Re-Creation

RE-CREATION

Today’s scripture deals with a couple of major themes: one of them being the sovereignty of God. And I want to start out with wrestling with that this morning. First of all, the sovereignty of God is not an easy subject to wrap our heads around. Second, I believe we have a hard time with the sovereignty of God because it makes us uncomfortable. So, I am going to read a definition of the sovereignty of God and as I do I want you to think about the parts that make you uncomfortable.

God’s sovereignty is defined as His complete and total independent control over every creature, event, and circumstance at every moment in history. Subject to none, influenced by none, absolutely independent, God does what He pleases, only as He pleases, always as He pleases. He is in complete control of every molecule in the universe at every moment, and everything that happens is either caused or allowed by Him for His own perfect purposes. Unlimited in power, unrivalled in majesty, and not thwarted by anything outside Himself, our God is in complete control of all our circumstances, causing or allowing them for His own good purposes and plans to be fulfilled exactly as He has foreordained.

Did anybody feel uncomfortable? That is the God we serve. That is God who cannot be put in a nice, neat, little box. But isn’t that what try to do? We put God in a box and really only interact with him when it’s comfortable to do so or when we can understand what he is doing in our lives. But God is so much greater than what our finite minds can grasp. At the last Secret Church, the subject was God and David Platt commented that we don’t give God the awe, the reverence, and the holy fear that he deserves. We don’t take the time to truly understand who God is. He is so much higher than we are. He is perfect and holy and just and loving and compassionate and we could go on and on and he does all those things perfectly together. We can rejoice in our God’s sovereignty, because it is overshadowed by His goodness, His love, His mercy, His compassion, His faithfulness, and His holiness.

When I look back on my life I can see the sovereignty of God at many different times. I can see that he was in control of my life in that he kept me from trouble and harm. Not that I never got into trouble or was never in harm’s way but it could have been much worse than it was. I can also look back and see times where he was guiding my life. A lot of those times are very evident in the jobs that I have had, in fact, I believe that me speaking to you this morning is proof of the sovereignty of God in my life. He was in control of my life and circumstances that directly brought me to Idaville Church. I have two personal examples of the sovereignty of God in my life to share with you this morning. ​​ 

I will start with the earliest one which is my marriage to Judy. When I look back on how, when and why I met her in the first place, the path was not a straight one. It was full of so many far-fetched and random events that had to take place for us to even meet, much less get married. Of course those events weren’t random. He has been in complete control of my life and circumstances, causing or allowing them for His own good purposes and plans to be fulfilled exactly as He has foreordained.

The next example was the car accident I had in July 1999 on Rt. 34 just outside of Mt. Holly. Now it’s not the fact that I am still alive today that proves to me that God is sovereign even though that was part of it. To me the proof of his sovereignty are the events in the month prior to the accident. In the middle of June 1999, I had driven a van load of youth down and back to Kentucky. Then the next week, I drove youth to the Creation Festival. Then the following week Judy and I were counselors at our Church camp in Waynesboro and I had to drive up and back twice that week to Uriah Church to fulfill the secretarial duties I had at the time. What proves the sovereignty of God to me is that he was not only in control of my accident but he controlled my accident. The consequences of falling asleep at the wheel could have been so much worse than totaling my car, spending three weeks in the hospital and having to eat by an IV for four months. He was in complete control of that event and even controlled it, causing or allowing it to happen for His own good purposes and plans to be fulfilled exactly as He has foreordained.

What about you? Have you seen the sovereign hand of God at work in your life? How do you feel about it? You see a lot of people are not ok with God controlling and being in control of their lives and we can see that in their rebellion against Him. I believe that the problem is one of submission. They don’t feel that they should have to submit to God or that God doesn’t deserve to be submitted to. Romans 9:20-21 says this, “But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?” God is our creator and as creator he has the right to control and be in control of our lives. Too many people want to tell the creator how it should be used. Worse yet, many times the creation doesn’t want anything to do with the creator. But guess what? The creator is still sovereign and in control whether we want him to be or whether we believe he is or not.

This morning, we continue with the flood narrative. We have seen that Noah has totally submitted his will and his life to the sovereignty of God. And as the flood has begun, God has been in control of many things. He has been in control of the waters of the great deep and the floodgates of heaven. This morning we will see he is also in control of life and death, in control of his judgment and his grace and in control of the lives of Noah and his family. Two weeks ago, Pastor’s big idea was that God is in control of his creation and this morning we will see he is in control of re-creation as well. Ultimately God is in control of all things but he also controls all things and we need to be willing to come to grips with those truths in our lives. That brings us to our big idea this morning: God controls and is in control of all things.

I don’t know about you but that makes me exceedingly happy. I for one am glad that human beings are not in control of our world or of my life. I want the one true God, the Creator of the Universe, the Alpha and the Omega in control of not only this world and what happens in it but my life and what happens in it as well. And I hope you do too. Before we dive into our passage this morning, let’s pray: Sovereign God, we thank you for being in control of our lives because you are the only one who can do it perfectly. Help us to accept your rule and reign in our lives. Continue to pour out your Holy Spirit on us as we learn from your Word this morning. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

We will be looking at two points this morning. The first is indescribable judgment and that is found in Genesis 7:17-23a. This is what God’s Word says, “For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than fifteen cubits. Every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth.”

Earlier in the chapter we were told that the rain fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights. Now we are told that the flood kept coming on the earth for forty days and we can suspect that not only the rain fell for that period of time but also the springs of the great deep kept bursting forth for forty days. Next, we see the effect that the flood had on the ark, on the earth and on every living thing. Each statement that is made about these three things builds upon the last to gives us a picture of the devastating effects of the Flood.

First, we see the waters affected the ark. As the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. That statement is built upon as the waters rose and greatly increased on the earth and the ark floated on the surface of the water. Second, we see the waters affecting the earth. As the waters rose greatly on the earth all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. That statement is built upon as the waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than fifteen cubits or about twenty feet. This means that the water rose to a height of more than twenty feet above the highest mountain. This would have allowed the ark to float over the surface of the water without running aground. In verses 18, 19 and 20 when it says the waters “rose” it means the waters “triumphed or prevailed.” This word is a military word for succeeding in battle. In the battle between the earth and the waters the waters won and is proven by the fact that the waters covered the mountains above and beyond to a height of more than twenty feet.

Third, we see that it effected every living creature that moved on the earth including mankind. Our scripture states that every living creature that moved on the earth perished. That statement is built upon as everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died, and then it even continues to be built upon in that every living thing on the face of the earth was not only wiped out but wiped from the face of the earth. All the birds, all the livestock, all the wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth and all mankind died. In fact life did not simply die, it was wiped out and wiped off the face of the earth. Hamilton says, “The use of “perished” or “died” instead of “drowned” reinforces the idea that the loss of life is a divine penalty rather than death due to natural catastrophe.” This is a picture of the devastating effects of the flood. Everything outside the ark came under the indescribable judgment of God. The process of creation that God started in the beginning has now been reversed.

I want to pause here talk a little bit about the universality of the flood. Maybe you have never questioned whether the flood was universal or not or maybe you never even thought about it. But I can tell you scholars are split. For instance, some use science to say there is no way that the flood was universal in scope and others use science to say that it was. I want to give you some compelling arguments for a universal flood and then I will give you my thoughts on the subject. Many of these arguments come from Whitcomb and Morris’s commentary.

The first argument for a universal flood is that the language used in the flood narrative is definitely universal. But the opponents of a universal flood would say that the same all-inclusive language used in Genesis is used elsewhere in the Bible and doesn’t mean all-inclusive in those passages. Also, some scholars say that because man had not scattered all over the globe, a universal flood was not necessary. They say that a localized flood would have been good enough to accomplish the purpose of the flood, which was universal judgment. The second argument is the concept of displacement. Our scripture says that the flood covered over and above the mountains by twenty feet. If it covered the mountains in one area it had to cover the mountains in every area of the world because the water would have had to have been displaced somewhere. Whitcomb and Morris state that “the fact that water seeks its own level seems to be decisively against a local flood.”

The third argument is that the floodwaters covered the earth for more than one year from the time that Noah entered the ark until he left it. No local flood in history ever lasted that long and for the water to have covered the earth for that period of time shows it was a universal flood. The fourth argument is about the size of the ark. If it was a local flood why did God command Noah to build an ark the length of one and a half football fields and 30 feet high. If he only needed to save the indigenous species of Mesopotamia he could have built a smaller boat. Honestly if it wasn’t a universal flood Noah and the animals could have just walked out of the flood area. Which brings us to another interesting thought. If it was only a local flood and Noah and the animals could have just walked to another area to get away from it, why couldn’t the rest of humanity done the same thing. In that scenario, God’s judgment would have been thwarted and we have seen that was not the case.

The fifth argument for a universal flood is the testimony of Peter in 2 Peter 3:3-7. Peter says, “Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the Day of Judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” Peter is saying that at the end of the age God will destroy the world in fiery judgment. He bases the universality of that judgment on the universality of the flood judgment in Noah’s time. If Peter is teaching a universal judgment by fire at the end of the age why would he compare it to a local flood in Noah’s time.

Here's one last argument: If the flood was not universal, why did God give the rainbow as a universal sign of his covenant. We see the all-inclusive language in Genesis 9:11 and 15, which says, “I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And verse 15: “I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.” Weirsbe says, “God promised to never send another flood like the one he sent in Noah’s day. But if the flood was a local event God didn’t keep this promise.” We see instances of flooding every year in the world. If Noah’s flood was a local event like, for instance, the Jamestown Flood, then God’s promise and the covenant sign of the rainbow meant nothing. The flood bears witness to universal sin and universal judgment.

Now I said I would give my thoughts on the subject. There are two things I want to say and I want to preface the first one with this: I believe that the flood was universal. With that being said, God is all-powerful. Could God have used a localized flood causing no water to be displaced in order to bring about judgment on those outside the ark? I believe he could because he is all-powerful. The second thing is, this argument is not the point of the flood narrative. Just like the point of the story of creation is not how God created the heavens and the earth but that it was God who created them; the point of the flood narrative is not whether it was universal or local but it’s about God’s sovereignty over his creation. He has the right to rule and he rules rightly. But it’s also about his judgment and his grace being poured out on his creation perfectly.

