different, aren't they? First 6, evening and morning the first day, evening and morning the second day, evening and morning the third day, evening and morning the fourth, evening and morning the fifth, evening and morning the sixth, but by the seventh.

The seventh is the day of rest, and it's the day of creation. There's something different and whole and complete about it. Well, we're told that Enoch was the seventh from Adam. It's a picture of wholeness, and what is he doing? He's walking with God because that's what we were created to do, to walk with God in relationship.

So how's that going? If you're a Christian here, do you think that right now describes your relationship with your Lord as a walk with him? When I was a a student worker or did more student work in this in this church, and I used to have more to do with students and discipling students. 1 of the things I noticed was that when relationships went wrong in student houses, there was often a simple explanation for it. So let's say you've got a student house and there's 4 or 5 students living together, If those relationships were breaking down and things were starting to get a bit messy, normally, what had happened was that at some stage, the relation ships had fallen apart.

And therefore, the housemates had become defined not by who they are, but by their bad habits in the house. So for instance, if I was living with Rich, you know, and I had no relationship with him, eventually, it would get to the point where Rich is no longer the friend that I live with, He's the guy who doesn't take the rubbish out. Yeah? Or if I was living with Dan. You know, when our relationship broke down, I would no longer know him as Dan, my friend who I walk with, but as the guy who doesn't do his washing up.

Yeah? And that's what happens. The relationships had broken down, and they would just become defined by their bad habits. They lived together, but they didn't walk together. And so the relationships broke down.

And that's true in all kinds of friendships, and it's true in marriages, and it's true in lots of different relationships. There are couples that can live together, but because they don't walk together, it ends up breaking down. They believe that each other exists but they do not earnestly seek each other, and therefore the relationship begins to break down. And that can happen with God as well. You think about that story of the prodigal son, the famous 1 that Jesus tells.

You've got the first son who runs off from the father in rebellion and makes a shipwreck of his life, but comes home and is welcomed home and there's reconciliation. But then, you've got the second son, who didn't rebel against his father in such a dreadful way. He was the good boy. He stayed at home, he did his work, He worked the field, he did what he was told, and there's that very moving scene right at the end of the story, where the father goes out to the older son, And the older son says, all these years, I have worked for you. And you have not even given me 1 single animal that I could have a party with my friends.

Why should I come in with you? Why should I celebrate the return of this your son? See what had happened? They'd lived together, but they weren't walking together. And so the relationship had broken down.

But what did the father say to him? The father says, my son, you always have me. You could have walked with me. I didn't just want to live with you. I didn't just want you to believe in me.

I wanted to walk with you, and I wanted to seek you, and I wanted you to seek me because that's what faith that is pleasing to the father is like. It's a walk. We think about Cain who we looked at last week. Now there was a whole load of stuff wrong with Cain's theology. But could we say that Cain believed that God existed?

Well, yeah, he probably believed that God existed. But did he earnestly seek him? Did he walk with him? No, he didn't. And therefore, his faith was not pleasing.

The walk with God, the faith that is pleasing to God. The faith which Enoch models for us, is walking together in relationship. Does that sound similar? Does that sound like how your walk with the Lord is? That's the first thing.

Secondly, let's have a look at how Enoch walked with God in obedience. So he walked with God, but he walked in obedience. And as we saw in Genesis chapter 5, when you're reading through that, You see that the world that Enoch lived in was dark and it was getting darker. It was getting worse and worse. So, we'd had Cain.

And Cain committed the very first murder. He took a rock to the skull of his brother Abel and watched his blood spill upon the earth for first murder. And then after Cain comes who? Lamic. And lameic is even darker.

So he takes a second wife for himself. He starts to boast in his violence and in the revenge that he's gonna take upon people. He lusts after sexual sin. He lusts after violent sin. The world is getting darker and darker.

It's very interesting, isn't it? Because as the generations go forward, we tend to believe the lie that society is gonna improve. Jen zed, then the generation after that, and they're all gonna be more moral, and more ethical, and more careful, and they're going to be the saved. This generation, we put all our hope upon a generation. And we think that as time goes on, things will get better and better.

