It's not enough to postulate a God like Einstein. You know, Einstein said, certainly there's a God. Any man who doesn't believe in a cosmic force is a fool, but we could never know Him.
Einstein was wrong. We can know Him. In fact, in order to please God, we must believe that He's personal, loving, caring, moral, and responds to those who come to Him with reward. Welcome to Grace to You with John MacArthur.
I'm your host, Phil Johnson. It's one statistic that's absolute. Ten out of every ten people will die. There have been just two exceptions, the prophet Elijah and an Old Testament saint named Enoch, who, because he walked with God, went directly to heaven skipping death. Now, you're obviously not going to avoid death like Enoch did, but you can follow Enoch's example and have a faith that prepares you for heaven. See how today, as John MacArthur continues his series from Hebrews 11 titled, The Power of Faith. Now, to find out how you can imitate Enoch's faith, a faith so powerful that God spared him from death, stay here as John begins the lesson. Hebrews 11, verses 5 and 6. Now, the first example of faith was Abel. We saw that last time in verse 4. The second example of faith is Enoch. We find that in verses 5 and 6.
But in order to get a little bit of background on Enoch, let me read you the passage where he's mentioned in Genesis, chapter 5. The Holy Spirit in the 11th chapter of Hebrews begins reciting from Abel and starts to go through the history of Israel, showing they all pleased God by faith, or they all came into a relationship to God by faith. God never intended works as a way to Himself. He intended works as a result of faith.
God never had intended that men approach Him on the basis of works, but that works would issue from the salvation that took place when they approached Him on the basis of faith. And so he's moving through the history of the men of the Old Testament to show this. He comes to Enoch in chapter 5 of Genesis, picking the theme up there.
Listen to what it says in verse 21. And Enoch lived sixty and five years and begot Methuselah. And Enoch walked with God after he begot Methuselah three hundred years and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years. And Enoch walked with God and he was not, for God took him.
Now here we find that Enoch lived three hundred and sixty-five years and it says two things about him. He walked with God. He walked with God.
It repeats it twice. Now this is a new concept in the book of Genesis. Abel didn't really understand the concept of walking with God. Abel illustrates worship by faith. Enoch illustrates walk by faith.
Now the revelation of Scripture is a progressive revelation. It's not all given at any one point and Abel got a little of it and Enoch got a little more of it. You remember that Adam and Eve had walked and talked with God in the cool of the day and then when they fell and were thrown out of the garden, they ceased to walk with God. And the destiny of man is reinstituted in the man Enoch who stands as an illustration for all men of what it is to walk with God. In Enoch then, the true destiny of man is again reached as he experiences the fellowship with God that Adam and Eve had forfeited.
So we see in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews a very direct continuity. He begins with the worship of faith or approaching God by faith and then the walk of faith in Enoch. You remember that Abel approached God by faith in bringing the right kind of sacrifice and here Enoch illustrates where it goes from there. In Abel we see a man worshiping, bringing a sacrifice, beginning the life of faith. And you never begin the life of faith until you come on the basis of sacrifice, right? Even today we don't come to God and just say, God I'm deciding to walk with you. The only way you'll ever walk with God is when you come to God to begin with on the basis of a sacrifice. And the only sacrifice that opens up the way to God is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Abel illustrates that. He came to God and worshiped through sacrifice and then we move one step further in the process and the continuity and we find a man walking with God but not until sacrifice is made. So first there's a death for sin, then there can be the walk with God. And Enoch illustrates that. Now I believe that Enoch's faith included everything that Abel's faith included and it's for sure that Enoch had offered a sacrifice to God. It's for sure that he had come to God before he could ever walk with God and you can't come to God apart from the shedding of blood. And so Enoch did everything that Abel did no doubt and took it even further.