And that brings us to our second point this morning which is indescribable grace. We see his indescribable grace in the midst of his indescribable judgment. Look at verses 23b-24 with me. This is what God’s word says, “Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark. The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.” God out of his infinite love not only for Noah and his family but ultimately for us saved a remnant from out of the world so that he could continue to be in relationship with his creation, so that he could continue to show his love and care for his creation and it overflowed out of his perfect sovereignty. I find it interesting that in this passage there are seven and a half verses describing the judgment of God and only one half of a verse describing the grace of God. Everything outside the ark came under the judgment of God and everything inside the ark came under the grace of God. Everything outside the ark died and everything inside the ark was saved. God’s purpose of judgment had been achieved but also God’s purpose of grace was achieved in the midst of judgment. ​​ 

Hamilton says, “The use of two passive forms of the verbs to describe the fate both of the ungodly and of the righteous Noah suggests strongly that it is Yahweh’s action which controls eternal destiny.” They were saved not because of anything they did to deserve it but solely on the grace and mercy of God. Hamilton also notes that “Noah is saved because of Yahweh and Noah’s family is saved because of Noah. Every human being in this narrative owes his preservation to someone else.” We also see this in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah where Lot is saved because of Abraham and Lot’s family is saved because of Lot except for his wife. In God’s perfect sovereignty he gave his grace and mercy to Noah, his family and the animals on the ark. He did this because he is in complete and total independent control over every creature, event, and circumstance at every moment in history. He is subject to none, influenced by none, and absolutely independent. He does what He pleases, only as He pleases, always as He pleases. He is in complete control of every molecule in the universe at every moment, and everything that happens is either caused or allowed by Him for His own perfect purposes. He is unlimited in power, unrivalled in majesty, and not thwarted by anything outside Himself. Our God is in complete control of all our circumstances, causing or allowing them for His own good purposes and plans to be fulfilled exactly as He has foreordained. THE BIG IDEA

Lastly, we see that the waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days. The water continued to rise for another 110 days and then reached its peak. The forty days and forty nights of rain and the earth being flooded for a hundred and fifty days demonstrates that no living thing could possibly have survived by escaping to a high place or by clinging to floating debris. Try to imagine what that would have looked like. Wenham says, “This section closes with an awe-inspiring picture of the mighty waters covering the entire earth as though the earth has reverted to its primeval state at the dawn of creation, when the waters of the deep submerged everything.”

The title of the message this morning is Re-Creation and was really another of those major themes I mentioned earlier. God brought the judgment of the flood in order to re-create not only the earth but to re-create his image-bearer, mankind, as well. God was re-creating by sparing Noah and his family and the animals that were in the ark. Think about this idea of re-creation as God’s salvage operation of humanity. God so loved humanity and wanted to be in relationship with those that he created in his image that he salvaged Noah, his family and the animals. Salvaging involves retrieving something valuable from the wreckage. We see this in God’s heart so many times in his dealings with his chosen people the Israelites and we see it in individual’s lives such as Saul. God salvaged from the wreckage that was Saul’s destructive zeal for God and turned that valuable zeal into Paul’s apostolic vision for the church. God salvaged Noah from the wreckage of an evil world in his generation and turned it into a new beginning for the human race. God is able to restore even where he has brought destruction. The same God salvages the valuable parts from the wreckage of the sinful rubble of our lives and transforms our lives into a useful ministry on this earth for his honor and his glory and for his purposes.

As I studied this passage, I struggled with what the next steps this morning for us would be. What should our response to this passage be? ​​ I could have had a next step based on the sovereignty of God or on his re-creation or salvaging of us, but as I continued to study this passage I kept coming back to two things. The first is found in Luke 17:26-30, which says, “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.” Jesus is describing the indifference of the ungodly in those days. The people of Noah’s and Lot’s time didn’t care about God and their lives were filled with evil. In fact about Noah’s generation, Genesis 6:5 says they thought about evil all the time. All they seemed to care about was living their lives in total submission to themselves. Jesus in the gospel of Luke is telling us that when the Son of Man comes, just like in Noah’s day, those people will not be prepared for the judgment that will come. It is imperative that we are ready for Christ’s return or for our physical death, whichever comes first. That is what God desires for every one of his creations. That brings us to the first next step on the back of your communication card which is to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior and totally submit my life to him in every way. If you take this next step you will be ready when final judgment comes.

Also I believe that in the stories of Lot and in the Flood, Abraham’s and Noah’s heart was breaking for those who were going to perish. And we know that God’s heart is breaking for every one of his creations that has rejected him or will reject him. Our hearts should be breaking for those who don’t know Jesus, as well, whether it’s a family member, friend or even a stranger we come in contact with. We need to be like Noah and imploring our friends and family that don’t know Jesus to turn to him for salvation because judgment is coming. I did not have that as a next step but it is the most important step we can take for them and salvation is the most important step they can take for themselves.

The second thing I kept coming back to is found in 2 Peter 3. Earlier I read verses 3-7 in which Peter was comparing the universality of final judgment to the universality of the flood judgment. But if we move ahead to verses 10-14, we read these words, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.”

The bottom line for Peter, as he compared the fiery judgment on the day of the Lord to the flood judgment, went beyond hope for the future. Peter wanted his readers to respond in a certain way right then and there. He wanted his teachings to impact the way they were living their daily lives. The point of the flood narrative for us today is the same. God’s judgment and grace are both real and we will see it played out in the end just as it played out in Noah’s time. We need to respond to this passage in a way that will impact our daily lives. But the question is how should we respond? God doesn’t desire to scare us by threats of judgment but to win us by acts of love, mercy and grace and our response to that should be to live holy and godly lives. Peter ends verse 14 with “since you are looking forward to this, (talking about the new heaven and new earth) make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him (meaning God). That brings us to the last next step which is to live a holy and godly life being found spotless, blameless and at peace with God.

As the worship team comes forward to lead us in our final song, let’s pray: Holy God, we praise you not only for your sovereignty but for your salvation that you freely provide for us. Help us to be holy people as you are holy. Help us to make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

/by

The Hand of God

,

Origins

The Hand of God

(Genesis 7:11-16)

 

INTRODUCTION

“A March 2011 poll surveyed Americans regarding their beliefs about God's involvement in natural disasters. The following are some of the results of this research:

 

  • 56 percent of the Americans surveyed believe that God is in control of the earth

  • 38 percent believe that God employs events in nature to dispense judgment

  • 29 percent believe that God punishes entire nations for the sins of a few

  • Nearly 60 percent of evangelical Christians agreed that God can use natural disasters to send messages

  • 44 percent of Americans say that the increased severity of recent natural disasters is evidence that we are in the end times

  • 61 percent of Christians from racial and ethnic minorities believe that natural disasters are God's way of testing our faith—and according to the article, that idea ‘resonates with African-American's history of surviving through slavery and racial discrimination.’

 

The article concluded: ‘After one of these disasters [like the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami], people turn to their clergy and theologians and they look for answers, and there are no great answers …. But almost every group believes you have to help people who are suffering.’”

 

Source: Nicole Neroulias, "Poll: Most in U.S., except evangelicals, see no divine sign in disasters," USA Today (3-24-11).

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2011/april/2041111.html]

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Seeing the hand of God

        • I don’t know about you, but I see the hand of God almost every day

        • As I seek His face, I see His hand at work

        • It was a very busy week with lots of meetings, a project I was trying to complete at the house, and the upcoming revival services

        • On Monday I was feeling stressed and overwhelmed, which drove me to pray

          • I had gotten all of the work done on Sunday evening that I normally do on Monday morning, so I could spend the morning with Judy and her parents

          • I was able to work in the afternoon for several hours and get some other items accomplished

          • There is one mowing job that I do for a lady in Aspers and I was able to complete that on Monday afternoon

          • I needed to work on the bathroom project at the house on Monday evening, because that would be the only evening this week that I had free, except for Friday evening

          • Finally, after doing that I sat down around 9:30 pm to read five commentaries in preparation for today’s message and found that the reading was shorter than I had anticipated

        • Tuesday morning, the Lord just directed my thoughts and guided my day and I was able to get a lot accomplished is a little bit of time

        • Through all of this I saw that God was completely in control of everything I was doing

        • I saw His hand at work in my life

 

  • WE

    • The hand of God in our lives

        • Every one of us probably has seen the hand of God at work in our lives

        • We could share examples of how God was completely in control of a busy week, a difficult situation, finals at school, a job search, a medical issue, and so much more

        • I want to encourage us this morning to reflect on the last time we saw the hand of God at work in our lives

          • What was going on at the time?

          • How did God help, guide, or direct us in that situation?

          • What was the outcome?

 

Two weeks ago, Pastor Marc opened up Genesis 7:1-10 to us and talked about having the right stuff. ​​ That passage built on the end of Genesis 6 and today we will see that Genesis 7:11-16 builds on Genesis 7:1-10. ​​ We learn more details about the flood and how God’s hand was on every aspect of leading up to the actual flood taking place. ​​ We’ll see today that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – ​​ God is in complete control of His creation.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Genesis 7:11-16)

    • Water Works (vv. 11-12)

        • When did the flood happen?

          • We learned two weeks ago that the flood happened when Noah was 600-years-old

          • We are now given additional information about exactly when it happened during Noah’s 600th year

            • It was the seventeenth day of the second month

            • “The months must be reckoned, not according to the Mosaic ecclesiastical year, which commenced in the spring, but according to the natural or civil year, which commenced in the autumn at the beginning of sowing time, or the autumnal equinox; so that the flood would be pouring upon the earth in October and November.” ​​ [Keil & Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 1, The Pentateuch, 91-92]

          • The seventeenth day will be important as we continue the flood narrator in the weeks to come, so keep your eyes peeled for the next time that day comes up in Genesis

          • We now know more specifics about when the flood happened

          • We’re also given more details about how the flood happened

        • How did the flood happen?

          • There were two sources for the flood waters

            • The springs of the great deep burst forth

              • There was water that was coming up from deep within the earth

              • The NIV translates the Hebrew as “burst forth,” but it also has the idea of opening something that was shut – breaking something up that was sealed

              • I’m reminded of the questions that God asks Job when He answers him in chapters 38-41

              • “Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’?” (Job 38:8-11)

              • I believe that springs came up from the great deep, but I also believe that God removed the doors and bars from the oceans and seas and allowed them to cover the dry land

            • The floodgates of the heavens were opened

              • The firmament that God had created to separate the waters above from the waters below was also opened up

              • “God is indeed reversing his work of creation. ​​ He had then established the dome to hold back the water in the heavens, while evidently allowing for some apertures through which rain could fall; now he lets the apertures be wide open. ​​ What falls is more than rain; it is an overwhelming downpour.” ​​ [Goldingay, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament, Genesis, 145]

            • ​​ “There is no doubt that the two sources of water are intended to recall the ‘waters above and below’ of 1:6-7. ​​ The Flood un-creates, and returns the earth to a pre-creation period when there was only ‘waters.’” ​​ [Hamilton, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1-17, 291]

            • And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” ​​ So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. ​​ And it was so. ​​ God called the expanse “sky.” ​​ And there was evening, and there was morning – the second day. (Genesis 1:6-8)

          • PRINCIPLE #1 – God’s sovereign power is shown through the rejoining of the waters.

            • The hand of God was at work through the flood

              • He removed the barriers He had created and established to hold back the waters

              • In His sovereign plan, to deal with the sin of humanity, He allowed the waters to rejoin, so that the earth could once again be washed clean

              • God knew exactly what He was doing

            • God is completely in control of His creation

              • That includes us as human beings

              • He uses His sovereign power to allow difficulties and hardships to come into our lives, so that we will return to Him – so that we will cry out to Him – so that we will depend and rely on Him

              • Is God trying to get your attention, right now?