Genesis tells us that's a lie. As time goes on and on, the technology might improve, their weapons might get sharper, their cities might get more impressive, but that does nothing to cure. The morality. He lived in a world that was getting darker and darker, and just look at God's judgment upon it in Genesis chapter 6. If you turn to Genesis chapter 6, and we'll see more of this when we get to Noah.

But Genesis 6 verse 5 says this, the law saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth. And his heart was deeply troubled. But then look at verse 9. Noah was a righteous man blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully, same phrase.

He walked faithfully with God. And so you can see that to walk with God meant to walk away from the sins of the world that Enoch lived in. For Enoch to pursue God and trust God meant letting go of the sins of his culture. That's always always the case. To walk with God faithfully means leaving behind the sins of this world.

You cannot do the 1 without the other. I remember when I am first when I first became a Christian, I was converted in this very church in 2009, And by God's grace, I owe absolutely everything to this church, the ministry, the word, my conversion, baptism, discipleship, marriage, children, employment, future. Everything that I am is is owed to this to this church. So I was Converted here, I was not a Christian. I had grown up in a Christian home, but at the point when I was converted, I didn't have any Christian friends.

None of my Christian 1 of my friends were Christian. None of them were seeking to live for God apart from 1 Laura. She was the only Christian I knew at the time. That's a story for another day. But that, she was the only 1.

And so when I became a Christian, I was trying to work out as all Christians have to do. What is compatible between my old way of life and my new way of life. What have I gotta give up in order to walk forward? What about my old life can come with me And what have I got to leave behind? And I can tell you that I made a very, very many great mistakes in thinking those things through.

And left to myself, it would have all collapsed like a house of cards. If it wasn't for good Christian friends, who invested in me. People like Rob who we pray for. He's the pastor of Beckentry Church out in East London. He knew me and was with me.

At that time, and I just remember him coming alongside me regularly and asking me questions about my life now that I was wanting to follow Jesus. And he would say things like, you've just got to ask the question. You know, what is gonna be helpful for you as you seek to follow Christ? Is what what are you gonna need to let go? What can I pray for?

What difficult decisions can I help you with? And and and he he helped me and he served me. So well in in that time. And you know, all Christians have to come to that realization. All Christians at some point have to think through that question.

If I'm going to walk with God, I've got to walk away from something like this. If I'm if I'm going to faithfully follow It means I'm going to have to let go because I cannot I cannot do both. Now that's not to say that we don't evangelize and go into the world, I mean, Jesus said, didn't we? I am not taking you out of the world. I'm not going to take you out.

I'm going to send you in to be an evangelist, not a hermit, to be an evangelist, But every Christian has got to think. I've I've got to walk faithfully with my God, but that will mean I have to I have to let go. I have to leave this behind. It's interesting when Paul talks about the thessalonians. And how they received the gospel.

He summarizes their reception of the gospel like this. He's thankful that they turned from idols to serve the true and living God and to wait for his son from heaven. They turn from idols, they let go of idols, They said no to idols, they threw their idols on the fire, and they turned to God from to In order to serve the true and living God and to wait for his son from heaven. You can't do both. It's like coming to a t junction in the road.

You know, you get to a t junction. If you wanna turn right and it's right to turn right, you cannot also turn left. You cannot turn right and try to bring a bit of left with you. Because in order to turn right, you necessarily have to leave left behind. You gotta leave it if you're gonna walk the right way or drive the right way.

Or imagine it like receiving a present. Let's say somebody gives you, they've got a a box full of rubies and gems, and sapphires, and emeralds, and diamonds, and it's so precious, and so valuable, and they're holding out their hands ready to give it to you, but you've already got an arm full of ash and cinders and coal. What have you gotta do in order to take the treasure? You've got to let it go in order to take it. You can't say, look, see if you can stack it on top, and I'll take both with me.