Men have to have their sin cared for before they can walk with God. And the principle hasn't changed any from the day of Abel and Enoch until today. So Enoch then picks it up where Abel left it off and Enoch takes off from the walk. Notice verse 5 of Hebrews and let's just read these two verses. By faith Enoch was translated that he shouldn't see death. And Genesis had said he was not for God took him. Here it says he was translated that he should not see death and was not found. I mean there weren't any remains.
He just took off. Because God had translated him for before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Now there are five features I think that please God and they're in these two verses. First of all, the first of the five Enoch was believing that God is.
Notice verse 6. Without faith it is impossible to please him for he that cometh to God must believe that he is. The first feature that pleased God was he was believing God is. Secondly, he was seeking God's reward.
He must believe not only that he is but that he's a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Thirdly, he was walking with God. Fourthly, he was preaching for God. Fifthly, he was, and this is the result of it, entering God's presence. So there are five features that kind of jump out of the lesson of faith taught by Enoch.
Now let's see if we can look at it. First of all, God is pleased when men are believing he is. Enoch illustrates this to us. It says in verse 6, but without faith it is impossible to please him. God is only pleased by faith. Faith in what? For he that cometh to God must believe that he is.
Stop right there. To begin with, God was pleased with Enoch because he believed in God. This is where faith begins.
Faith is simply believing God is to begin with. That pleases God. Now a man can't really count on anything else to please God. Religion doesn't please God.
For the most part, God hates it because religion is a system developed by Satan to counteract the truth. Nationality doesn't please God. The Jews thought that because they were the seed of Abraham, circumcised the eighth day and had the law, they were therefore pleasing God. They were not pleasing God. They displeased him greatly. Good deeds don't please God as a way to him.
Romans chapter 3 says, by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified. That doesn't please him. It nauseates him. God can't stand anybody who tries to earn his way into his heaven. That kind of self-righteousness is nauseating to God.
So God's not happy with religion and he's not happy with somebody's nationality and he's not happy with somebody's good deeds. Only one thing pleases God. Without faith it is impossible to please him, which means the only thing that pleases him is what? Faith.
That's all. That's the only thing that pleases God. And a man must come believing to begin with that he is. That's the first aspect of faith.
You must believe that he is. God rejects every other thing. For by grace are you saved through faith, that none of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not of works, as any man should boast. It is faith not works. Faith alone pleases God. And all the people in the world running around doing all kinds of religious rigmarole are not pleasing God. The only thing that pleases him is faith. The only way to God is to believe. So corrupt, the Bible says, is man's fallen nature that if he mustered up everything in his depravity it would all be so polluted that he couldn't offer God one single solitary thing worth a nickel in terms of redemption.
Romans 8.8 puts it this simply, so that they that are in the flesh can not, what? Please God. Only one thing pleases God, faith. And Enoch pleased him because Enoch lived by faith. That pleases God. In fact, it pleased him so much that one day he and God took a walk and they just decided to keep on walking and walked right into heaven together. God gets excited about people who believe him.
Enoch pleased him. Now where does this faith begin? It begins in the statement believe that he is.
That he is. It is not saying he must believe that there is a God. He must believe that he is the God who is God. See, don't say, well I believe in the big man upstairs.
I believe in the happy hunter and the happy hunting ground. He must believe that he is. That God, the God who claims to be God, is God. Now you know there's only one way you can know God? You can't know Him by sight. Why? John 1.18, no man hath seen God, what?
At any time. You can't know God by sight. People say, I had a vision.
And I always say, what did you eat? I remember I got a picture one time and somebody sent me, a guy saw God in the clouds and he had taken a picture of it. It was supposed to be this form of God. No man has seen God.
The closest anybody ever got to it was Jesus Christ and if you've seen me, you've seen the Father in terms of essence, but no man has seen God at any time. So nobody's going to come along and say, I believe in God because I know Him and I've seen Him. The only way you'll ever know God is not by sight, it's by what? By faith.
It's the only way you'll ever know Him. How can a man discover God? Never by reason, only by faith. God asks in Job 38 verses 2 to 7 this, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man for I will demand of thee and answer thou me.