              • Are you experiencing some difficulty or hardship that has you confused and frustrated?

              • In His sovereignty, God is trying to get your attention, are you listening?

              • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Recognize God’s sovereign power at work in my life and turn to Him for help.

          • We’re told when and how the flood happened and now we’re told how long it lasted

        • How long was the flood?

          • The rain fell for 40 days and 40 nights

            • We complain when it rains for a week straight, but just imagine if it rained for 40 days’ straight (that’s almost a month and a half)

            • Two weeks ago I was frustrated because I wasn’t able to mow the lawn in Aspers – it rained on the days that I was free and was clear on the days I wasn’t free

            • Examples of flooding

              • I remember living in Greencastle many years ago and having flood waters rise in our neighborhood

              • The neighbors had a canoe and they were using it to navigate between the pine trees that were on their property

              • I thought that was pretty cool as a 6 or 7 year-old

              • Our boys have enjoyed the different times when it has rained hard and caused the pond to overflow it banks

              • They’ve used boogey boards and other items to play in the water

          • We know this is how long it rained, but the flood waters remained for another 110 days – we’re getting ahead of ourselves, though

        • God’s sovereign, powerful hand had removed the barriers to the waters above and below, but His sovereign hand was also guiding Noah, his family, and the animals

    • Guided Gathering (vv. 13-16a)

        • On that very day

          • This is talking about the same day that the waters came up from the great deep and the heavens were opened and rain poured down

          • This seems pretty incredible that Noah, his family, and all the animals entered the ark on the same day that the flood began

          • God had warned Noah seven days earlier (Gen. 7:4) that the flood was coming

          • It’s probable that in those seven days, Noah and his family are welcoming all the animals and getting them setup in the ark

          • On the same day that the flood began, Noah had completed the entering process, with his family and the animals – everyone and everything was onboard [Keil & Delitzsch, 92]

        • Humans enter the ark

          • We know who entered the ark from humanity because they are listed

          • Noah and his wife

          • Noah’s sons and their wives (Shem, Ham, and Japheth)

        • Animals enter the ark

          • Animal groups

            • Wild animals (according to their kind)

            • Livestock (according to their kind)

            • Every creature that moves along the ground (according to their kind)

            • Every bird (according to their kind)

            • Everything with wings

          • Pairs of all the animals (male and female) came to Noah

        • PRINCIPLE #2 – God’s sovereign power is evident in bringing the animals to the ark.

          • We see the hand of God again completely controlling His creation

          • We don’t know the specifics of how God communicated to each pair of animals, but He tells them to go to Noah and enter the ark that has been prepared

          • This is the sovereign power of God at work in His creation

          • Have you experienced God’s sovereign power to completely control His creation?

            • There are multiple examples of how certain things are preserved when everything else around it is completely destroyed

            • “When firefighters arrived at Freedom Ministries Church in Grandview, West Virginia they were left stunned by what they saw. ​​ A devastating fire – so hot that firefighters had to back out at one point – was ravaging through the building, the Coal City Fire Department said in a Facebook post. ​​ But as they went through the charred wreckage, they noticed something extraordinary. ​​ ‘In your mind, everything should be burned, ashes. ​​ Not a single Bible was burned and not a single cross was harmed!!’ the department wrote. ​​ The Facebook post, which went viral, features compelling photos of a pile of about a dozen intact Bibles surrounded by the rubble. ​​ ‘Though the odds were against us, God was not,’ the firefighters added. ​​ No firefighters were injured in the operation. ​​ The cause of the fire is still unclear.”

              Gianluca Mezzofiore, CNN (updated 7:43 AM EST, Tue March 5, 2019)

              [https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/05/us/church-fire-bibles-untouched-trnd/index.html]

          • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Worship the Lord for His sovereign power to control His creation.

        • God’s hand was present in starting the flood and guiding both humans and animals to the ark, but His hand would accomplish one more thing

    • Safely Sealed (v. 16b)

        • The last part of verse 16 tells us that the Lord is the One who shut Noah, his family, and the animals in the ark

        • “God himself shut the door to signify that the days of grace (Gen. 6:3) were over.” ​​ [Gangel & Bramer, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Genesis, 76]

        • This is God’s protective care for those He was saving

        • PRINCIPLE #3 – Divine grace brings salvation.

          • Grace is getting something that we don’t deserve

          • Noah and his family were sinners, just like us, but God declared him righteous and his neighbors found him blameless, because he walked with God

          • He deserved to be wiped out with the rest of humanity, but God extended grace to him

          • Gospel

            • Every one of us deserves to die in our sin and be separated from God for all eternity (Romans 6:23a)

            • We are all born sinners, in rebellion against God, wanting our own way

            • God could leave us in that state, but He loves us too much to do that (Jeremiah 31:3; John 3:16)

            • God made a way for all of humanity to be in a right relationship with Him

            • Ephesians 2:8-9, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that on one can boast.

            • Noah and his family experienced the Lord’s divine grace and they were saved from being destroyed by the flood waters

            • You and I can experience the same divine grace and be saved from eternal separation from God

            • Next steps

              • Recognize that you are a sinner

              • Repent of your sins (180 degree turn)

              • Accept God’s gift of grace by faith

              • Turn to Jesus Christ for salvation

          • #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Accept God’s divine grace through faith in Jesus Christ and be saved from my sins.

 

  • YOU

    • Have you recognized God’s sovereign power at work in your life and turned to Him for help?

    • When is the last time you’ve worshiped the Lord for His sovereign power to control His creation?

    • Are you ready to accept God’s divine grace through faith in Jesus Christ?

 

  • WE

    • When we share with others how God has shown His sovereign power in our life and control over His creation, we are witnessing for the Lord

    • That is what we are called to do as followers of Jesus Christ

 

CONCLUSION

“Recently there was a surprising source arguing for the historicity of the biblical flood—The New York Times. An article on sea level rise in human history noted:

 

In the 19th century, ethnographers realized that virtually every old civilization had some kind of flood myth in its literature. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, waters so overwhelm the mortals that the gods grow frightened, too. In India's version, Lord Vishnu warns a man to take refuge in a boat, carrying seeds. In the Bible, God orders Noah to carry two of every living creature on his ark.

 

‘I don't think the biblical deluge is just a fairy tale,’ said Terence J. Hughes, a retired University of Maine glaciologist living in South Dakota. ‘I think some kind of major flood happened all over the world, and it left an indelible imprint on the collective memory of mankind that got preserved in these stories.’

 

That flooding would have occurred at the end of the last ice age.”

Source: Justin Gillis, "Looming Floods, Threatened Cities," The New York Times (5-18-17).

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2018/july/evidence-of-historicity-of-biblical-flood.html].

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Women of Faith

, , ,

Mother’s Day

Women of Faith

(Acts 9:36-42)

 

INTRODUCTION

“Have you ever wondered when Americans started celebrating Mother's Day? The holiday was born out of one woman's desire to honor her mother's life of sacrifice and grace.

 

Born in 1864 in Grafton, West Virginia, Anna Jarvis witnessed the aftermath of the Civil War through a child's eyes. Her mother, Anna Maria Reeves-Jarvis, had spent the war organizing women to nurse wounded soldiers from both the North and South, and generally attempting to hold her border-state community together. After the war, Anna Maria started ‘Mothers' Friendship Days’ to reconcile families that had been divided by the conflict.

 

Throughout her life, Anna Maria modeled the ideals of Victorian motherhood. She gave up her dreams of college in order to tend to an older husband and four children. She bore the loss of seven other children with grace. She taught Sunday school in the local Methodist church for 20 years and stayed active in benevolent work.

 

Anna Maria's death in 1905 devastated her daughter. Two years later, Anna got the idea to found a holiday remembering her mother, and all mothers, whom she felt could never be thanked enough.

 

Mother's Day was first celebrated in 1908 in Grafton (where Anna grew up) and Philadelphia (where she lived as an adult). Later, in a resolution passed May 8, 1914, the U.S. Congress officially established the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.”

 

Source: Elesha Coffman, "Mom, We Salute You," Christian History Newsletter (5-10-2002).

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2006/april/3041706.html]

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Grandmother’s

        • Most everyone knows that we recently laid my Grandma Johns’ to rest – the funeral service was a celebration of a life lived for the Lord

        • My Grandma Hykes passed away many years ago, but the funeral service was also a celebration of a life lived for the Lord

        • Judy’s Grandma’s were also women of faith

        • The faith of all four Grandma’s was passed down to the next generation

    • Mother’s

        • Judy and I have been blessed to have mothers who are women of faith

        • They have served faithfully in their homes, places of work, the church, and their communities

        • They were Sunday school teachers, Children’s church teachers, Puppet ministry leaders, Good News Club teachers, pianists, choir directors, Divorce recovery leaders, and so much more

        • They have cared about and for other women and families during their lifetime

    • Wife

        • The Lord has blessed me with an incredible wife, who has been the greatest mother to our sons and daughter-in-laws

        • She has also been an awesome grandma to our granddaughter

        • As a ministry partner, she has served faithfully in the church and community

        • She leads our church in helping with the Upper Adams Food Pantry and the Hallelujah Party

        • She is constantly thinking of ways to bless different individuals in the church, our community, and her workplace

 

  • WE

    • Women of faith

        • Most of us probably have fond memories of our grandmas and mothers

        • Perhaps there are those of us here today who can say that they are a follower of Jesus Christ, because of the faith they saw in their grandmas and mothers

        • Those of us who are married may see the faith of our wives through how they serve and minister to others

    • Faithless women

        • Not everyone of us has experienced growing up in a family with women of faith

        • Our grandmas and mothers may not have been loving, caring, and nurturing

        • They may not have been followers of Jesus Christ

        • But, my guess is that we are here, in church today, because of a woman of faith who invested in us (it may have been a man of faith, too)

 

The writer of the book of Acts (Luke) shares about a woman of faith who ministered to the needs of other women in her hometown. ​​ These other women were sharing with Peter about her faithfulness, kindness, and care. ​​ When the supernatural happened to this woman, it pointed people to Jesus. ​​ We can learn from her life that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – ​​ Godly women point others to Jesus.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Acts 9:36-42)

    • Faith through serving (vv. 36-37)

        • City

          • Joppa means “beautiful”

          • It was on the Mediterranean Sea [show map]

          • Its port was famous, but dangerous [show images of port]

          • It had a healthy and robust trading industry as a result of the port

          • In the Biblical account that is unfolding in Acts, Joppa is moving Peter closer to Caesarea where he will encounter Cornelius, a Gentile, Roman centurion

          • But first, Peter has a job to do in Joppa

        • Disciple

          • There was a woman in Joppa who was a follower of Jesus Christ

            • Her name in Hebrew is Tabitha and Dorcas is her Greek name

            • Her two names are used throughout the narrative

            • Both Tabitha and Dorcas mean “gazelle”

          • Her character

            • She was doing good

              • Acts of kindness

              • Doing good deeds

            • She was helping the poor

              • Acts of mercy or charity

              • “‘Acts of charity’ refers to providing alms – acts of mercy through charitable giving. ​​ Almsgiving was highly regarded in Judaism. ​​ The detail suggests that she is wealthy and generous.” ​​ [Bock, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Acts, 377]

            • Tabitha was exercising her spiritual gift of helps and service

            • Perhaps she was already doing these things prior to becoming a disciple of Jesus, but now her helps and service took on spiritual meaning and purpose

            • She was no longer helping and serving for the sake of doing those things – it reflected the transformation that had taken place in her life

            • The use of her spiritual gifts were pointing others to Jesus

            • How many of us have seen that in our wives, mothers, and grandmothers?

