HIS GLORY WITNESSED: A WHOLE FAMILY SAVED
“… It was BY FAITH that Noah BUILT A LARGE BOAT to save his family from the flood.
He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. BY HIS FAITH Noah CONDEMNED THE REST OF THE WORLD, and
he received the righteousness that comes by faith......” (Hebrews 11:1-35
NLT).
*
Our Church theme, for
the year (2019), at Gideon Missionary Baptist Church of Surprise, Arizona is
about RELENTLESSLY pursuing Christ.
As I studied about Noah’s obedience to God, I realized he was and had to be
relentlessly obedience. THE BIBLE SAYS:
“…It was by faith that Noah BUILT A LARGE BOAT to save his family from the flood. He
obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before….” (Hebrews
11 NLT).
FAITH means you have willfully
chosen to trust in God, depend upon his indwelling Holy Spirit
to EMPOWER you, and cooperate with
his instructions even when it makes no human sense. It must be a RELENTLESS
commitment. “…Trust in the Lord
with
all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding…”
(Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV).
Obedience is SUPPORTED
by trust in, dependency upon, and cooperation with God, the Holy Spirit. “...For it is
God which worketh IN YOU both to
will (empower) and to do (enable)
of his good pleasure...”
(Philippians 2:13 KJV). “…I can do ALL THINGS through
Christ which strengtheneth
me…” (Philippians 4:13 KJV).
Many of God’s people
ARE or HAVE BEEN on assignments, from God, that have consisted of days, weeks,
months, or years. “..though he (God) slay me, yet
will I trust in him (and depend upon him and cooperate with him)…” (Job
13:15 KJV). “….All
the days of my appointed TIME will I WAIT, till my
CHANGE come…” (Job 14:14 KJV).
Often, even with ALL
God’s promises of a favorable OUTCOME the future can seem DIM and HOPELESS. “...I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the
goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living...’’ (Psalms 27:13
KJV).
The assignment
PROCESSES you through long stretches of TIME and ominous SEASONS where the
situation speaks of a bleak future or outcome and ONLY God’s WORD is left. “...I
would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord. In the land of the living...” (Psalms 27:13 NASB).
Noah, like many of us,
faced, those moments, where God’s WORD was the “ONLY” hope. Imagine what Noah
must have felt at the 50th year, or the 60th year, or the
100th year, or at the 115th year of building an ARK and
waiting on a first-time flood.
“….To every [thing there is] a season,
and A TIME to every purpose under the heaven…”
(Ecclesiastes
3:1 KJV). “…For the vision [is] yet FOR AN APPOINTED TIME, but at the end it shall
speak, and not lie: though it tarry, WAIT FOR IT; because IT WILL SURELY COME….” (Habakkuk
2:3 KJV).
There is ONLY ONE power
that can ENABLED you to ENDURE such an assignment: God, the Holy Spirit. “…HE (the
indwelling Holy Spirit) “WILL” KEEP YOU STRONG to the end…” (1
Corinthians 1:8 NLT).
God, the Holy Spirit, that MADE the promise,
empowers you to OBEY the promise, and KEEPS the promise to his GLORY! “…Being confident of
this very thing, that
HE (the
indwelling Holy Spirit) WHICH HATH “BEGUN” A GOOD “WORK” IN YOU WILL “PERFORM”
IT (empower it) until the day of Jesus Christ (his GLORY)…”
(Philippians 1:6 KJV).
There are MANY moments,
in those long-term assignments, where the future looks bleak and the promise of
God becomes questionable. However, “…The just shall live by faith (dependency upon the Holy Spirit)…”
(Galatians 3:11 KJV). “…The just shall
live by HIS faith (dependency upon HIS indwelling Holy Spirit which produces
the fruit of faith)…” (Habakkuk 2:4 KJV).
Noah was SUPPORTED by
FAITH (trust in, dependency upon, and
cooperation with) in God, the
invisible Holy Spirit. “…GOD IS SPIRIT…”
(John 4:24 KJV). “…The Spirit of God dwell in you…” (Romans 8:9 KJV).