And try to sort of balance the 1 on top of the other. In order to receive the gift of life, you've gotta let go. Of what you of what you've got. In fact, to try to do both is impossible and it is displeasing to God. Eenoch shows us a type of faith that God loves and it walked faithfully with him and it walked away from the world that he was in.

That is the faith that is pleasing to God, 1 that let's go in order to walk forward. And so firstly, we see faith that is pleasing. He walked with God. Secondly, he walked with God in obedience to God. Just like Noah did and ultimately just like Christ did.

But thirdly, let's look at the third thing now. He walked in light of the future He walked in light of the future. Now just turn from Genesis. Let's go forward now to the Hebrews 11 verse. If you can get Hebrews 11 open in front of you.

And have a look at Hebrews Hebrews 11 and verse 6 and just see the future focus of Enoch. And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists, and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. That is what Enoch did, and that's why Enoch's faith was pleasing to God. Because he believed in a God who would reward him. This is not a kind of rewards by works, type of salvation, but he believed that to trust in God was to be welcomed into the city of God.

To have an inheritance that would never perish, spoil, or fade, and he trusted, and he believed in those future rewards. But he also believed in a different type of future for the ungodly. And if you turn with me now to the book of Jude, it's just that little book before revelation. And Enoch makes a surprise appearance here. I think he's 1 of the only ones In Hebrew's chapter 11, where the new testament says more about him than the old testament.

In the old testament, he only gets about a sentence, and shrouded in mystery, but in the New Testament, his story is much fuller and much richer. And he turns up here in the book of Jews. So look with me at verse 13, and this is false teachers being described. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame. Wandering stars for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

Enoch The Seventh from Adam, prophesied about them. See, the Lord is coming, with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones, to judge everyone, and to convict them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him. Do you see how the future weighs heavily upon Enoch. He walked with God faithfully in the world, which meant looking forward to the reward that God would give, but also preaching judgment that would come upon the ungodly. It's remarkable, isn't it?

The Enoch saw With the prophetic eye, the day when the Lord Jesus Christ would return in judgment, and would bring destruction upon all the ungodly, and all the ungodly acts that they had committed in their ungodliness, and would call them to account for all the sinful words that they had spoken against God. Enoch saw that with the prophetic eye. He lived in light of the future, both rewards and judgment. He saw it, and it made an impression upon him. And his faith was shaped by eternity.

There's a famous story I'm told about a man called Charlie Peace, who was a he was a burglar, and he was a murderer, and he was hung in this country in 18 79. So, he wasn't 1 of the last, but he was he was nearly 1 of the last people to be hung in this country for being a thief and a murderer. And the story is told that as he was being led to the gallows, to be hung on the morning of his execution, There was a chaplain who had been sent or who worked there and was reading 2 Charlie Peace. As he was about to be hung, He was reading to him from a book called the Consolations of religion and was sort of reading him his his last rites. And here's the quote that I picked up.

On the morning of the execution, this chaplain is reading to Charlie Peace. About heaven and hell. And Charlie Peace turned to the chaplain and said sir, if I believed what you and the church of God say that you believe. Even if England were covered with broken glass from coast to coast, I would walk over it if need be on hands and knees and think it worthwhile living. Just to save 1 soul from an eternity like that.

And so here is Charlie Peace. Being led to his execution. And you've got a preacher, sleepily, lazily reading to him about the horrors of hell and the glories of heaven, with no conviction, and no feeling, and no sense that he means it. And even this Fief burglar has enough sense to turn around and say, if I believed what you and the church of God, say that you believe. If I believed that, I would crawl across England on hands and knees, though it was covered in broken glass, and think it worthwhile to save 1 person.

From an eternity like that. Now how would you put that objection in your own words? Here is a preacher. Here is a chaplain, who claimed to believe in an eternity, which made no difference upon his life. And therefore, he did not believe it, and therefore, he did not please God.

Enoch was so very different to that. He was thrilled by the rewards of faith, and he was sobered by the horrors of hell. An eternity was stamped upon him. He was impressed upon his heart, and he walked faithfully, and he preached courageously. A world that had disobeyed God.