          • PRINCIPLE #1 – Faith transforms our service

            • “Many Christian women have distinguished themselves in God’s kingdom by their service to the needy.” ​​ [Fernando, The NIV Application Commentary, Acts, 314]

            • Examples

              • Mother Teresa

              • I have to say I struggled to come up with names of Christian women who have distinguished themselves by serving the needy, but isn’t that the point?

                • They are quietly serving in their local communities around the world, without a desire to be recognized

                • They aren’t trying to create soundbites or photo opts in order to promote themselves

              • It was easy to find a list of famous women who have helped fight global poverty (Michelle Obama, J.K. Rowling, Oprah Winfrey, Melinda Gates, Angelina Jolie, etc.)

              • How many of us can think of at least one Christian woman who is serving the needy? (I can think of several, just in our church and community)

              • Women, thank you for allowing your faith to transform your service

            • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Thank the Lord for the women who have used their spiritual gifts to do good and help the poor.

          • Tabitha becomes sick and dies

            • “About that time” can be translated, “In those days”

              • While Tabitha was doing good and helping the poor, she got sick and died

              • I believe it’s also referring to the time when Peter was in Lydda, which was only a three hour walk from Joppa

              • God was orchestrating everything for His glory

            • Preparation of her body

              • It was customary to wash the body in preparation for burial

              • Often the body was also anointed with oils and perfumes – Luke does not mention that here

              • What was not customary was for a corpse to lay overnight, but that may have happened in this case

              • Usually the body was buried before sunset on the same day as death occurred

              • There seems to be an exception here

              • “In the OT, bodies in an upper room were often noted in resuscitation accounts (1 Kings 17:19; 2 Kings 4:10, 21; Marshall 1980: ​​ 179) . . . When a body was kept, it was kept for three days because there was the belief that after three days the soul had departed.” ​​ [Bock, 378]

              • Keeping the body for three days was done in hopes that the soul would return to the body

              • It seems here that there is hope that Peter will be able to do something about Tabitha’s death

        • The disciples in Joppa were expressing faith through believing

    • Faith through believing (vv. 38-39)

        • The disciples send two men to urge Peter to come to Joppa

          • What incredible faith the disciples showed

          • They were believing that Peter could do something about the pain and heartache they were experiencing

          • That faith was expressed through placing Tabitha’s body in an upper room in anticipation of Peter’s arrival

          • We can express the same kind of faith in God and His healing power

          • We rarely experience here in the United States, but there are stories of believers, in other countries, who have been resuscitated by the power of God – they were brought back to life

        • Tabitha’s kindness and generosity on display

          • When Peter arrived in Joppa, he was immediately taken to the upper room where Tabitha had been laid

          • The widow’s that Tabitha had served and helped were there

            • They were showing Peter the clothes and robes they were wearing and explaining that Dorcas (Tabitha) had made them

            • It’s probable that Dorcas used her own money to buy the material or thread to weave and sew the robes and garments

            • What an incredible testimony of a transformed life

          • PRINCIPLE #2 – God is pleased when we use our giftedness for His glory.

            • As followers of Jesus Christ, I know we’re not serving others for the recognition from other human beings

            • We are serving and giving so that God will be glorified

            • This brings Him great joy

            • This morning, I want to thank women, again, for faithfully using your giftedness for God’s glory

            • When we faithfully use our giftedness for God’s glory it points others to Jesus.

            • Tabitha’s life and service were pointing these widows’ to Jesus

            • Godly women point others to Jesus

        • The disciples knew where to turn for help, and so did Peter

    • Faith through praying (vv. 40-41)

        • Following the example of Jesus

          • Peter had been with Jesus for three and half years and during that time he witnessed Jesus raise three people from the dead

          • Peter’s actions are reminiscent of Jesus’ actions with Jarius’ daughter (Mark 5:21-24, 35-43)

            • Jesus sent everyone out of the room except for the girl’s parents and Peter, James, and John

            • He then speaks to the girl and tells her to get up

          • Peter’s actions

            • He sends everyone out of the room

            • He speaks to Tabitha and tells her to get up

            • But there’s one other thing that Peter does between those two actions – he kneels down and prays

            • Jesus is God, so in this instance He didn’t need to pray, but simply commanded the girl to get up

            • Peter recognized that His ability to heal and bring people back to life wasn’t from him, but from God

            • PRINCIPLE #3 – Prayer is the first step to resolving every problem.

              • Peter knew where he needed to turn for help

              • God is all-powerful and is the One who heals and gives life

              • God is all-knowing, so He is aware of our struggles, our problems, our difficulties

                • Mother’s, He knows that our child is pursuing the things of the world instead of the things of God

                • Mother’s, He knows our fears, doubts, and anxiety about becoming a mother for the first time

                • Women, He knows the frustration and heartache we have over not being able to have children

                • Women, He knows our desire to have a godly husband who will lead us spiritually

                • Women, He knows the relational difficulties we are having at work or in our family

                • Women, He knows about the physical difficulties and health issues that we are currently experiencing

                • Women, He knows exactly how we’re feeling today

                • His desire is that we go to Him in prayer, first!

                • This challenge isn’t just for women today, it’s for men, children, and teens also

              • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Turn to God in prayer about the struggles, problems, and difficulties I’m experiencing.

            • Peter then turns to Tabitha and speaks to her

              • What Peter says to Tabitha is only one consonant different than what Jesus said to Jarius’ daughter

              • In Aramaic we see how close these two commands are

                • “Talitha koum” (little girl, get up)

                • “Tabitha koum” (Tabitha, get up)

            • God resuscitates Tabitha

              • With all of the individuals in Scripture who are brought back to life, it’s “not a matter of resurrection but of resuscitation, of temporary restoration of life.” ​​ [Polhill, The New American Commentary, Acts, Vol. 26, 248]

              • Jesus is the only person who was resurrected, because He is still alive today!

              • Tabitha opened her eyes and sat up

            • Peter presents her to the believers and widows, alive!

        • Word of this incredible miracle spread fast

    • Faith through sharing (v. 42)

        • Presumably the believers and widows went throughout Joppa and shared the incredible news about Tabitha

          • They not only shared that Tabitha was alive again, but how God had used Peter to resuscitate her

          • Their faith through believing had been rewarded by the Lord

        • Their witnessing brought repentance in many who heard

          • PRINCINPLE #4 – Witnessing encourages repentance.

            • As mother’s, our desire is that our children know and follow the Lord

              • We model and teach our children how to pray before meals

              • We read them Bible stories before bed

              • We earnestly pray for them daily

              • We take them to church, VBS, and other places where they can hear God’s Word

            • As women, we show others a transformed life by the way we act and talk

            • We may share with others something miraculous that God has done in our lives or how He has answered our prayers for others

            • There are times when we actively share the Gospel with others

            • Godly women point others to Jesus.

            • In these ways, we are witnessing about Jesus to others

          • #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Witness to others about Jesus where I live, work, and play.

 

  • YOU

    • Has your faith transformed your service?

    • Are you using your giftedness for God’s glory?

    • Is prayer your first step when difficulties come?

    • Are you witnessing to others about Jesus?

 

  • WE

    • There are several great opportunities to share with others about Jesus

        • Invite someone to church

        • Invite family members, coworkers, and neighbors to the revival services coming up (May 17-23, 2021 and June 9-11, 2021)

    • We all can share with others an answered prayer or a miraculous healing we have experienced

 

CONCLUSION

“A few years ago, I somehow ended up buying two Mother's Day cards. I sent one to my mother, and because I keep a three-year calendar, I filed the other one away in the May section of the next year. Sadly, my mother died shortly after I sent that first card. Now I have a greeting card that can never be delivered—unless U.S. postal service can find a way to get it to eternity!

 

The more I've reflected on this undeliverable card, the more I've realized how it mirrors so much of life. We run into situations where we realize we can never again do what we intended. No matter how much we may want to, we can't hold on to the past. A loved one dies, and we grieve that we will never again hear their comforting, loving voice. Disease creeps in and robs us of the ability to do what we once enjoyed. An accident occurs, and in the blink of an eye, we lose some function that we took for granted. The word for these situations is finality.

 

‘Finality’ is a hard word to say. In fact, we spend a great deal of energy trying to find ways around it. We play the ‘if only’ game — ‘If only I try harder, it might get better;’ ‘If only I act better, maybe there's still a chance;’ ‘If only I pray harder, he might make it.’ But even prayer won't change some situations. My mother is gone, and the most fervent prayer won't bring her back. What prayer will do, though, is help me to remember that life is short, and I need to live a life of love while I can. I'm reminded that I should be grateful for what I have now, because it could be gone before I open next year's calendar.

 

So love now. Enjoy today. Be grateful this instant. Squeeze every drop of joy from each day. Pray hard and love deeply. And if you can, send your mom a Mother's Day card.

 

Source: Don Aycock, Palatka, Florida.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2009/april/7042709.html].

10

 

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The Right Stuff

,

THE RIGHT STUFF

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik 1 satellite starting the Cold War competition with the United States known as the Space Race. In response to the Sputnik launch, the President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, decided to create a new civilian agency called NASA, which would be responsible for the overall direction of the American space program. NASA was established on October 1, 1958 and later that same year it was decided that the human spaceflight project would be called Project Mercury. The objective of Project Mercury was to launch a man into Earth’s orbit, return him safely to the Earth, and evaluate his capabilities in space. The name “astronaut” was coined for those who would be selected to fly into space. At the end of the selection process a group of seven men were selected for Project Mercury. The seven original American astronauts were Navy Lieutenant Scott Carpenter, Air Force Captain Gordon Cooper, Marine Lieutenant Colonel John Glenn, Air Force Captain Gus Grissom, Navy Lieutenant Commander Wally Schirra, Navy Lieutenant Commander Alan Shepard, and Air Force Captain Deke Slayton. They were called the Mercury Seven and created a new profession in the United States, and established the image of the American astronaut for decades to come.

