Quote from Forum Archives on June 4, 2002, 3:03 pm

Posted by: jnthrower <jnthrower@...>

HOW TO BE GODLY IN AN UNGODLY WORLD

GENESIS 5:21-24; HEBREWS 11:5-6; JUDE 14-15

INTRODUCTION

Get the picture. It is an extremely hot day in a major desert city. The city bus is crowded. The people are tired and miserable. Suddenly, a young man begins cursing. It's one cuss word after another. The bus driver looks in mirror and can tell the people are ashamed for him. The young man arrives at his destination and gets off the bus. As he departs the driver says to him,

"Sir, you've left something."

"And what is that?!," the young man asks."

"A bad impression", the driver replies.

Fathers, what are we leaving behind? Our influence never dies. Good or bad, right or wrong it never dies. Are we being a godly influence on our families and on the world around us or are we a negative, ungodly influence?

I believe by looking at the life of Enoch we can see some principles that are required in order for us to be Godly.

If these principles are found in our lives then we can become a Godly influence on our families and everyone else we come into contact with in this world.

The answer to being Godly in an ungodly world is this--"walk with God". That is what the Bible says Enoch did. He walked with God.

Enoch lived in an ungodly world. Look at Gen.6:5.(Noah was Enoch's great-grandson).

Jesus even gives us commentary on Noah's day in Matt.24:37-39:

"But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."

It was a pleasure oriented, pleasure seeking, self-gratifying generation. They had no thought of coming judgment. The Godly were marrying the ungodly and the result was the destruction of the home. It sounds a lot like this present generation.

The times were so evil that Enoch even went against the grain and preached against evil.

Look at Jude 14-15. (The key word here is "ungodly".)

Enoch was probably labeled as being intolerant to suggest such a thing as there being an absolute standard for right and wrong. After all who has a right to say what is right and wrong?–God !!!

Enoch was probably labeled as being a bigot as he dared to point a finger at specific sins.

(If you dare say today that homosexuality is a sin that's what you'll be labeled as–a bigot and a homophobe!)

Enoch lived in an ungodly world, yet he walked with God.

The Bible doesn't say that it was easy for Enoch to walk with God.

It is never easy to walk with God, especially when you are surrounded by ungodliness. Nevertheless, Enoch chose to walk with God. Walking with God is a choice!

We live in an ungodly world, but we too can choose to walk with God even in the midst of this wicked and perverse generation that we live in!

(Remember that God has provided us all with exactly what we need to walk with Him.)

What does it mean to walk with God? I want to give you 5 things that I see in the Scriptures regarding Enoch's walk with God:

I. WALKING WITH GOD MEANS TO GO IN GOD'S DIRECTION. (Genesis 5:22)

Now you've got to realize, that God's direction is up, and man's is down. Rom.3:23.

So therefore, in order to walk in God's direction we've got to turn around from our direction in life and walk in God's direction for our lives. That is called repentance!

Walking in God's direction means a conversion experience.

Enoch was born into sin as we all are.

From all indications he had been living a sinful, wicked, ungodly life.--running around w/the ungodly crowd of his day.

However, something happened, that changed his life, that caused him to repent and go in God's direction. (vs 22)– "Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah."

After the birth of his first son, he turned his life over to God and began to go in God's direction.

When that baby was born it changed his life forever.

Sometimes God puts a baby in a family just for that purpose. A baby can be the turning point in a person's walk on this earth. It is not always that way, but many times it is.

For the next 300 years Enoch walks in God's direction. Fathers, are you running with the ungodly crowd? I beg you to turn and go in God's direction. The Bible says you must be born again.

II. WALKING WITH GOD MEANS TO WALK BY FAITH. (Hebrews 11:5-6)

In Hebrews11:5 it says that about Enoch,"for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God" How was he able to please God? Because he had walked by faith.

Hebrews 11:6–But without faith it is impossible to please God.

What does walking by faith mean?

A. Walking By Faith Means The Opposite Of Walking By Sight.

In fact II Corinthians 5:7 says, "For we walk by faith and not by sight."

 

Heb.11:1 says,"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Do we have any evidence of some things we cannot see?

(God, The Lord Jesus, The Holy Spirit)

We have the Testimony of The Word of God.