God STRENGTHENS, his
people by EMPOWERING them to ENDURE into the future PROMISE instead of falling
into the abyss of the temporary. “……It is …God who does
the work IN and THROUGH all of us who are his. … (1
Corinthians 12:4-11 NLT). “…The HOLY SPIRIT DISPLAYS God’s power THROUGH each of us …
(1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NLT). “…the Father that dwelleth in me, he
doeth the works…” (John 14:10 KJV).
RELENTLESS OBEDIENCE returns
over and over when the infallible SOURCE of it all continues to work STRENGTH
“in” and “through” his people. “……It is
…God who does the work IN and THROUGH all of us who are his. …
(1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NLT).
Noah was ASSURED, numerous
times, of the certainty, of the coming flood, and was strengthen by God, the Holy Spirit, and HIS WORD! “…So shall [MY]… word be that
goeth forth out of [MY]… mouth: it shall not return unto [him]… void, but it shall accomplish
that which [God]… please[s], and it shall prosper in the thing whereto [God]… sent it…” (Isaiah
55:11 KJV). “…The Father that dwelleth in [YOU]...
he doeth the works…” (John 14:10 KJV).
It must have been
challenging, at times, for Noah, to be obedience while everybody else seems to
be enjoying life in spite of their corrupt and violent ways. “…Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily …” (Ecclesiastes 8:11 KJV). “… REPENT
AND RETURN, “SO” that your sins may be wiped away…” (Acts
3:19 NASB).
They may have seemed to be
thriving and were probably partying, doing wrong, living together, were
corrupt, drinking, being violent, have all kinds of sex, and alternative
lifestyles. “……the HEART of the sons of men is fully set
in them to do evil….” (Ecclesiastes 8:11 KJV). “…EXCEPT YE
REPENT, ye shall all likewise PERISH…” (Luke 13:3 KJV).
However, in the backdrop or
behind them Noah SAW a CERTAIN and LOOMING
future. “…God
said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled
with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the
earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; …Everything on earth will perish. I
am going to bring floodwaters on the earth
to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of
life in it. Everything on earth will perish...”
(Genesis 6:9-22 NIV).
There was 120 years between
God’s Word to Noah and the fulfillment of that Word. It PROVED the unseen
truth, told to Noah, by God, “WAS” the reality.“…And in the PROCESS of time IT
CAME TO PASS…” (Genesis 4:3 KJV). “…The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and
your whole family, because
I have found you righteous in this generation. … …And rain
fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. On that very day Noah and
his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his
three sons, entered the ark. …Then the Lord shut him in… (Genesis 7 NIV).
The UNSEEN TRUTH can seem
questionable, doubtful, and like a faded dream, especially when the temporary
stands TALL, OVERBEARING, and seemingly SO REAL it tries to block God, the Holy Spirit out of one’s VIEW. .“…And in the PROCESS of time IT CAME TO PASS…” (Genesis
4:3 KJV).
HELP ME HOLY SPIRIT!! “…WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD (help me, Lord, help
me) SHALL BE SAVED…”
(Romans 10:13 KJV).
“…He helps me…”
(Psalms 28:7 NLT). “…The Lord helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in him…”
(Psalms 37:40 NLT). “… The Sovereign Lord helps me…” (Isaiah 50:7 NLT). “…You are my helper and my savior…”
(Psalms 40:17 NLT). “…[God is]…Your rock and Your
fortress, your deliverer, Your GOD, Your rock, in whom [you can] … take refuge; Your
shield and
the horn of Your salvation, YOUR
stronghold.…" (Psalms 18:3 NASB)
“… It was BY
FAITH that
Noah.....” (Hebrews 11:1-35 NLT).
“…The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit
in [y]our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness... [faith]... gentleness, and self-control…”
(Galatians 5 NLT).
I believe the spiritual fruit of faith EMPOWERED Noah
to do a WORK of relentless obedience
to God’s instructions and not yield to SELF. God told Noah: “...make yourself an ark
of cypress wood; …Everything
on earth will perish. I
am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the
heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth
will perish. …But I
will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your
sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you…Noah did everything
just as God commanded him.
(Genesis 6:9-22 NIV).
What was Noah’s WORK of
relentless obedience? Noah was instructed to BUILT a boat. “...make yourself an ark
of cypress wood …”(Genesis
6:9-22 NIV). “...He obeyed God, who
warned him about things that had never happened before (like the flood)….” (Hebrews
11 NLT). “.…Noah did everything just as God
commanded him...” (Genesis 6:9-22 NIV).
