Faith is confidence in things we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1), especially in God and his plans. When we have faith, it changes how we live. People always act on what they understand and believe to be true.
Enoch Was Known for Honoring God
Hebrews 11:5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God.
Enoch was famous for pleasing God (verse 5). We don’t know the details of how he lived, but Genesis 5 gives us a clue.
Genesis 5:21-24 When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.
Enoch lived “in close fellowship with God.” What makes him unique is that he went to heaven without dying. But Hebrews says that Enoch was not famous for that, but for honoring God. It was not how he left this life but how he lived this life that set him apart.
Faith Is the Key to Honoring God
Enoch’s life of honoring God was a result of faith. To please God requires faith. Verse 5 says, “By faith Enoch was taken up to heaven.” Let’s connect the dots. Enoch lived a life pleasing to God. As a result of that life, he was taken to heaven. Faith was the basis for his entire experience with God. Verse 6 makes the connection clear.
Hebrews 11:6 And it is impossible to please God without faith.
Hebrews emphasizes Enoch’s life of pleasing God. So the lesson for us is not how to get taken to heaven, but how to honor God. That happens by faith. Faith is not just cheap belief or empty words. Faith is the active principle that leads to an entire lifestyle that pleases God.
Faith Means You Live Like God Really Exists
The rest of verse 6 explains how faith energizes and enables a life of honoring God.
Hebrews 11:6 Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists…
God is invisible. We don’t usually get immediate feedback from God about our choices. Yet the world around us is very visible, so it’s easy to live as if the world is everything. But if – by faith – we live in confidence that God is real and present, our actions will reflect that unseen reality.
Faith Means You Live Like Your Actions Have Consequences
But why make the effort to live to honor God? Verse 6 explains one factor.
Hebrews 11:6 Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists, and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
God rewards those who pursue him – those who seek, as Enoch did, to please God and live in close fellowship with him. Faith is the assurance of God’s reward, which encourages us that it is worth it to make the choices that honor him.
An amazing thing happened to Enoch. He went to heaven without dying. That probably won’t happen to any of us. But what puts Enoch in the faith Hall of Fame is that he trusted God’s reality enough to live a life that honored God. That is an attitude all of us can cultivate.
Discussion Questions:
- Watch the video together or invite someone to summarize the topic.
- What is your initial reaction to this video? Do you disagree with any of it? What jumped out at you?
- What would you most like to be known for in generations to come, and why?
- Read Hebrews 11:6. Describe the connection between pleasing God and faith.
- Do you find it hard or easy to believe that God is real, and why?
- Have you been through a time when you seriously doubted God? If so, how did that affect your choices and actions?
- On a scale of one to ten, how much is your behavior motivated by the hope of God’s rewards? Explain your answer.
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
