| Name | Size | Creator | Date | Comment | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 02 Church May 26 2007 B.wma |
32.25 Mb | Garnet R. Chaney | Jul 22, 2007 |
Last night were practicing the music for todays service. The piano was in a tiny little living room, all this chaos. We also have a parrot, and we learned again that parrots love chaos. Our parrot was dancing around, bobbing her head, really having a good time. So we knew we were in for a good time.
The life of Enoch was interesting. Enoch was the Son of Jared. He was the
7th generation, or the 7th from Adam, it says in Jude 1. We don't reason inclusively, we reason exclusively.
If you count Adam as 1, Enoch is the 7th generation.
It says in the Bible that at the age 65 - Birth of methusaleh
Walkied with God - 300 more years
This birth of the son, helped him learn some things he needed to know to walk with God.
What does it mean to "walk with God"? We have a saying "He talks a good talk." Is it just talking the talk, or walking the walk? Does he actually do the things that he praches?
When it says that Enoch walked with God, it means that his life was a living example of how to live in connection with God.
And then it says in Hebrews 11:5, he was commended before he was taken as one who pleased God.
He learned all this from having a child.
Everyone here with children probably has a similar story. I especially noticed this when Rebecca was born.
Enoch saw this in his son, and he began to understand. "Oh that is what my relationship to my heavenly father is like, I am completely dependent on Him!"
For mothers, there is an instinct to preserve and protect the new babies.
On my computer, I have one of those short firlms, it's a picture of a childbirth, the hospital room, the baby comes out, the doctor gives a little swat on the behind like they do. The father leaps over the hospital bed, and starts punching the doctor! That's the instinct you have when a baby is born into your care. It takes just a split second to decide the child's life is more important than our own, that we will lay down our life for them.
So now Enoch was growing in his understanding of how much God wanted to protect him and take care of him. He began to walk with God.
The thing that sets Enoch apart from all others, was the end of his life.
Gen 5:24
Heb 11:5
There was an effort made to find him, but he couldn't be found, God had taken him away.
Is there a good reason for us to want to have that Enoch experience.
There is this complex formula in the life of Enoch. He had it all together. He knew God so closely, that God dismissed him from the obligation of death.
I hear a lot of people say things like "I hope that jesus doesn't come before I get married, because that is going to be a wonderful experience"
But I never hear people say "i hope Jesus doesn't come before I die!" Death is the enemy.
To know God is eternal life.
If this was all we knew about Enoch, it would be enough, but there is more.
Enoch pleased God.
Hebrews 11:5
God knows us fully. The only way to resist loving God is to resist knowing about Him. God has done everything for us. There isn't any quality in God that you could want that isn't already in Him.
When you realize you have a heavenly father with the instinct to take care of you, when you consider all God has done, is it reasonable to say you are going to want to please God?
I was driving back from Idaho during the holiday season. We had an agreement to trade years going to see our friends, one year we'd go see them, next year they'd see us.
Remember when they changed the speed limit back to 55? That was horrible, miserable on a long trip. And the cops were looking for us!
I heard in Idaho that they wouldn't give you a ticket for going 65.
I am impatient. I had a family of 4, and we drove around in a volkswagen rabbit diesel. When we hit the top of the hills, I made up for lost time.
Well, I was going down the hill, and a cop saw me at that point. His light went on before I could use the brake!
He pulled me over, and he asked me a lot of questions. Not sure why. He goes back to his car, plenty of time to fill out a ticket. He brings back my paperwork, gives it to me, and hands me a handout on how to check my speedometer, about the timing marks. "Have a good day", and he went back to his car!
Did I deserve a ticket? Absolutely! That was mercy. That was grace!
I was so grateful I drove 55 miles an hour all the way home. I was not going to deface the honor of a great man who gave me mercy. Back then it was only a $35 ticket, but that was a lot on a pastor's salary.
Enoch please God.
Ellen White holds up an interesting promise: We must have the experience of Enoch!
The Bible doesn't say that much about enoch. When I turned to the Spirit of Prophecy, I found a lot of material.
Bible Commentary Volume 1 - We can have what Enoch had!
Did you know that enoch lived in a world that was so wicked, God was going to destroy it with a flood!
Methusaleh - means "When I die, the deluge comes" Enoch was living in a time when the earth was declining so rapidly, he was going to have to destroy it!