Listen to his questions. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? And we're not surprised that Job doesn't say anything.
It's obvious he wasn't around. We really wonder whether our scientists have any right to do any better than Job does. God continues, Who hath laid the measures thereof? That is to measure the universe. If thou knowest, or who has stretched the line upon it? Where upon are the foundations thereof fastened?
Or who laid the cornerstone thereof? What he's saying is, Job, you don't know anything except you know it by faith. You weren't around. You don't have any answers except the answers that I give you. And you either believe or you don't. You say, well, is there any evidence to believe that God is? I mean, is there enough evidence to believe that there's a God?
I think so. But let me say this to begin with. You can't prove God scientifically. It can't be done. At best, all scientific evidence is only circumstantial. Paul Little says, and I'm quoting from his book, but it can be said with equal emphasis that you can't prove Napoleon by the scientific method either. The reason lies in the nature of history itself and in the limitations of the scientific method. In order for something to be proved by science, it must be repeatable. One cannot announce a new finding to the world on the basis of a single experiment. But history is by its very nature unrepeatable. No one can rerun the beginning of the universe or bring Napoleon back or repeat the assassination of Lincoln or the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. But the fact that these events can't be proved by repetition does not disprove their reality. You see, the point that he's making, end quote, the point that he's making is you can't apply the scientific method to everything.
It doesn't work. You can't put love in a test tube either or justice or anger. But it's real. But even though you can't prove God from science, there certainly are some things that would indicate from science that God exists. For example, the law of cause and effect. It simply says every effect must have a cause. No effect can be produced without a cause. And you just keep going back. Okay, there's a cause, there's an effect, there's a cause, back, back, back. And finally you come to an uncaused cause and then you've arrived at God.
Hebrews 3, 4, tremendous. Have you ever thought of it in this light? Listen, every house is builded by someone, but he that built all things is God. You see, that's cause and effect.
And you get back to the uncaused cause. Every house is builded by someone, but he that built all things is God. James James, the eminent scientist said the universe is running down, the law of entropy. It's running down. If it's running down, then it's not self-sustaining. If it's not self-sustaining, then it had to have a beginning. And if it had a beginning, somebody had to begin it.
And you're back to the uncaused cause. There must be a first cause. Not only the law of cause and effect, but the law of design indicates that God is. God's intelligence is revealed in his power. You look at plants and animals and all the intricacy so constructed that they can appropriate the necessary food, that they can grow, that they can reproduce.
You look at the planets, the asteroids, the satellites, the comets, the meteors, the constellations, and they're all kept on their courses by the great centrifugal and centripetal forces that swing everything through the universe. And all is designed so that it had to be done by a designer. The earth itself has evidence of design. Its distance from the sun is absolutely correct. Even a small change would make it too hot or too cold.
The tilt of the earth's axis ensures the seasons and so it goes. Now who designed all that? There is no way to prove God scientifically, but there's sure a lot of evidence that somebody up there knows what he's doing. And apart from scientific observation, I think there are some rational arguments for God. Romans chapter 1 says, man just has in his heart and his breast the feeling that God is. God has put it in him.
You see, man is personal. Man is moral. And to say that a moral thinking personal man who can make choices and who has volition came from a piece of amoeba in some slime just doesn't really make sense. Someone had to establish right and wrong because man has a sense of right and wrong. Studies by anthropologists show that man is God conscious.
They go all over the world and they find all these tribes and everywhere they go they find them believing in God. Somebody comes along, I know a man doesn't believe in God. Well, one man not believing in God doesn't disprove the rule any more than a one-legged man proves men don't have two legs.
Of course, there will be exceptions. But you know something, we can talk about science and I could go on and on for hours and scientific evidence or we could talk about a lot of things in reason. But when you come right down to it, sooner or later it boils down to faith, doesn't it? You finally just have to say, I just believe. It comes to faith.