Noah’s work of relentless
obedience was “clearly seen.” Noah
was WITNESSED building A BOAT for YEARS. “…Noah
BUILT A LARGE
BOAT to
save his family from the flood….” (Hebrews 11 NLT).
Noah was EMPOWERED to
do something God commanded him to do.“.…Noah did
everything just as God commanded him...” (Genesis 6:9-22 NIV). “…Noah BUILT A LARGE BOAT….” (Hebrews 11 NLT).
Noah’s WORK was “clearly seen” by his deeds or actions
which MADE him build a boat that EVERYBODY could witness. “…The invisible [Holy Spirit]…from the
creation of the world …[was] ...clearly seen, (through NOAH) being understood by the
things that are made (a boat)…” (Romans 1:20
KJV).
WHAT WAS NOAH’S OBEDIENCE?
Noah BUILT a boat, based on God’s spoken WORD ALONE. “…Noah BUILT
…He obeyed God ….” (Hebrews 11 NLT).
HOW WAS GOD’S GLORY WITNESSED? God promised to SAVE Noah’s family from the flood 120 years BEFORE
it actually happened. AND to God’s GLORY,
Noah’s whole family was the ONLY family saved from the flood. “…BY
FAITH ...Noah BUILT A LARGE BOAT
to save his
family from the flood (obedience) ….” (Hebrews 11 NLT).
Why is Noah’s obedience
considered relentless? Noah trusted, in, depended upon, and cooperated with
God, the Holy Spirit, for 120 years. “…And in the PROCESS of time (120 years
, more or less, later) IT CAME TO
PASS…” (Genesis 4:3 KJV). “…Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives (God’s GLORY witnessed) …”
(Genesis 8 NIV).
The
Holy Spirit EMPOWERS your actions of
obedience and ENABLES you to cooperate
with God’s instructions.
“…God …works
in you TO WILL and TO ACT in
order to fulfill his good purpose…”
(Philippians 2:13 NIV). “…God … equip[s] ...you
with everything good for doing his will, …”
(Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV). “…Now may … God … work [within you].... what
is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ…”
(Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV). “…the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works…”
(John 14:10 KJV).
One of “…the fruit of the Spirit is… FAITH…” (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV). “…The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in [y]our lives…”
(Galatians 5 NLT). “…It was BY FAITH (a fruit of the Spirit produced by
the Spirit) that Noah BUILT A LARGE BOAT
to save his
family from the flood. He obeyed God….” (Hebrews 11 NLT).
Noah was empowered by
the Spirit to OBEY and was enabled to
do something he had NEVER done before; BUILD a boat. “…GOD IS SPIRIT…” (John 4:24 KJV). “…God …works
in you (He worked in Noah) TO
WILL
and TO ACT in order to fulfill
his good purpose…”
(Philippians 2:13 NIV).
Why does God, the Holy Spirit, get the CREDIT for
building the boat? “…the Father that dwelleth in me (in Noah), he doeth the works (he built the boat)…”
(John 14:10 KJV). HOW? “.... God ....does
the work IN and THROUGH all of us who are his. … (1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NLT).
“...The HOLY SPIRIT DISPLAYS God’s power THROUGH each of us … … (1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NLT).
“… It is
the same and only Holy Spirit who gives all these gifts and POWERS…
(1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NLT). “…the Father ...he doeth the works …” (John 14:10 KJV).
IF GOD, THE HOLY SPIRIT, ACTUALLY “DID” THE WORK OF BUILDING THE BOAT, WHAT
DID NOAH DO? “...He
obeyed God.”
(Hebrews 11 NLT).
HOW DID NOAH OBEY? He willfully
chose to follow and cooperate with God’s instructions to build a boat. “….God (the Holy SPIRIT) …warned [Noah]…
about things that had never happened before (like the flood)….” (Hebrews 11
NLT). SO,“…Noah BUILT A LARGE BOAT
to save his
family from the flood...” (Hebrews 11 NLT). “…He obeyed God (followed his
instructions)….” (Hebrews 11 NLT). “...….Noah did
(cooperated with) everything just as God
commanded him…”
(Genesis 6:9-22 NIV).
