Introduction: Just what is an epitaph? It is an inscription on a tombstone in memory of the one buried there. It is a brief literary piece commemorating a deceased person. I remember some old graveyards out east. Sometimes the tombstones were seriously funny. On some of them, you would find a "thumbs up." On others, you would find a "thumbs down." How did they know for sure? I'm glad I did not live in those days. I'm glad I did not die in those days!
** Here are several actual epitaphs taken from the actual tombstones from across the country:
1787 - Jones - 1855
Here lie the bones of Sophie Jones;
For her death held no terrors.
She was born a maid and died a maid.
No hits, no runs, and no heirs.
Scranton, PennsylvaniaAnn Mann
Here lies Ann Mann,
Who lived an old maid
But died an old Mann.
December 8, 1767
London, EnglandDeath in the West:
Here lies Lester Moore.
Four slugs
From a forty-four.
No Les
No More.Colorado
Bill Blake
Was hanged by mistake.Boot Hill Cemetery, Tombstone, Arizona
Here lays Butch.
We planted him raw.
He was quick on the trigger
But slow on the draw.Silver City, Nevada
Here lies a man named Zeke.
Second fastest draw in Cripple Creek.
What will be said of you after you are dead and gone? I hear that the mortality rate is 100%. Will the thought of you be a blessing or burden? Remember, some people are blessings wherever they go; others are a blessing whenever they go! Will you be remembered as:
- Diligent or lazy?
- Kind or mean?
- Good or evil?
- Honest or dishonest?
- Tender-hearted or hard-hearted?
- Spiritual or worldly?
- Faithful or unfaithful?
- Full of faith or full of doubt?
What will it be for you then? Better yet, what is it right now? There were only three statements made about Enoch in the whole Bible. They are his epitaph.
1. He walked with God. - Genesis 5:21-24
"And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat 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."
- Enoch was a man who had a close relationship with the Lord. The Bible plainly states that "Enoch walked with God..."
- He had fellowship and close communion with God continually. What a testimony!
- The Prophet Amos wrote, "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3) Apparently, Enoch and God lived in agreement.
- He walked with God. He talked with God. He was a man who knew God so intimately that God took him off the earth without having to die first.
- How well do you know the Lord? You get to know Him better by reading your Bible and praying. When you read your Bible, God talks to you. When you pray, you talk to God.
- In 1913, C. Austin Miles penned the hymn, "I Come to the Garden Alone."I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.Refrain
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing. (Refrain)I'd stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling. (Refrain)
2. He pleased God. - Hebrews 11:5-6
"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, 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."
- Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Enoch pleased God because he was a man of faith.
- Faith is not believing God no matter what the circumstances; faith is obeying God no matter what the consequences.
- According to the Bible, there are three levels of faith. All are found in James 2:* Dead faith, "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." (James 2:17)
* Demonic faith, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." (James 2:19)
* Dynamic faith, "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works." (James 2:18)- Without a dynamic faith that works, it is impossible to please the Lord.
3. He was faithful to God. - Jude 14
"And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints."
- He went about everywhere speaking the truth of God.
- He was a faithful witness for the Lord.
- Truly, this is a dynamic faith!
- He warned people of the coming of the Lord. The people needed to turn to the Lord. Enoch was a faithful minister of the grace of God.
- He could be compared to the man described in Psalm 126:5-6, "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." This man walked about with a leaky seed basket.
- Enoch took God at His word concerning the things of the future. He busied himself with the most important business at hand. He warned people. He could be compared to those serious about winning the lost.
Conclusion: What do you want on your tombstone? Enoch's epitaph was three-fold:
- He walked with God.
- He pleased God.
- He was faithful to God.
What will your epitaph be?