And the evidence is strictly circumstantial. But when a man believes, beloved, when we believe, then all of a sudden the proof becomes ours, doesn't it? Oh, this is what he says, look at it, verse 5, for before his translation, the middle of verse 5, for before his translation he had this testimony. You see, where did he have it?
In his heart. The Spirit witnesses with our spirit that we're the sons of God. When you come to God, all of a sudden the truth is there because you know Him. Nobody needs to prove Jesus Christ to me scientifically or rationally.
I just know Him. So to please God, you must begin by believing that He is and that He is the God that He claims to be. So Enoch pleased God by believing He is. Second thing, Enoch pleased God by seeking God's reward and this is the second step. Verse 6, without faith it is impossible to please Him for He that cometh to God must believe that He is, secondly, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
Now watch this one. It is not enough to believe God is, we must also believe that God is moral and God rewards the righteous who come to Him. You see? It is not enough to just say, well I believe in God, I believe in God. You must believe that God is a moral God and that men who come to Him are made righteous, are rewarded. We must recognize God as a personal, loving, gracious God to those who seek Him.
Now Enoch knew that. Enoch didn't believe God was some great cosmic indifference. He didn't believe that God was some great primordial cause. He believed God was a personal, caring, loving God with whom he fellowshiped for 300 years.
You see? It's not enough to postulate a God like Einstein. You know, Einstein said certainly there's a God. Any man who doesn't believe in a cosmic force is a fool but we could never know Him.
Einstein was wrong. We can know Him. In fact, in order to please God we must believe that He's personal, loving, caring, moral and responds to those who come to Him with reward. Many people believe in God but maybe they believe in the wrong God or maybe they believe in the right God but they just don't think they need anything from Him. We must believe that He's a rewarder of them that seek Him. David said to his son Solomon these words in 1 Chronicles 28, 9. He said, if thou seek Him, He will be found by thee but if thou forsake Him, He will cast thee off forever. Psalm 119 says, with my whole heart of I sought thee. Proverbs 8, 17 says, I love those who love me and those who seek me early shall find me.
Isn't that good? I love those who love me. Jeremiah 29, 13, remember this one, and you shall seek me and find me when you shall seek for me with what?
With all your heart. You see, it's not enough just to believe that He is. We must believe that He's a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. The psalmist said in Psalm 58, 11, verily there is a reward for the righteous. In Proverbs 11, 18 it says to Him that seeketh righteousness shall be a sure reward. Men must realize that they have to come to God in a personal relationship.
You see? It's not enough to believe in the vagary of God. That doesn't get anybody into heaven. Men must believe that and then they must come to God on the terms that God sets up because that's the only way you can come to Him anyway and that He will reward you.
You have to believe that for coming to Him on His terms. John 3, 18 puts it about as simply as any text says this, he that believeth on Him is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Simply says this, you either believe and come to God or you don't. You're either blessed and rewarded or you're condemned. And you say, well, what's the reward for those that seek Him? And incidentally, the only way you can really seek Him is on His own terms. So that's assumed. What is the reward for those that seek Him?
How about this? Matthew 6, 33 isn't it? But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and what are you going to get? All these things shall be added unto you.
You say, what does that mean? That means everything God could give is yours. You say, what is my reward for seeking God? Everything that He can give is your reward.
You're a joint heir with whom? Jesus Christ. And what does God promise Jesus Christ? Everything. God gives us forgiveness, a new heart, the Holy Spirit, eternal life, blessing, mercy, grace, peace, joy, love, heaven, everything. You say, well, what if I seek Him and I ask Him for all that He doesn't give to me?
That doesn't happen. Him that cometh unto me, what? All in no wise cast out, in no wise. Back in Hebrews 7, isn't it verse 25? Wherefore He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him. Anybody who comes, He saves them to the uttermost, all the way, you see. And so, you see, to please God, first of all, you must believe that He is and secondly, you must believe that He's a moral God, that He has righteous standards and you must come on His terms believing that there's a reward if you do. And you say, I'd like to do that.