In addition, the Holy Spirit assured Noah he would SEE
his Glory through his POWER and DIVINE nature to SAVE his family. “…Everything
on earth will perish. I
am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life …But I will establish my covenant with you (Noah), and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and
your wife and your sons’ wives with you…”
(Genesis 6:9-22 NIV). “…..Said
I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe (trust, depend, cooperate),
thou shouldest SEE the GLORY of God?”
(John 11:40 KJV).
AS GOD PROMISED: “…Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives(God’s GLORY witnessed) …”
(Genesis 8 NIV).
“…So shall [his]… word be that goeth forth out of [his]… mouth: it shall not return
unto [him]… void, but it shall accomplish that which [God]… please[s],
and it shall prosper in the thing
whereto [God]… sent it…” (Isaiah 55:11 KJV). “…Not one of the good
promises which the Lord had made … failed; all came to pass…” (Joshua 21:45 NASB).
God is
“…watching over [his[… word to perform it…” (Jeremiah
1:12 NASB).
“…Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives(God’s GLORY witnessed) …”
(Genesis 8 NIV).
HOW
MANY YEARS, PASSED, BEFORE THE FLOOD CAME? About 120 years, more or less. “…My spirit shall not always
strive with man …his days shall be an hundred and twenty years…”
(Genesis 6:3 KJV).
WHILE
NOAH BUILT THE ARK, WHAT OTHER MINISTRY DID HE HAVE? He preached the coming
condemnation to the people. “… Noah CONDEMNED THE REST OF THE WORLD…” (Hebrews
11 NLT).
The PROCESS of Noah’s OBEDIENCE was made
up of these truths: 1. Noah BUILT a boat, for a flood, that had NEVER happened
before, for 120 years. 2. Noah preached about the coming flood, that had NEVER
happened before, for 120 years, as God’s condemnation for the people’s
corruption and violence. “…Because
sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily (because of God’s LOVE, GRACE, and MERCY ) …the
HEART of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil [and REMAIN
unrepentant and lost]….” (Ecclesiastes 8:11 KJV).
THE PEOPLE “DID NOT” LISTEN TO NOAH, WHO
PREACHED FOR 120 YEARS ABOUT THE COMING CONDEMNATION.
“…But
my people would not listen to me.
They kept doing whatever they wanted, following
the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward” (Jeremiah 7:24 NLT).
“But the people replied, “Don’t waste your breath. We
will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly
following our own evil desires...”
(JEREMIAH 18:12 NLT).
“…[Nevertheless, God was] ...being patient for [THEIR] ... SAKE
(120 years). He ...[did]... not want anyone to be
destroyed, but want[ed]... everyone to repent…” (2
Peter 3: 9 NLT). “…he is GOOD…”
(Psalm 107:1 KJV).
“…[God, the Holy Spirit] ...pardoneth iniquity,
and passeth by
the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever,
because HE
DELIGHTETH IN MERCY…” (Micah 7:18 KJV).“..The lord...[God] ... is GOOD…” (Nahum 1:7 KJV).
“...He
careth for you (mankind).” (1 Peter 5:7 KJV). BECAUSE, “…God is LOVE…” (1
John 4:4-8 KJV). “… “I AM WHO I AM
…”
(Exodus 3:14-15 NASB).
“…an hundred and twenty years…”
(Genesis 6:3 KJV). “…
Noah CONDEMNED
THE REST OF THE WORLD…” (Hebrews
11 NLT).
“…But my
people would not listen to me...”. (Jeremiah 7:24 NLT). THEY SAID: “... We
will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly
following our own evil desires...”
(JEREMIAH 18:12 NLT).
While Noah preached to
the people, he continued to build the boat (ARK). His actions of relentless obedience,
was meant to be a witness to the people, a flood was truly coming. “…So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an
end to all people …So make yourself an
ark (boat) of cypress wood; …. I am GOING TO bring floodwaters on the earth
to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of
life in it. Everything on earth will perish. …But I will establish my covenant with you,
and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives
with you….Noah
did everything just as God commanded him.
(Genesis 6:9-22 NIV).