The 1983 movie, The Right Stuff, followed the Navy, Marine, and Air Force test pilots who were involved in aeronautical research at Edwards Air Force Base, California, as well as the Mercury Seven. The movie begins in 1947 with civilian and military test pilots, such as, Chuck Yeager, flight-testing high-speed aircraft. World War II hero Captain Chuck Yeager is given the chance to attempt to break the sound barrier, which he does, but he is denied the fame of his accomplishment as it is immediately classified. The movie recounts Major Yeager and friendly rival Scott Crossfield repeatedly breaking each other's speed records. After a while newly arrived United States Air Force captains Gordon "Gordo" Cooper, Virgil "Gus" Grissom, and Donald "Deke" Slayton come on the scene hoping to prove that they have "the right stuff" but are considered second-tier pilots behind Yeager and Crossfield. After the launch of the Soviet Sputnik satellite and the founding of NASA, politicians and military leaders are demanding America wage and win the emerging Space Race. When approached, Yeager is dismissive of the "spam in a can" program, saying they don't need pilots. Because of that and the fact he didn’t have a college degree he is left out of the selection process. Air Force Pilots Cooper, Grissom and Slayton decide to try out for the program as their other opportunities are limited. The movie portrays the grueling physical and mental tests given to select the initial roster of astronauts dubbed the "Mercury Seven."

In the meantime back in California, Yeager hears that a Soviet pilot holds the altitude record in a jet plane. A new Lockheed NF-104A has arrived for testing, but funding for his program is being cut as NASA's funding is increasing. Yeager decides to take it out to attempt to beat the altitude record, and upon breaking it, the jets flame out and can't be reignited. His aircraft spins out of control and he is nearly killed in a high-speed ejection. Seriously burned, Yeager simply gathers up his parachute upon landing and walks to the ambulance, proving that he still has the "right stuff." Phil Kaufman, writer and director of the movie said what he loved about the screenplay was the quality called “the right stuff” as personified by Chuck Yeager. He said, “I envisioned a movie that could be based around that central character or quality.”

The “right stuff” is defined as having the qualities needed to do or be something, especially something that most people would find difficult. It could literally be anything and everything from being the CEO of a company, a leader of a large organization, a NASCAR driver, a professional football, baseball, basketball player, or even a teacher, an electrician, a construction worker, and so much more. We all have the right stuff to do many different things, and more often than not, those are things that others would not be able to do or would not want to do. So I want you to think about this: what is the right stuff that you have that makes you special? I have mentioned before that my wife, Judy, worked for 33 years in the intellectual disabilities field. She had the right stuff to work with people with intellectual disabilities. I had a number of occasions to spend long periods of time with those folks and I realized that I didn’t not have the right stuff to work in her career. But I did have the right stuff to work with youth and have done so for over 20 years.

You also have the “right stuff”. You have the right stuff to work in the field you already work in, or have the right stuff to play a certain sport, or you may have the right stuff to be a great co-worker, friend or parent, etc. We also all have the “right stuff” when it comes to our spiritual walk or we can have the right stuff if the Holy Spirit lives within us. We have the ‘right stuff” that is needed to strive to be more like Christ, to be holy, righteous and blameless in our generation. In our scripture this morning we are going to continue to look at Noah who had the “right stuff.” In fact, God declared he had the “right stuff” when he declared him as righteous in his generation. He had the right stuff because he exemplified two important character traits. When God approached Noah about destroying the earth that he created Noah had faith in God and what he said and he obeyed what God told him to do. That brings us to our big idea this morning which is God declares those righteous who are faithful and obedient to Him. This is how we will know that God declares us righteous in our generation: If we have the right stuff, if we are living holy lives, we will be faithful and obedient to God and his Word and he will declare us righteous.

Before we look at how Noah exemplified these two traits, let’s pray: Dear Heavenly Father, we come humbly before you and your son Jesus Christ this morning in praise and honor and worship of your glories. We ask that you would fill us with your Holy Spirit as we open your Word. Give us discernment, give us insight and give us the truths of your word that we can hide in our hearts and share with those we come in contact with this week. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

There are two points to the message this morning, faith and obedience. The first point is faith and it is found in Genesis 7:1-4. This is what God’s Word says, “The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. 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.”

This is where the rubber meets the road for Noah. In last week’s message God gave Noah instructions on building the ark. He gave him very specific dimensions and gave him instructions on the animals that were to be in the ark, the people that were to be in the ark and even the food that was to be taken to sustain him and his family on the ark. Now that the ark has been built, God tells him the time is at hand to take his family and go into the ark because the flood is about to start.

Noah had been found righteous in his generation and the salvation of his family and of future humanity is specifically attributed to his righteous character. The nuance of the Hebrew word for “righteous” is having the proper attitude not necessarily the proper behavior. Noah walked with God, had the right attitude toward God, and had faith in God. He took God at his word when he said he was sending a flood to destroy the earth and wanted Noah to build an ark. Hebrews 11: 7 says, “By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” Gibson says, “Real faith is about hearing God’s voice through the din of unbelief and staking one’s life on what one hears.” But we need to remember that the account of the flood is first and foremost about the grace of God before it is about the faith of Noah. The righteousness of Noah is not on his merit but was God’s gift to him in response to his personal faith. It fulfilled the purposes of God to call Noah out of the world so the world might be saved. He was the first person with whom God made a covenant. The flood account is completely God-centered not man-centered.

We see God’s careful and deliberate provision as the time of the flood approaches. In chapter 6, God commands Noah to take two of all living creatures including birds, male and female, to keep them alive with him. Now he commands Noah to take with him seven pairs, male and his female, of every clean animal and two, male and his female, of every unclean animal and seven pairs, male and female, of the birds of the sky. This is the first time in the Bible that the terms “clean” and “unclean” are used. We can assume that Noah would have understood the importance of using “clean” animals for sacrifices even though it is not mentioned. This reminds us of the sacrifices of Cain and Abel in that scripture never reveals how they knew about the concept. This was not a contradiction of God’s command in chapter 6 but an amplification of it. God was providing Noah with the proper number of animals, clean and unclean, that he would need to not only repopulate the earth’s animal kingdom after the flood but also with the proper animals with which to offer sacrifices to God after the flood. The purpose of bringing the animals on the ark was to preserve the life of their “seed.” It is surprising that the narrator of Genesis uses this word because it is usually reserved for human procreation. But it is used here because God is also committed to preserving the animal kingdom as well as the human family. Both creations, human and animal, are precious and important to God and are objects of his compassion.

God then gives Noah further information about when the flood was going to start and how long it would last. God told Noah he would be sending the rain in seven days and the rain would last for forty days and forty nights. Kidner says, “There is urgency, yet no haste, in the seven days; time for the whole task, but none for postponements.” The rain would be a regular downfall not a torrential downpour and its duration is what would make it so potent. The forty days and forty nights assured that God would do a thorough job of cleansing the earth. God is in control of all that is happening. “The number “forty” is common in the Bible. It is a feature of the sacred calendar in ancient Israel. It marked numerous events in the lives of the patriarchs and Moses. Forty was seen as a period of atonement such as when Moses fasted for forty days in contrition for the idolatry of Israel and in the forty years the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for their rebellion against going into the Promised Land. The earth would suffer forty days and forty nights of rain in atonement for the evil done in Noah’s generation. God takes total responsibility for the flood and the destruction of every living creature he has made. By taking this responsibility God links the flood back to creation. The judgment of God is motivated by this evil generation that has been born out of Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden which now threatens the possibility of blessing.

Imagine the faith that it took for Noah to not only build an Ark of the dimensions that God gave him but to also believe in the fact that rain was going to fall from the sky. We believe that rain falling from the sky had never happened before and this would be a new phenomenon which Noah had never experienced. Also he was going to be shut up in the ark for what will be a little over a year. Last year we had a little taste of being quarantined but imagine being quarantined in your house for a year. Noah had to have faith that at some point God would stop the rain and he would be able to get out of the ark and continue to live his life. And we can only imagine what Noah felt about every living creature being wiped from the face of the earth. What would Noah and his family find when they came out of the ark? He had to have a strong faith in God to protect, provide and sustain him and his family not only in the ark but outside on the earth once the floodwaters subsided. How does our faith get strengthened? Our faith is strengthened through trials and by seeing our prayers answered. Noah was going to have his faith strengthened during this time by God as he would be faithful to Noah by fulfilling the covenant he had made with him. Noah is the first concrete example of faith in the Bible and should be the example for us all. He is the kind of person we should be as we strive to live daily holy lives in the midst of an evil and perverse world today. That brings us to our first next step which is to follow Noah’s example of living a life of faith in God in the midst of my generation.

Our second point this morning is obedience and that is found in verses 5-10. This is what God’s Word says, “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. Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth.”

After God gave him all the instructions to build the ark, to fill it with clean and unclean animals and his family and the food they were to eat while in the ark, in the NASB it says, Noah “acted in accordance with everything that the Lord had commanded him.” I like how simple it was: God commanded it and Noah did it. There was no questioning of how or why or making excuses. Noah showed he had the “right stuff” by having faith in the Lord’s plan and obeying everything that God commanded him to do. The statement of Noah’s obedience was not placed here in the story at random. It was placed here in the developing story line immediately before the beginning of the flood showing it will only take place once Noah faithfully completes the tasks given to him by God. Noah showed that he was living a righteous and holy life by doing everything that the Lord commanded him to do. (BIG IDEA)

It is not good enough to just have faith in God. We also must obey his commands completely if we want to be declared righteous in our generation. James 2:14-18 says, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.” Noah showed his faith by his deeds and we must do the same which brings us to our second next step which is to live out my faith in complete obedience to God and his Word.