We have the Testimony of History.

We have the Testimony of The Holy Spirit.

We have the Testimony of Creation.

We have the Testimony of Conscience.

We do not walk by sight, we walk by faith.

Enoch walked by faith not by sight. How do we walk?

The world may say, "How do you do that?"

The world may even call it blind faith.

However, we see the evidence of things not seen and walk in God's direction, and continue walking in His direction by faith.

Walking By Faith Means To Walk In Confidence.

Basically it is confidence that someone or something is reliable.

In our case we walk in the confidence that the Word of God is reliable and the God of the Word is reliable and trustworthy.

Walking by faith means we walk forward in God's direction as outlined in His Word with total dependence and confidence in Him.

We don't have to see around the bends in the road, because He does.

C. Walking By Faith Means Taking God At His Word–Believing God.

(Example–Noah in Hebrews 11:7)

III. WALKING WITH GOD MEANS TO SHARE HIS COMPANIONSHIP.

(Genesis 5: 21, 24)

"Walk" is the Biblical expression for fellowship and obedience to the Lord.

Walking with God means unbroken communion and fellowship with God.

Note the text--"Enoch lived..." vs.21 and vs.24–"Enoch walked. with God."

The moment we start walking with God is the moment when we really begin to live.

Enoch was a walker and talker with God. You see, this Godly father was a man of

the Word and prayer. (He had the still small voice of God!)

When you walk with someone there is usually 2 way communication (Depending of course upon who you are walking with!)

Walking with God implies this 2-way communication.

We are to walk with Him–this includes both listening to Him and talking with Him.

The one that we walk with is our guide. God has given us His Holy Spirit as our guide.

The Bible is our map as well as the light that lights our path.

"The Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path" Ps.119:105

Are you walking with God? Some may say, "I'm just too busy. There is just not enough time!"

Enoch was a busy man too–He had a family to take care of, a job to go to, He was a preacher too, but he took time to walk with God.

We have more labor saving devices than any generation, yet we seem to have less time!

When we don't have time we must make time and take time!

The closer we walk with God, the less room there is for anything to come between us and Him.

IV. WALKING WITH GOD MEANS TO BEAR A STRONG WITNESS. (Jude 14-15)

Enoch preached hard against sin. His message condenmed sin.

Not only did he preach with his lips, but he preached with his life.

His walk was a witness to the fact that there is a God who has a standard of Righteousness.

He left a powerful influence behind. He left a legacy. And what a legacy. He did not live like others, therefore he did not die like others.

If people were to look at your life, what would they know of God? Would they know anything of God? Would they have the right impression about God?

What are you leaving behind?

WALKING WITH GOD MEANS TO ARRIVE AT GOD'S DESTINATION.

(Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5)

The Greek word for "he was not found" means he was no more...seen no more. He vanished.

The Greek word for "translated" means to be transferred or transported .

Enoch was removed from Earth. He had to get rid of his old earthly body and take on a new heavenly body but be the same person.

Death is a river that divides this world and the world to come.

Here we have a man that didn't have to go through the river.

God carried him over.

God translated him or carried him over.

For those who are born of God, the sting of death has been taken away. Even though we physically die, death has lost its sting and the grave has lost its victory.

As a Christian, there is never one moment that we are without Christ.

To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

Conclusion:

Are you walking with God?

The best way to describe it is like the little girl who came home from SS and told this story of her understanding of what happened to Enoch.

She said "It seems that every day God would come by Enoch's house and say 'Enoch would you like to walk w/Me?' And Enoch would come out of the house, go down to the gate, and down the road with God. He got to the place in his life, he enjoyed it so much, he'd wait at the gate every day. And he and God would go for a walk. Then one day, God came by and said, 'Enoch, lets take a long walk. I have much to tell you.' So they were walking and walking and finally Enoch said,'My it's getting late in the afternoon. I'd better get back home!' And God said, 'Enoch, you're closer to My home than you are to your home; so you come home w/ Me.' So Enoch went home with God."

I can't put it any better than that. Are you walking with God? Or have you been going your own way. Repent today.

If you are Lost here today, this is also a picture of the Rapture of the Church. Before the judgment of the Flood God removed Enoch.

Before the Great Tribulation, God will remove His Church. Are you ready?