"By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, 'and was not found because God had taken him'; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:5-6).
"Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him" (Genesis 5:21-24).
IDEA: The writer of the letter to the Hebrews deduces from the brief mention of Enoch that he must have been a person who lived by faith.
PURPOSE: To show listeners how the writer to the Hebrews made deductions that led to his conclusion that Enoch was a man of faith.
Let me read two passages of Scripture to you. The first from Genesis tells us about something that happened, and the second from the letter to the Hebrews tells us why it happened. I want you to think about how the explanation came to the writer of the letter to the Hebrews.
I. The two passages give an event and its cause.
Genesis 5:21-24 -- Enoch lived 65 years, and begot Methuselah. After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were 365 years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
Hebrews 11:5 -- By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, 'and was not found, because God had taken him'; for before he was taken he had this testimony that he pleased God.
II. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews says that it was "by faith" that Enoch pleased God.
How did he know that Enoch had faith?
The text in Genesis doesn't say anything at all about Enoch's faith.
Do you think that God just revealed that to the writer of the letter to the Hebrews?
He must have made a logical deduction.
We know that Enoch pleased God because we know how God treated him.
How would he have made that deduction that it was faith that pleased God from what is written in Genesis 5?
It is axiomatic that the writer believes that because Enoch walked with God, he must have had faith.
It is axiomatic for him to believe that without faith you cannot please God.
Why do you think God is pleased when men and women live by faith and trust before Him?