Next we see that Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. If you remember he was five hundred years old when he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth. So it has been a hundred years since their birth. This is one of only two events in primeval history that are actually dated with the other being Creation. Verses 7-9 are the proof of Noah’s obedience mentioned in verse 5 and the fulfillment of verses 2-3. God commanded Noah to take his family and the clean and unclean animals into the ark and he does it. I have to assume that back in verses 2-3, Noah had no idea how he was going to get all the animals to come to the ark. By the power and authority of Almighty God the animals come to Noah and enter the ark. Noah didn’t have to worry because God had it all under his control. And just as God said after seven days the floodwaters came on the earth. Everything God said would happen has happened and the rain falls precisely on the day that God had forewarned a week earlier. The entire account of the flood, the fullness of its description, gives it weight and solemnity and proves it was a literal, historical event. Noah was faithful and obedient to God and we see God’s truthfulness and sovereignty as it plays out exactly as he said it would. ​​ God declared Noah righteous because of his faithfulness to God and by being obedient to everything God had commanded him to do. (Big Idea)

My conclusion comes from Briscoe’s commentary. There are few better people in the Bible that we should model our lives after than Noah. He is a supreme example of faith, obedience and holiness. Think about the ways he exemplified these traits. One, how he responded to revelation from God. Out of the blue he is told about a cataclysmic flood and he believed God. He was told to build an ark the length of one and a half football fields and fill it with a sampling of all the animals and he did it. Two, he had a relationship of trust in God. He trusted God when he told him the earth would be destroyed, when God told him to build an ark and that he would be shut up in the ark for more than a year. It is interesting that Noah never speaks in the flood narrative. He just continues to trust God no matter if he understood or not. Three, he had a readiness to obey. The job that God gave Noah was immense and he wasn’t overwhelmed by the responsibility put on him. Four, his faith brought blessing to not only him but to his family. He even blessed his “generation” because they were exposed to the truth even though they chose to ignore it. We also benefit from his faith and it should lead us to examine our own faith. Like Abel, “he being dead still speaks.” Five, he had a resource of power. The source of this power was grace and faith from God. No man could be expected to find in himself the resources to live as he lived. God gave him the power to go against the flow of his generation. In a picture of a school of fish all heading one way and a solitary fish swimming the opposite way, Noah was that solitary fish. “Any dead fish can float downstream – it takes a live one to swim against it.” Noah through his faith had the resources of strength to be a live fish. Six, his life was a rebuke to unfaithfulness. Noah probably rubbed people the wrong way because of his holiness and faith. 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 tells us, “It is impossible to please God without displeasing those who are opposed to him.” Jesus showed that the same seed scattered on different ground will produce entirely different results. Not because the seed alters the soil but because the seed reveals what kind of soil it has landed on. Our testimony can be convicting. We don’t get to decide how others will respond to us though we can decide how we will respond to the godliness and holiness of others. Finally, he is a reminder to the faithful. In Mathew 24:38 it says that in Noah’s day the people were getting on with their lives and ignoring Noah and his building and preaching. Then just as quickly it was over and God’s judgment fell on them. Jesus warns his disciples that the coming of the Son of God will be the same way. We need to be ready for the Lord to return at any time. Noah’s faithfulness and obedience are powerful reminders to us to look for the glorious appearing of Jesus. Noah still has something to say to us today when we are tempted to settle into our comfortable lives just like the unbelieving that we live among.

I challenge us all to be people of God who have the “right stuff” - who don’t live the comfortable lives of the world but who strive to live a life of holiness exemplified by faith in God and obedience to him and his Word.

As Gene and Roxey come to lead us in a final hymn this morning, let’s pray: Heavenly Father, give us the same power you gave Noah who was found to righteous in his generation. Let us be found righteous in our generation as well, as we have faith in you, as we completely obey you and your Word and as we pursue holiness everyday of our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen. ​​ 

 

 

 

 

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/by

“Go-pher” Broke

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Origins

“Go-pher” Broke

(Genesis 6:13-22)

 

INTRODUCTION

“A century ago, a band of brave souls became known as one-way missionaries. ​​ They purchased single tickets to the mission field without the return half. ​​ And instead of suitcases, they packed their few earthly belongings into coffins. ​​ As they sailed out of port, they waved good-bye to everyone they loved, everything they knew. ​​ They knew they’d never return home.

 

A. W. Milne was one of those missionaries. ​​ He set sail for the New Hebrides in the South Pacific, knowing full well that the headhunters who lived there had martyred every missionary before him. ​​ Milne did not fear for his life, because he had already died to himself. ​​ His coffin was packed. ​​ For thirty-five years, he lived among that tribe and loved them. ​​ When he died, tribe members buried him in the middle of their village and inscribed this epitaph on his tombstone:

 

When he came there was no light.

When he left there was no darkness.”

 

[Batterson, All In, 13]

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Diet and exercise

        • Over a year ago, Judy and I started a diet together

        • She read a book about living good daily and it included recipes and an exercise regiment

        • I was already riding my stationary bike every morning and walking about two miles in the evening

        • In the book, it mentioned that cardio was not necessarily helpful in producing weight loss (that’s exactly what I was experiencing)

        • The book recommended a 10-minute HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout

        • I was skeptical about how a 10-minute workout was going to accomplish anything

        • I finally gave in and went for broke, combining the healthy eating with the 10-minute HIIT workout

        • That’s when I started to see weight loss

        • I knew things were headed in the right direction when one of my sons grabbed my sides one day and said something about my love handles being gone

        • It wasn’t until I followed the entire recommended plan from the book that I started seeing results

        • I had to go for broke!

 

  • WE

    • Going all out

        • Every one of us probably has an example of when we went “all out” for something

        • Take a moment to think about that scenario

          • What was trying to be accomplished?

          • What sacrifices were made in order to see results?

          • Is it something that is still happening today?

 

In Genesis 6:13-22 Noah is going to receive two announcements and two instructions from the Lord. ​​ The announcements center around the destruction of the world and how it will happen. ​​ The instructions tell Noah to build an ark and then who and what to fill it with. ​​ We’ll see that Noah obeys completely. ​​ Through this passage today we’ll learn that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – ​​ God provides mercy amidst discipline.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Genesis 6:13-22)

    • Construction (vv. 13-16)

        • Announcement (v. 13)

          • God’s plan

            • God tells Noah that He is going to put an end to all people

              • God’s plan is inclusive

              • No one will escape the coming punishment (except Noah and his family, of course)

            • God’s destruction doesn’t just include people, but animals and the earth itself

              • As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, sin is not done in a void

              • Our sin affects those around us, whether we realize it or not

              • The Lord is telling Noah that the earth is filled with violence and that violence has corrupted the animals and the earth, too

              • We know this to be true because of what we see with Adam and his punishment

              • Genesis 3:17-19, To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. ​​ It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. ​​ By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken and to dust you will return.”

              • Paul reminds the Roman believers that the earth is corrupt because of humanities sin

              • Romans 8:20-21, For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

            • “The Lord is not acting impulsively or selfishly but in moral outrage against the reprehensible conduct of that generation.” ​​ [Mathews, The New American Commentary, Volume 1A, Genesis 1-11:26, 362]

          • God’s reason

            • God explains His reason behind destroying all of humanity and the earth also

            • The earth was filled with violence because of humanity

            • “Nature is intimately connected with mankind.” ​​ [Gangel & Bramer, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Genesis, 73]

            • God had given Adam and Eve (and all humanity by default) the authority to rule over the animals and the earth

            • That rule had become corrupt and violent, so the Lord had to destroy all people and the earth

          • PRINCIPLE #1 – God is just!

            • This means that God is always fair

            • He always makes the right decision

            • In our humanness we may not understand God’s justice, but we can trust that it is fair and right

            • Many people struggle with God’s justice, because they don’t like to think about judgment, punishment, pain, hurt, loss, etc.

            • They say that can’t believe in or follow a God who is so violent

            • They see His punishment as hatred instead of moral outrage

            • They only want to see God as loving and accepting of everyone

            • It’s bold of us to believe that we – as finite, sinful people – know better than God – an infinite, sinless deity

            • It’s arrogant for us to claim that we know better than God, who is all-knowing

            • God knows our heart (the part of us that thinks and feels) and is able to judge us correctly and fairly

          • So, the first part of the announcement is that the Lord is going to destroy people and the earth, including the animals

          • The Lord doesn’t just announce judgment, but He instructs Noah concerning His plan to rescue the earth and restore humanity

        • Instruction (vv. 14-16)

          • PRINCIPLE #2 – God is merciful!

            • God provides mercy amidst discipline.

            • Mercy is not getting what we do deserve

            • Perhaps we all have experienced mercy from a parent, boss, teacher, administrator/principal, etc.

            • Doing something wrong

              • Every one of us has done wrong in the past

              • When we get caught or confess on our own, our hope is that the person who is in authority over us will extend grace and mercy to us

              • Our hope is that they will give us something we don’t deserve (grace) and not give us what we do deserve (mercy)

              • In a work setting, we hope that our boss will not fire us, but give us a second chance

                • We may deserve to be fired, but they don’t fire us

                • Instead they give us a warning and perhaps additional training

            • God is providing mercy and a second chance for the earth and humanity through Noah and his family

            • So, the Lord gives Noah instructions about building an ark

          • God instructs Noah to build an ark

            • Ark

              • The Hebrew word for ark is used 14 times in Genesis

                • Seven times in the construction passage we are looking at today

                • Seven times in the passage talking about the waters subsiding (Gen. 8:1-14)

              • The only other place that the Hebrew for ark is used in the Old testament is in Exodus 2:3-5

                • This is the story about baby Moses and how his mother saved him from Pharaoh’s order to have every Hebrew baby boy thrown into the Nile

                • Moses mother got a papyrus basket (ark) and covered it in tar and pitch and put Moses in it

                • It’s incredible how many similarities there are between Noah’s story and Moses’ story

            • Materials

              • The wood he is to use has been given two names in our modern translations

                • Cypress or Gopher wood

                • The reason for the two names is because the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain

                • This is the only occurrence of the Hebrew word in the Old Testament, so we don’t have any other context with which to compare it

                • Cypress wood would be a good guess, since we know that it was used by ship builders in ancient times as a rot resistant wood [Waltke, Genesis: ​​ A Commentary, 135]

              • Pitch

                • It was some kind of substance that made the ark waterproof

                • We’re not given any additional information about the make-up of pitch

              • God not only told Noah what materials to use, He also gave him the dimensions and layout

            • Dimensions and layout

              • Dimensions

                • 450 feet long

                • 75 feet wide

                • 45 feet high

                • [show two images to give idea of the size]

                • It was most likely a flat bottomed barge-like boat that was designed for flotation and not navigation

                  • There is no mention of a rudder or sail, which would have been used for navigation

                  • Noah and his family had to rely on the Lord to carry them along

                  • This is true for us today as we go through life’s storms (we can trust God, by faith, to carry us through – to be our Navigator. ​​ We can leave it in God’s hands and watch Him do the miraculous)

                • Now we know the dimensions of the ark, but what else do we know about it?

              • Layout

                • It was to have a roof over it

                  • The reference to completing it to within 18 inches of the top is probably to allow for ventilation and light

                  • It was also a way for Noah to release the birds after the flood waters stopped rising

                • Door

                  • The door on the side was to allow for the loading of the ark

                  • We know that God is the One who shut the door once everything was inside

                • Decks

                  • There were three levels to the ark (lower, middle, and upper decks)

                  • The dimensions for the decks are not given in Scripture

          • PRINCIPLE #3 – God provides wisdom and guidance.

            • God provides mercy amidst discipline and with His mercy He also provides wisdom and guidance to accomplish His purposes

            • He gave Noah specific instructions on how to build an ark that would preserve he and his family’s lives and the lives of a pair of animals of every kind

            • God can and will do the same for us

              • As someone who was righteous before God and blameless among his peers, Noah knew that he could count on God to provide wisdom and guidance as he faced the total destruction of humanity and the world

              • We may not be facing the total destruction of humanity and the world, but the storms in our life can be very overwhelming and difficult to navigate

              • Storms of life

                • Educational challenges

                • Relational challenges (family, friends, neighbors, coworkers)

                • Financial challenges (loss of job, unexpected bill, more bills than money, etc.)