Noah nor the rest of
the world had ever saw a flood before, but he was CERTAIN it was coming because
God’s WORD INFORMED him. SO, “…Noah BUILT A LARGE BOAT
.” (Hebrews 11 NLT).
Noah trusted in,
depended upon, and cooperated with God, ASSURED that his family would be saved. “…It was BY FAITH that Noah BUILT A LARGE BOAT to
save his family from the flood….” (Hebrews
11 NLT).
Noah was EMPOWERED by
the Holy Spirit - when he HEARD God’s WORD - to HOPE and
EXPECT his family would be saved from the flood. “…He helps me…”
(Psalms 28:7 NLT). “…You are my helper and my savior…”
(Psalms 40:17 NLT). “…[God is]…Your rock and Your
fortress, your deliverer, Your GOD, Your rock, in whom [you can] … take refuge; Your
shield and
the horn of Your salvation, YOUR
stronghold.…" (Psalms 18:3 NASB).
THE POWER OF OBEDIENCE,
COMES WITH THE HELP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: “… The Sovereign Lord helps me…” (Isaiah
50:7 NLT).
HOW DID GOD HELP NOAH? First, Noah HEARD the
WORD of God, which activates or empowers the Spirit of Faith. One of
“…the fruit of the
Spirit is… FAITH…” (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV). “…The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in [y]our lives…”
(Galatians 5 NLT). “…Faith
cometh by hearing … THE WORD of God...” (Roman 10:17 KJV).
Second,
the HOLY Spirit empowered him to DO
something miraculous: build a boat. “... It
is God which worketh in you both to will and to
do of his good pleasure”
(Philippians 2:13 KJV). “… the God of peace… may he work in [you]… what
is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ…” (Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV). “…the Father ...he doeth
the works …”
(John 14:10 KJV).
Third,
the Spirit of faith
kept him assured and strengthened, for
120 years, to EXPECT God would save his
family from “this” flood. “…HE “WILL”
KEEP YOU STRONG to the end…” (1 Corinthians 1:8 NLT). “…I
can do ALL THINGS through Christ which strengtheneth me…”
(Philippians 4:13 KJV).
God said to Noah: “…Everything
on earth will perish. I
am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life …But I will
establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons
and your wife and your sons’ wives with you….Noah did
(obeyed, cooperated with) everything just as God commanded him…”
(Genesis 6:9-22 NIV).
“…This is
the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and
he walked faithfully with God.
Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. Now the earth was
corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God
saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted
their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an
end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am
surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of
cypress wood; …Everything on earth will perish. I
am going to bring floodwaters on the earth
to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of
life in it. Everything on earth will perish. …But I will
establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons
and your wife and your sons’ wives with you…Noah did everything just as
God commanded him.
(Genesis 6:9-22 NIV).
“…It
was BY FAITH that Noah BUILT A LARGE BOAT
to save his
family from the flood. He
[was activated by faith and empowered to obey]...God ….” (Hebrews
11 NLT).
After
many, many years, the flood finally came. “…And in the PROCESS of time IT
CAME TO PASS…” (Genesis 4:3 KJV).
“…The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you
righteous in this generation.
…Seven days from now I
will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will
wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.” And Noah did all
that the Lord
commanded him. Noah was six hundred years old when
the floodwaters came on the earth. And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark
to escape the waters of the flood. …And after the seven
days the floodwaters came on the earth. …And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. On that
very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and
the wives of his three sons, entered the ark. …Then the Lord shut him in…
(Genesis 7 NIV).
“…Noah
BUILT A LARGE
BOAT to
save his family from the flood. He
obeyed God ….” (Hebrews 11 NLT). Noah was assured his family would be saved and
they were.
“…After
forty days Noah opened a window he had made in the ark
and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back
and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. …When the dove returned
to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then
Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth. He
waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but this time it did not
return to him. By the first day of the first month of Noah’s six hundred and
first year, the water had dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the
covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry. By the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth was
completely dry. Then God said to Noah, “COME OUT of the ark, you
and your wife and your sons and their wives …So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives
…” (Genesis 8 NIV).