He had eternity stamped upon his life. And in doing that, he's just a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, isn't he? You think of the Lord Jesus when he's dealing with nations and peoples who have rejected God. He says woe to you, Corizen. And woe to you Beth Sader, because he saw the judgment that was going to come upon them for their hardness of heart, and he preached to them and he loved them because he knew what was coming.

He believed it and he felt it. Or when he was facing his cross, We're told that it was for the joy set before him that he endured the cross, that he could see the rewards of his atonement that he would be raised to be with his father in heaven, that he would bring home a wonderful bride from every tribe, tongue and nation, and the joy of eternity helped him to endure the cross. Enoch and Christ, and all who walk faithfully with God have eternity pressed upon their hearts. And so let me ask you, and I'll ask myself. What is it that what is it that really shapes you?

It's the next deadline at work, more important than the eternity to come. It's the next milestone in life. More important than the eternity to come. It's the next fixture in sport. More important to you, more defining for you than the eternity to come.

Faith that pleases God and faith that we see in Enoch. Walks in light of the future. And 4, 3, and lastly, the last portrait of his life He walked faithfully until the end. He walked faithfully until the end. Here's Genesis 5.

If you want to turn back to Genesis 5, verse 24. It's very abrupt, isn't it? Enoch walked faithfully with God Then he was no more because God took him away. Or Hebrews 11, If you have a look at Hebrews 11 verse 5 and 6. By faith, Enot was taken from this life so that he did not experience death, he could not be found because God had taken him away.

For before he was taken, he was commended as 1 who pleased God. See, we have so little information about his life. But basically, it seems that he walked with God and he walked faithfully with God and he walked faithfully with God and then he was taken. And then he went home. In other words, he walked faithfully until the time came for him to go to be with God.

Tim Keller, who's an American and pastor and writer. He he he died this year, he died in in May, And apparently, according to his family, 1 of his sons, I think. Some of the last words that Tim Keller spoke, this is 3 days before he died. With these. And these these were recorded for us.

Apparently, he said that he was thankful for his family that loved him. I'm thankful for the time that God has given me, but I'm ready to see Jesus. And I can't wait to see Jesus. 3 days before he died. 3 days after he said that, the Lord took him.

I'm ready to be with Jesus. I can't wait to see Jesus. He walked faithfully until the end. Gavin Ortland, who's another American author and writer. He wrote a little blog on on those words and on the last words of Tim Keller that were recorded for And he he says this in the article.

He says, that Tim Keller finished well means so much to so many in my generation. In a time of disintegration and distrust, his legacy for us is not just his gifts and insights. But his character. Now, it's our turn to do the same in a new day. That Tim Keller finished well.

It means so much to so many in my generation. It's so true, isn't it? That we live in an age sadly, where there is so much disintegration and distrust, even within Christian leaders, who walk and walk and walk and then blow up or give up and leave the faith, and in an age like that, and in an age where those stories receive so much publicity It is so important, that people don't just start well, but that they finish well. And that they walk faithfully until the end. And then they are taken.

That is Enox's legacy to the world, that he walked with God, and he didn't shipwreck his faith. And he didn't steer his faith into the rocks and pull himself down to the bottom of the ocean, that he kept sailing And he kept his compass tuned to the word of God, and he kept his sails full of the spirit of God. And he kept sailing and he made it home and he was taken. And it's so important to have examples like that in our age, isn't it? That's Enoch's legacy to us.

And I guess that's what his children would have spoken about in the generations after him. Interesting actually that some commentators think that it was having a son that caused Enoch to begin walking with God. I don't know whether that's true, but it's quite interesting if you look at Genesis chapter 5, how the sentence is actually put together. Because you can see how that might be a reading of it. Genesis 5, verse 21.

When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of methuselah. After he became the father of methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God. 300 years. Now, it may be, but that's just a way of saying, he was walking very faithfully with God, he had kids, and he continued to walk faithfully with God. But some commentators take it that actually it was having a son.