I mean, I believe in God. I'd like to come to Him. How do I get there? Only one way. Jesus said this, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, what?
But by me. It's the only way to come to God. Acts 4, 12, Peter says, neither is there salvation, but in any other...in any other. Listen to 1 John 2, 23. It says this, whosoever denyeth the Son, the same hath not the Father. He that confesseth the Son hath the Father also.
You see? There's only one way to come to God and that's through Christ, the only way. There's a wonderful little verse in 2 John 9. It says, whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son, you see? To deny Christ is to be away from God. To come to Christ is to come into the presence of God.
You see, it's one and the same. No man comes unto God but by me. And so Enoch pleased God, number one, because he believed that God was and secondly, because he sought God's reward.
God set a standard. Enoch said, I'll come to you on the basis of that standard. Now God says to you tonight, he says, come to me. And he says, there's only one way and it's through Jesus Christ. He says, come into me all you that labor in heaven and I'll give you rest. He says, come into me and I'll give you forgiveness, peace, joy, everything, heaven, eternal life.
And you say, well, I'd like to come. He says, there's only one way, through Jesus Christ, faith in him. And if you're seeking him with your whole heart, you'll find him. That's John MacArthur, Chancellor of the Masters University and Seminary, as he continues his study here on Grace to You, titled The Power of Faith. John, I'm enjoying this study of Hebrews 11. It's one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, but there's a verse I always need to pause and think about. It's Hebrews 11 39, which says that all the people listed in this whole chapter gained approval through their faith, and yet they did not receive what God promised to them. That's a tough verse to understand because God does fulfill his promises. Yeah, but he didn't fulfill his promises to them during their lifetime. When it says that they did not receive the promise, it means that they died before the Messiah arrived.
That's all that that means. These people trusted God, and really in heroic ways in this chapter. Their faith was heroic, strong faith, facing death in many, many ways. So their faith was real, which means that God had given them a new heart and a new spirit, even before Christ came. But they had not seen Christ. In other words, they were pre-Christ.
Now I have to say quickly this. They were saved by the death of Christ yet to happen, just as we are saved by the death of Christ that did happen. For them, the Atonement was future.
For us, the Atonement is past. Everything flows to the ministry of Christ in his death and resurrection. And in his death and resurrection, he provided salvation that extends forward and backward and covers all of redemptive history. So all the writer of Hebrews means was that this is a marvelous kind of faith, and I believe a God-given faith and a genuine transformative faith, holding on to something that they had not seen, which in some ways makes their faith maybe something even more wonderful than ours, because we can see what they could not see.
Thanks, John. And friend, if you're enjoying John's current study of Hebrews 11 and you want to dig into all 13 chapters of this powerful book, let me encourage you to pick up a copy of John's commentary on Hebrews when you contact us today. This verse-by-verse guide to understanding one of Scripture's most profound epistles is available for $19 and shipping is free. You can also get the entire 33-volume MacArthur New Testament commentary series all at once.
You get each volume at a discount that way. To order the volume on Hebrews or the entire 33-volume set, call us at 800-55-GRACE or order online at GTY.org. And friend, if you've been spiritually strengthened by John's teaching, we would love to hear from you. Your feedback is more important to us than you might think. Email us at letters at GTY.org, or you can drop a letter in the mail addressed to Grace to You, P.O.
Box 4000, Panorama City, California, 91412. And be sure to include this station's call letters anytime you get in touch. Now for John MacArthur and the entire Grace to You staff, I'm Phil Johnson. Remember to watch Grace to You television this Sunday, Direct TV, Channel 378, or you can watch online anytime at GTY.org. And then be here Monday as John continues his series, The Power of Faith, with a look at the faith of Noah. It's another half hour of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time, on Grace to You.