Noah’s obedience was
EMPOWERED by the Holy Spirit and NOT
his fleshly efforts. For 120 years God HELPED him walk by faith. “…WALK BY FAITH...” (2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV). “…He helps me…”
(Psalms 28:7 NLT). “…I can do ALL THINGS through Christ
which strengtheneth
me…” (Philippians
4:13 KJV).
After the flood, “…God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and
increase in number and fill the earth.
….Everything that lives and moves about will be
food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything…”
(Genesis 9 NIV).
God’s instructions
guided Noah’s behavior. He instructed Noah to build a boat, he gave him the blueprint
he needed to do the job, and the strength to complete the job. Building the
boat would SAVE Noah’s family and serve as a beacon of light to warn others of
the coming condemnation.
Building the boat, cost
Noah 120 years of laborious work. How much ridicule did Noah face or taunting
from the corrupt and ungodly. The ARK was no SMALL boat, because it had to FEED
and ACCOMPANY Noah’s family and a multitude of various creations for 40 days.
TWO THINGS TO TAKE
NOTICE OF: 1. NOAH’S OBEDIENCE GAVE GOD GLORY, WHICH MEANS, IN HIS STORY, WE
SEE GOD’S POWER AND GOD’S DIVINE NATURE.
2. WE “SEE” HIS POWER
AND DIVINE. NATURE BY WHAT HE “MADE” HAPPEN TO NOAH AND HIS FAMILY, THROUGH THE
PROMISE OF HIS POWERFUL WORD!
Noah chose to willfully
follow and cooperate with God’s instructions to him. God GAVE Noah specific instructions to follow too. “...Noah
did everything just as God commanded him. (Genesis 6:9-22 NIV).
What MOVED Noah to
willfully choose to obey God? “...Noah ...moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house...” (Hebrews 11:7 KJV). Noah’s relentless obedience, to God’s
instructions, was PROOF of his fear (respect, devotion, reverence, honor, etc)
of God, the Holy Spirit and it MOVED
him to action. “If you love (respect, honor,
reverence, etc.) me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).
He was in the midst of
a wicked people DOOMED for condemnation and his faithfulness to the task God
had given him could not have been easy. “...Now
the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence.
God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people
on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah,
“I am going to put an end to all people...”
(Genesis 6:9-22 NIV).
Noah is preaching about
a flood, that had never happened before and about condemnation from a God the
people, obviously, did not revere. Noah had to feel foolish and ridiculous
sometimes, especially as the years passed “…Noah did
everything just as God commanded him. (Genesis 6:9-22 NIV). “...Noah CONDEMNED THE REST OF THE WORLD...” (Hebrews 11).
In spite of all the
evil and wickedness that surrounded him, Noah was WILLING to obey God. “...Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and
was full of violence....” (Genesis 6:9-22 NIV). Yet, “…Noah
did everything just as God commanded him. (Genesis 6:9-22 NIV).
God’s people are often
called to difficult tasks upon the earth. Those tasks may be a ministry, or
“one” person, or a Hosea-type marriage, or a group of wayward students, to another
country, a mission, or any number of hard assignments. “…This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among
the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God ....I am going to bring
floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens,
every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will
perish... I
am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood …Noah did everything just as God commanded him. (Genesis 6:9-22 NIV).
The task is often done
is the MIDST or AMONG people who live CORRUPT and contrary to God’s
instructions. “...Now the earth was
corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the
earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for
the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy
both them and the earth...”
(Genesis 6:9-22 NIV).
God told Noah to build
a boat. God gave him specific instructions on HOW to build the boat too. “... Make thee an ark
of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and
without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The
length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty
cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make to the
ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou
set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make
it...” (Genesis 6:14-16 KJV).
God told
Noah WHY he was bringing the flood upon the earth too. “...Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence ...So
God said to Noah, “I am going to put an
end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence
because of them.
...” (Genesis 6:9-22 NIV).
Even though God was
going to destroy the earth and put an end to corrupt people, what did he
promise Noah? “...Everything on earth
will perish. …But I
will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your
sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you...”
(Genesis 6:9-22 NIV).
Though the earth and
its inhabitants had become CORRUPT and it may have seemed as if EVIL was
prevailing, HOW did Noah respond God’s instructions? “…Noah
did everything just as God commanded him. (Genesis 6:9-22 NIV).