                • Health challenge (no insurance, not enough insurance, medical debt, chronic pain, surgery)

                • Spiritual challenge (doubting God, questioning your faith, hurt by someone who claims to be a follower of Jesus, etc.)

              • As we pursue holiness (righteous and blameless) we will know that we can trust God to provide wisdom and guidance through those storms

              • God will provide just what we need, right when we need it

              • He will provide next steps and support through His Word, prayer, and other believers

              • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Trust the Lord to provide wisdom and guidance through the difficult storm I’m experiencing.

        • This concludes the first cycle of announcement and instruction and what we see next is additional information concerning the first announcement and instruction

        • The same information is communicated again with more details and additional information

    • Covenant (vv. 17-21)

        • Announcement (v. 17)

          • The Lord announces again that He is going to destroy all life – everything that has the breath of life in it

            • Everything that has the breath of life would include humans, animals, creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air (Gen. 6:7)

            • The creatures in the waters would be safe, because more water wasn’t going to be a problem for them

            • As in verse 13, we see the justice of God

          • The way in which the Lord was going to destroy all life is now mentioned

            • This is additional information that gives us more detail to verse 13

            • The Lord is going to bring floodwaters on the earth

            • We won’t spend time today explaining how that happened, because it will be explained later in chapter 7

          • In verses 18-21 we see additional information about how God will extend His mercy in order to accomplish His plan and purpose

        • Instruction (vv. 18-21)

          • Covenant (v. 18a)

            • This is the first time in the Old Testament that the Hebrew word for “covenant” is used

              • A covenant is an agreement between individuals who already have a relationship and involves both obligations and benefits [Waltke, 136; Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Old Testament, Genesis-Deuteronomy, 45]

              • Example of marriage

                • The marriage relationship is a great example of a covenant

                • In most cases, aside from arranged marriages, there is a period of time when a man and woman get to know each other (dating/courting)

                • Then there is the commitment phase when the man asks the woman to marry him (engagement)

                • Finally, there is the covenant ceremony, which binds the man and woman together (wedding day!)

                • Before the covenant ceremony, a relationship has already been established

                • Hopefully the husband and wife have discussed their expectations concerning obligations and benefits within the marriage relationship (this should be accomplished through premarital counseling)

              • There were two basic covenants in the Ancient Near East [Gangel & Bramer, 82]

                • Parity covenant

                  • This was a covenant between equals

                  • Abraham and Abimelech (Gen. 21:22-32)

                  • Isaac and Abimelech (Gen. 26:26-33)

                  • Jacob and Laban (Gen. 31:44-54)

                • Suzerainty covenant

                  • This was a covenant between a superior and inferior (i.e. – king and vassal)

                  • God and Abraham (Gen. 15:18)

                  • God and the nation of Israel (Ex. 19)

                  • God and Noah (Gen. 6:18)

            • “God is faithful to keep His promises, and as God’s covenant people, the eight believers had nothing to fear.” ​​ [Wiersbe, 45]

            • God provides mercy amidst discipline.

          • Filling the ark (vv. 18b-21)

            • Noah’s family

              • We’re told that Noah, his wife, his sons, and their wives would be on the ark and safe from the floodwaters

              • This was God’s benefit for them as part of the covenant He had made

              • God’s obligation was to protect them and sustain them during the flood

              • Part of the obligation for Noah’s family was to take care of the animals and gather the necessary food for the ark

            • Animals

              • Noah was to bring two of every kind of living creature into the ark

                • Every kind of bird

                • Every kind of animal

                • Every kind of creature that moves along the ground

              • The pair were to be male and female, which would be important after the flood, to repopulate the earth

              • Noah and his family were to keep them alive (another important part for after the flood)

              • All of the animals, creatures, and birds would come to Noah

                • [show picture from Evan Almighty]

                • God would be the One who directed the animals to Noah

                • Noah and his family would not have to go out and track down and capture a pair of every kind of animal, creature, and bird

                • Noah and his family not only experienced God’s faithfulness, but also His sovereignty as the animals came to them

            • Food

              • Obviously they would need food during their stay on the ark

              • Another obligation for Noah and his family was the gathering of food for themselves and the animals

        • The covenant between God and Noah required that Noah do a couple of things – build an ark and fill it with animals and food

        • In verse 22 we see that Noah obeyed

    • Compliance (v. 22)

        • Noah followed all of the commands of the Lord

        • PRINCIPLE #4 – God is pleased when His people obey completely.

          • We see Noah’s character once again

          • His righteousness is evident through his obedience

          • God knew that He could trust Noah to complete everything He had commanded him to do

          • How about us?

            • Can God trust us and count on us to complete everything He has commanded us to do?

            • Corporately

              • God has commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20)

              • How are we doing as a body of believers at Idaville Church

              • I’m looking forward to the revival services to see how God will work supernaturally in the lives of those He is drawing

            • Individually

              • God uses us as individuals to accomplish His commission

              • Who are the six people you are praying will come to the revival services

              • Is God prompting you to share the Gospel with someone now?

              • Has God called you to be a missionary or a pastor?

              • Is there someone who is lonely or in need that God has been prompting you to reach out too and help?

            • Have we been obedient to God’s commands for us?

          • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Be obedient to do everything that God has commanded me to do.

        •  

 

  • YOU

    • Are you trusting God to provide guidance and wisdom through the difficult storm you are experiencing?

    • Will you obediently do everything that God has commanded you to do?

 

  • WE

    • Are we accomplishing the Great Command and the Great Commission as a church?

    • Are we preparing to reach our community with the Gospel through the revival services in May?

 

CONCLUSION

“In the 1880s, if you wanted a good life with a good job, you moved to Johnstown, PA. The Pennsylvania Main Line Canal came through town, so that brought jobs. So did the Pennsylvania Railroad. And the Cambria Iron Works. Families were moving in from Wales. From Germany. Not to mention there are beautiful mountains, covered with forest, all around town. And right through the town runs the Conemaugh River.

 

In fact, the area is so beautiful, the country’s richest people—Andrew Carnegie and Andrew Mellon—would come out from Pittsburgh to hunt and fish at a private club up above town, where an old earth dam had been modified to make a fishing lake for them.

 

On May 30, 1889, a huge rainstorm came through and dropped six to 10 inches of rain. Despite that weather, the next day the town lined up along Main Street for the Memorial Day parade. The Methodist pastor, H. L. Chapman, said, “The morning was delightful, the city was in its gayest mood, with flags, banners and flowers everywhere ... The streets were more crowded than we had ever seen before.”

 

And then the old dam miles above town collapsed, releasing almost four billion gallons of water. When that wall of water and debris hit Johnstown 57 minutes later, it was 60 feet high and traveling at 40 miles an hour. People tried to escape by running toward high ground. But over 2,000 of the 30,000 people in town died. Some bodies were found as far away as Cincinnati, and some were not discovered until 20 years later.

 

The Johnstown Flood remains one of the greatest tragedies in American history, behind only the Galveston Hurricane and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. And in every one of those cases, life was fine. Until it wasn’t. In a moment, in a way that was unexpected and most people were not prepared for, something cataclysmic occurred, and people were swept away.”

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2020/april/not-ready-for-flood.html].

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/by

Faith Alone

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Origins

Faith Alone

(Genesis 6:9-12)

 

INTRODUCTION

“In his book, Faith That Endures, Ronald Boyd-MacMillan tells the story of a number of conversations he has had with Wang Mingdao, one of China's most famous church pastors of the last century. The first time he met this famous—and persecuted—Chinese pastor, they had the following interchange:

 

‘Young man, how do you walk with God?’ I listed off a set of disciplines such as Bible study and prayer, to which he mischievously retorted, ‘Wrong answer. To walk with God, you must go at walking pace.’

 

The words of Wang Mingdao touched me to the core. How can I talk about the Christian life as walking with God when I so often live it at a sprint? Of course, we ‘run with perseverance the race marked out for us,’ but we may fail to run with ‘our eyes [fixed] on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith’ (Heb 12:1-2). Jesus is inviting me to walk with him. Too often, I find myself running for him. There's a difference!

 

On another visit, Boyd-MacMillan asked Wang Mingdao about his twenty-year imprisonment for proclaiming Jesus in China. That cell became a place of unchosen unhurried time for Mingdao. There was nothing to do but to be in God's presence, which he discovered was actually everything. Boyd-MacMillan summarizes what he learned from Wang Mingdao:

 

One of the keys to the faith of the suffering church: God does things slowly. He works with the heart. We are too quick. We have so much to do—so much in fact we never really commune with God as he intended when he created Eden, the perfect fellowship garden. For Wang Mingdao, persecution, or the cell in which he found himself, was the place where he returned to ‘walking pace,’ slowing down, stilling himself enough to commune properly with God.”

 

Source: Ronald Boyd-MacMillan, Faith That Endures (Revell, 2006), p. 307; Allan Fadling, An Unhurried Life (IVP, 2013), pp. 13-14.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2020/may/secret-of-walking-with-god.html]

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Running instead of walking

        • Leading up to Easter and now preparing for the revival services, I am keenly aware that I am running for God, instead of walking with Him

        • Over the past several years, the Lord has been prompting me about a Sabbath rest

          • It’s different than a day off

          • It’s a day, each week, where I spend time reflecting on God and sitting in His presence and perhaps walking with Him

          • I must confess that I’ve yet to accomplish a weekly Sabbath rest

        • Distractions

          • Satan wants nothing more than for me to be distracted and running for God

          • When I’m doing that, I’m not really communing with Him

 

  • WE

    • Distractions

        • Our culture is such that we are distracted, even as followers of Jesus Christ

        • We are so busy doing, doing, doing, that we aren’t even thinking about being with God

        • We’re not really walking with God

        • We’re not pursuing holiness and righteousness

        • Our family, friends, and coworkers would probably not characterize us as blameless

 

Noah stood out in his culture. ​​ He was different. ​​ His neighbors and the Lord recognized his character. ​​ He was not influenced by the culture of his day, but tried to influence them.  ​​​​ We have to ask ourselves the question that Noah probably asked himself . . .

 

BIG QUESTION – ​​ Am I influencing others or being influenced by them?