There was something about having methuselah and holding a kid in his arms, which made him think about his legacy, which made him think about, what do I wanna be remembered for? Do I just wanna be born and live and he died? Be born and live and he died. Be born and live and he died. Or now as I hold a child and I look towards the next generation.

Do I want to be known for something more than that? I need to call on the name of the lord, and I need to set a different legacy and I need to walk with God. Now, I don't know whether that's true, but it raises an interesting question, doesn't it? You know, what do we want the children of this church hundreds of them who've just gone out. What do we want our own children to remember as they think about the grown ups in their congregation?

Just that they were born and that they lived, and that they worked, and that they loved golf, and that they died. Nothing wrong with love and golf. And that they were born and they lived and they died. Or that these were a group of people who were born And they lived, and they walked with God, and they never saw death. They fell asleep in the Lord, and they were not harmed by the second death, and they finished well, and they went home.

That's the sort of legacy that we wanna leave. That's what we want the children of the church to remember, that they walked with God. And they encouraged us to do the same. And so those are 4 portraits. From Enoch's life.

He walked with God, that meant walking in obedience to God. He walked in light of the future, and he walked all the way home. It is an amazing chapter Hebrews 11, isn't it? And there are so many questions that we might have about it. You know, you have to ask, look at Abel.

I mean, he walked faithfully with God, and yet he was brutally murdered. His life was cut short, but then Enoch walked faithfully with God and he was taken. Why the difference? They both walked faithfully with God. Well, all we can say is that God has very different plans for his children, but we do know that whether we are called home at 14 or 44 or 94, there is a sort of faith that is pleasing to the lord, a sort of faith that we should seek to cultivate and grow in.

1 that walks with God, 1 that walks in obedience, 1 that walks in light of the future, and 1 which walks all the way home. But here's the thing, in order to do it, we need the power and the person of Jesus Christ. Because without him, we can never live this life. You see, ultimately, we need 1 who was not just the seventh from Adam, but the second Adam. The 1 who would come and stand as the representative for all of God's people, the 1 who truly would be a new humanity for you and me.

For 1 who would walk faithfully with his father until the end. For 1 who would walk in obedience and holiness for all of his life, for 1 who looked forward to eternity and lived in light of it, and 1 who walked faithfully right until his dying breath. That's what we need. That's who we need in order to live this life. See, Enoch is a terrific example for us.

But he cannot roll back the curse for us. Ultimately, we need 1 who was not just saved from death. But went through death so that we could come out the other side. 1 who not only was saved from judgement, but who took the judgment for our sin upon himself so that we could go to heaven and be with him. In order to walk like Enoch walked, We need Christ.

And having Christ, we can walk faithfully with him in the joy of the gospel. And let's ask the Lord that he would help us to do that. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for the stories of faith that we are enjoying and being challenged by in this chapter, and we pray that you would grow within us or perhaps give us for the first time this morning the sort of faith which you commend, and the sort of faith which is pleasing in your sight. We pray father that you would help us not just to believe that you exist, but to earnestly seek you.

Even the demons believe that you exist and shudder. We want to be so very different from that. We want to believe that you are and walk with you and seek with you. We pray that you'd help each of us to discern where we have to leave behind the things of this world in order to walk more closely with you. We pray for the sins that we hold on to that provide us with a bit of security, the idols, which seem to offer us so much.

We pray that you would help us to turn from them and to walk more faithfully with you. And we do pray that the glories of heaven and the horrors of hell would not be things that just roll through our minds and off our tongues in a sleepy, lazy way. But that eternity would matter to us and would shape us and that we would walk in light of it. And father, we pray lastly that for as long as you have us here on earth, that we would walk faithfully with you. That our legacy to those that come after would be.

And he born and he was born and she was born and he lived and she lived and that he walked with you and that she walked with you, and then they fell asleep. Help us to leave that legacy we pray for those who come after. And we thank you that through the power of Jesus, we have hope for living this life. Oh, men.