Is the world FULL of
corruption and violence NOW? What does the bible say about EVILDOERS and
SINNERS? “…Let NOT
thine heart ENVY sinners…”
(Proverbs 23:17 KJV). “…Fret not
thyself because of evildoers, neither
be thou envious against workers of iniquity. For they shall soon
be cut down like
the grass….the little that a righteous man hath is
BETTER than the RICHES of the MANY wicked...” (Psalm 37:1-2,16 KJV). “…the
wicked shall perish….” (Psalm 37:14, 15, & 21 KJV).
Like in the days of Noah, the WICKED will
soon PERISH. “...they shall soon
be cut down like
the grass, and wither as the green herb ...FRET
NOT thyself because of him [or her]…who prospereth in his[or her]… way, because
of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; FRET
NOT thyself in any wise to do evil.
For evildoers shall
be CUT OFF; …" (Psalm 37:1-11 KJV).
What attitude should God’s people have
ABOUT EVILDOERS? “...Fret not
thyself because of evildoers ...they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green
herb. [INSTEAD]...Trust in the Lord, and [continue to]…do good, so shalt thou dwell in the lands, and
verily thou shall be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the
desires of thine heart. Commit thy ways unto the Lord; trust also in him; and
he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth they
righteousness as the light, and thy judgement as the noonday. Rest in the Lord,
and wait patiently for him ...those
that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little
while, and the
wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
But the meek shall inherit the earth, and
shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace…"
(Psalm 37:1-11 KJV).
“…Noah
did everything just as God commanded him.
(Genesis 6:9-22 NIV).
After
the flood, “…God blessed Noah and
his sons,
saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. ….Everything
that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green
plants, I now give you everything…”
(Genesis 9 NIV).
God’s people were SENT to earth to be the
exception to corruption and violence. God’s people were NOT “sent” to earth to
FIT IN with EVILDOERS. “…Ye shall know
[God’s people]… by their fruits…” (Matthew 7:16 KJV). “…He who ABIDES in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit … ” (John
15:1-11 NASB).
HOW?
“…God ...does the work
IN AND THROUGH all of us who are his…
(1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NLT). “…The
fruit of the Spirit (the righteous conduct of God’s people) is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance…” (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV). "....The [indwelling] ...Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in [their] ...lives …” (Galatians 5 NLT) “…The
Holy Spirit gives birth to SPIRITUAL LIFE …” (John 3:6 NLT). “…GOD IS SPIRIT…” (John 4:24 KJV). “…The Spirit of God dwell[s]… in you…” (Romans 8:9 KJV)
“…Ye shall know [God’s people]…
by their fruits…” (Matthew 7:16 KJV).
"…[When]...“YOU” bear
much fruit, [you]... PROVE to be [God’s] ...disciples”
(John 15:8 NIV).
"…My Father is glorified
by this, that “YOU” bear
much fruit...” (John 15:8 NIV).
“…Noah
BUILT A LARGE
BOAT to
save his family from the flood ...” (Hebrews
11 NLT). “…Noah
did everything just as God commanded him. (Genesis 6:9-22 NIV). “…He obeyed God ….” (Hebrews 11 NLT).
“...So Noah came
out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives
…” (Genesis 8 NIV). “…God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and
increase in number and fill the earth.
….Everything that lives and moves about will be
food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything…”
(Genesis 9 NIV).
"…My Father is glorified
by this, that “YOU” bear
much fruit...” (John 15:8 NIV).
God’s GLORY was witnessed through Noah’s relentless
obedience. Noah’s relentless obedience RESULTED in a GREATER witness of God’s
GLORY: Noah’s WHOLE family was SAVED by the POWER of God’s PROMISE (WORD)!
“….LET US
NOT GROW WEARY while doing
good, for in DUE SEASON we shall reap
if we do not lose heart…”
(Galatians 6:9 KJV). “…whatsoever a man
(woman) soweth, that shall he (she) also reap….” (Galatians 6:7
KJV).
“…‘[I’ve]… given up everything to follow you…” (Mark 10:28-31 NLT).
“…I
assure you that everyone who
has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or
property, for my sake and for the
Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brother,
sisters, mothers, children, and property
– along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life...” (Mark 10:28-31 NLT).
GLORY!!
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