We can have what Enoch had! We can have Christ as our constant companion!
Those who will be translated at the end of time, are those who commune with him. God wants us to have this today, every single one of us!
this is the classic statement in Christ's object lessons: "And there are neochs in this our day!" Christ's object lessons p. 332
Are there reasons to want to be like Enoch? Absolutely!
He didn't live in an ivory tower, concentrating on his own character. He was an active warrior for God!
I like to call him the first Adventist!
Do you know what Adventist means? We celebrate the near coming of Jeses! Did you know that Jesus was the first Adventist?
Jude 1:14
Jesus comes twice. Did he come the first time with anybody? All alone in the major, with his mother and father, vulnerable.
Anyone coming with Jesus the second time? When he comes again, he will come in glory!
Which coming of Jesus is Enoch prophesying about?
Enoch not only proclaimed the nearness of Jesus return, but he gave warning of judgment.
Jude 1:15 - To judge everyone, and to convict
This passage in scripture has been life changing to me. One of the things I believed and was taught, God raises up the dead so he can kill them again. It doesn't sound so good.
Imagine a judge sentencing someone to be beaten near death, then in a few days when he wakes up again, beat him near death again. That's monstrous!
Then I found this passage, and I began to understand why God raises the ungodly from death. He wants to convict the ungodly of their harsh acts.
Do you think the unfallen angels have any questions about how God is handling the sin problem?
And what about the rightesous? Do we have questions? Sure, but we'll have 1000 years to get our doubts settled.
when God is done with this, and he puts an end to this, all of Creation will have acknowledged that he is completely just. "Every knee show bow, every tongue shall confess"
Heb 11:6
Faith is the target of redemption. God needs us to be obedient and humble and submissive. Is there any question about that?
But God doesn't want forced obedience.
Romans 14:23
God wants people who are saying, "What can I do? I want to please you so much"
God seeks to restore a contentented and willing obedience. That grows out of a confidence in God.
Story of Helen Keller: She couldn't see, couldn't hear. She was like a computer with no ports. She had just touch, and smell.
Phillip Brooks was to somehow communicate the love of God. Once the light dawned in her heart, this is what she responded: She did learn to speak, you almost need a translator to understand her. "I always knew there was a God, but I didn't know his name."
God wants us to know he is there.
The thing that stands in the way of knowing God is just our own obstinance.
We need confidence in this.
People, when we pray, we spend too much time telling God what to do. I am becoming more convinced, let's illustrate it: The Holy Spirit would come along and grant three wishes. What would my advice be? Don't use them. God knows better than you do, keep your mouth shut, or say "God knows better than I do."
We need to humbly submit to God.
It's funny how we on earth look at rewards.
I found this story about elevator operators: Not that many years ago, they didn't have the easy buttons, only the operators knew how to run them. Joseph Kratzel, he was working in a service elevator in an apartment house. He found two checks, for $114,000. When he returned them to the rightful owner, they rewarded him, with 15 cents!
But that's not the whole story. And then they offered to bandage his wounds. He had spent 3 hours, hunting through 14 trash bags, three hours, his hands had cuts all over them. They gave him 5 cents and hour for his trouble. He declined their offer to bind his wounds.
Earlier he worked at the federal reserve bank, he found a box with $83,000 on the floor. They gave him a $25 reward.
God is not a tightwad with us when he rewards us.
Ps. 84:11
I don't want to tell my congregation how much time to spend with the Lord in study. I don't know how much time you spend with God. I'm going to suggest, spend all the time you can. The more you know Jesus, the more you will love him, the closer you will walk with him. Then we can be Enochs in our day.
The important thing is the being caught up?
Do you believe in the rapture? It means "caught up"! I am looking forward to being raptured!
Be careful with that word, most of the world doesn't understsnd what it means.
Ellen White in one of her writings talks about meeting Enoch on another planet.
Don't you want to be an Enoch today?
Enoch learned from taking care of his son, and how dependent his son was on him, an example of how dependent we are on our heavenly father.
Lord, we want to walk with God. moment by moment companions with Jesus. Lord, we plead with you, take our hands... Save us today Lord, and may all these things be to your glory, honor and praise. And it is for that reason we pray these things in Jesus name, Amen.
| Name | Size | Creator | Date | Comment | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
02 Church May 26 2007 B.wma |
32.25 Mb | Garnet R. Chaney | Jul 22, 2007 |