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Genesis 6:9-12)

    • Noah’s faith (vv. 9-10)

        • Toledot

          • This is the third toledot (origins of/account of) in Genesis

          • It is the account/origin of Noah’s line

          • It encompasses four chapters and is pretty significant, because it covers the flood narrative

          • After the introductory “origin” statement, we see Noah’s character before God and with others

        • Noah’s character

          • Before God

            • Righteous

              • This is the first time this Hebrew word is used in the Bible and it’s only used of Noah in Genesis

              • It can also be defined as faithful

              • Hamilton states that he was “habitually righteous” [Hamilton, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis Chapters 1-17, 277]

                • That speaks of his character, it was who he was (mind, body, and soul)

                • He wasn’t someone different at home and in the public square

                • He followed the Lord in every area of his life

                • He was concerned about honoring God and following His commands [Gangel & Bramer, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Genesis, 72]

              • “Noah’s righteousness didn’t come from his good works; his good works came because of his righteousness. ​​ Like Abraham, his righteousness was God’s gift in response to his personal faith. ​​ Both Abraham and Noah believed God’s Word ‘and it was counted to [them] for righteousness’ (Gen. 15:6; see Heb. 11:7; Rom. 4:9ff; Gal. 3:1ff).” ​​ [Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Old Testament, Genesis-Deuteronomy, 44]

                • God is the One who called Noah righteous, it wasn’t Noah who claimed that description for himself

                • Noah had faith that God was real and that he needed to serve, honor, and follow Him

                • His faith in God affected every area of his life

                  • It affected his thought life

                  • It affected how he dealt with his wife

                  • It affected how he raised his children

                  • It affected how he conducted business

                  • It affected how he related to other people

            • His relationships with other people were blameless

          • With others

            • Blameless

              • It means perfect, whole, complete, sound, unblemished, having integrity, free from defect, moral uprightness

              • I’m reminded of the requirements for a sacrificial animal as it pertains to the word blameless

                • The same Hebrew word is used in Exod. 12:5; Lev. 1:3, 10; 3:1, 6

                • Exodus 12:5, The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.

                • Leviticus 3:1, “If someone’s offering is a fellowship offering, and he offers an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he is to present before the Lord an animal without defect.

            • “Blameless denotes to abstain from sin, not to be without sin.” ​​ [Waltke, Genesis A Commentary, 133]

              • We know that Noah was not sinless, because he was human (all humans are born sinners)

              • His neighbors could not find anything to accuse him of, that would point to unrighteousness, evil, or corruption

              • He probably would have been labeled a “goody two-shoes” (uncommonly good)

              • “His righteousness and blamelessness is in comparison to the people of his time . . . [it] do[es] not generally indicate one’s absolute righteousness or blamelessness relative to God’s standards but indicates one’s status on the human scale.” ​​ [Walton, The NIV Application Commentary, Genesis, 311]

          • Because Noah was righteous in God’s sight and his conduct was blameless with his peers, it was evident that he walked with God

        • Walked with God

          • “His righteousness and integrity were manifested in his walking with God . . .” ​​ [Kiel & Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 1, The Pentateuch, 89]

          • We see the spiritual legacy of Seth’s line through the phrase “walked with God”

            • We know that Enoch “walked with God” (he was Noah’s great grandfather)

            • In fact, Enoch’s “walk with God” was so profound that he escaped death

            • Noah’s “walk with God” meant that he would escape the judgment of the flood

            • While nothing is said about Methuselah (Noah’s grandfather) and Lamech (Noah’s father) walking with God, it’s apparent that they passed down the spiritual legacy, since Noah walked with God

          • We see this incredible spiritual legacy down through Noah, then the next generation is identified

        • Noah’s sons

          • Noah’s sons were Shem, Ham, and Japheth

          • These three guys are going to be responsible to repopulate the earth after the flood – that’s pretty significant!

          • The order in which Noah’s sons are listed is based on their importance for biblical history and not their birth order

            • Birth order

              • Japheth is the oldest, Sons were also born to Shem, whose older brother was Japheth . . . (Gen. 10:21)

              • Shem was the middle son

              • Ham was the youngest son, Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside . . . When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said, “Cursed be Canaan! ​​ The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” (Gen. 9:22, 24)

            • Biblical history

              • In chapter 11 of Genesis we will see the origins of Shem (the beginning of another toledot)

              • It’s through Shem’s line that Abraham is born

              • We know that through Abraham’s line, Jesus is born

          • Noah’s faith is a valuable model for us as we relate to God and others

        • Application

          • PRINCIPLE #1 – God is pleased when His people live in a right relationship with Him and others.

            • Relationship with God

              • It most cases, if I asked someone if they are good with God, they would probably answer “Yes!”

              • If I asked them if they were going to heaven, they would most likely say, “Yes!”

              • When asked by what standard they believe they are good with God or going to heaven, it inevitably centers around them being a good person and God being loving

              • Certainly God is loving, but He’s also just

              • Sin

                • Isaiah 53:6, We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

                • This is the human condition – we are sinners, wanting our own way

                • The Good Person test lets us know that we are not really good people according to God’s standard (liar, thief, blasphemous, adulterer, murderer at heart)

                • Romans 3:23, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

              • God’s plan

                • Jeremiah 31:3, The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.

                • God’s great love for us compelled Him to provide a way for us to overcome our human condition of sinfulness

                • His plan was to send His one and only Son, Jesus Christ from heaven to earth to take our punishment for sin

                • 1 Peter 2:21-22, To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. ​​ “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

                • Jesus came as the perfect sacrifice for sin

                • He willingly died on a cross, so that we could be free from the debt of sin

                • Romans 3:23-26, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ​​ God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. ​​ He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

                • Ephesians 2:8-9, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.

                • Noah was saved from the impending flood, because of his faith in God – there wasn’t anything he did to earn it, it was God’s gift to him, because of his faithfulness

                • He wasn’t being influenced by those around him, but attempted to influence them

                • We can be saved from eternal death (hell) by having faith in Jesus Christ and His blood shed for us on the cross

              • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Accept God’s grace gift of salvation, through faith in Jesus Christ.

              • We can’t live in a right relationship with God without Jesus and the same is true concerning relationships with others

            • Relationships with others

              • As followers of Jesus Christ, we have the Holy Spirit living in us to help us in our relationships

              • Read Philippians 2:12-16

              • Selfishness is perhaps the key to every sin, and selfishness hurts every relationship we have

              • Take a moment to think about the last conflict you had with someone (spouse, child, neighbor, coworker, etc.)

              • If we’re truly honest with ourselves, the conflict probably happened because one or both people involved wanted their own way – the sin of selfishness

                • James 4:1-3, What causes fights and quarrels among you? ​​ Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? ​​ You want something but don’t get it. ​​ You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. ​​ You quarrel and fight. ​​ You do not have, because you do not ask God. ​​ When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

                • James spells it our clearly – we have desires that battle within us (selfishness)

              • I recently watched a video of a YouTuber and his wife who shared that they had been alcohol free for around two years. ​​ They talked about how the consumption of alcohol is culturally accepted and perhaps encouraged (if you aren’t drinking alcohol, then there must be something wrong with you). ​​ They realized that the times they experienced conflict in their marriage was when they were drunk. So, they eliminated the thing that was causing conflict. ​​ They are teaching their children what they have learned through this.

              • Are you currently struggling in a relationship with someone? (family, friend, coworker, etc.)

              • Will you willingly take time to do some self-evaluation to determine if you are wanting your own way?

              • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Ask the Lord to reveal any selfishness I’m experiencing in any relationship and then confess that before Him.

                • Conflict can be resolved when we acknowledge the part we’re playing in it

                • It can also be resolved when we pray for the other person(s) involved

                • It’s also important to go to that individual and ask them to forgive you for being selfish

            • There’s another principle from these two verses that is important

          • PRINCIPLE #2 – Faith is possible even if it’s done alone.

            • We come to God and are saved by faith alone, but there are times when it feels like we are living out our faith, alone (in a void)

            • Noah certainly experienced that as he remained faithful in a corrupt and violent world

            • He had to determine if he would influence others or be influenced by them

            • The same is true for us

              • It may seem like everyone around you is choosing the things of this world

              • Perhaps you’re struggling to find other people who are pursuing holiness like you are

              • There are family members, friends, coworkers, and fellow church attenders who act a different way depending on the crowd they’re hanging out with

              • I want to encourage you to remain faithful!

                • It’s possible to remain faithful even when everyone else isn’t

                • It doesn’t matter what age you are, what gender, what race or nationality

                • Every one of us, as followers of Jesus Christ, has the Holy Spirit living in us to empower us to remain faithful

              • You are not alone!

              • Story of Elijah

                • Read 1 Kings 19:9b-19a

                • Notice that Elijah felt like he was living out his faith, alone

                • God shared with him that He had reserved 7,000 in Israel who had remained faithful

                • Then God directs Elijah to Elisha

                • God provided someone to walk together with Elijah, so that he didn’t feel isolated and alone

              • Noah had the support of his family (wife, sons, and daughter-in-laws)

              • If you are feeling like you are living out your faith alone, be encouraged that there are others who are feeling the same way

              • #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Ask the Lord to connect me with at least one other person who is remaining faithful.

        • Noah was righteous and blameless, but the rest of the earth was not

    • Earth’s folly (vv. 11-12)

        • Repetition

          • Earth

            • It’s used three times in these two verses

            • The people were obviously corrupt and their corruption and violence had corrupted the earth

            • God had to destroy both the animate and inanimate objects because of the corruption

          • Corrupt

            • This word is used three times in these two verses to highlight how bad it had become

            • Last week we learned that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time (Gen. 6:5)

        • Violence

          • “Humanity has devastated the earth by filling it with violence or violation (ḥāmās; 6:11, 13). ​​ It is the first use of the verb ‘fill’ since 1:22-23, 28. ​​ God had commissioned human beings to fill the earth, and they had filled it all right, but not as commissioned.” ​​ [Goldingay, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament, Pentateuch, 141]

          • The violence that’s being identified here involves threatening other people and probably physically hurting them too

          • It was all motivated by selfishness

        • History repeating itself

          • Every generation is looking forward to Christ’s return

          • Every generation is convinced that the time is drawing near, based on the corruption and violence we see

          • Over the past couple of years, it seems like corruption and violence are running wild in our culture

            • The protests and violence have continued to happen across our nation is difficult to comprehend aside from understanding Biblical history and the end times

            • The political unrest is greater than I can remember in my lifetime

            • The social unrest is hard to watch and hear about

            • The “cancelling” of our freedoms is alarming

            • But don’t be disheartened, there is hope

          • Jesus is coming!!!

            • Read Matthew 24:36-41

            • Corruption and violence will cover the earth

            • People will be thinking about evil all the time

 

  • YOU

    • How is your relationship with God and others?

    • Are you remaining faithful?

 

  • WE

    • We need to remain faithful, even if we have to do it alone

    • We have to ask ourselves, “Am I influencing others or being influenced by them?”

 

CONCLUSION

“In Executive Edge newsletter, management-consultant Ken Blanchard retells the story of a little girl named Schia (which first appeared in a book titled Chicken Soup for the Soul). When Schia was 4 years old, her baby brother was born.

 

‘Little Schia began to ask her parents to leave her alone with the new baby. They worried that, like most 4-year-olds, she might want to hit or shake him, so they said no.’ Over time, though, since Schia wasn't showing signs of jealousy, they changed their minds and decided to let Schia have her private conference with the baby.

 

‘Elated, Schia went into the baby's room and shut the door, but it opened a crack--enough for her curious parents to peek in and listen. They saw little Schia walk quietly up to her baby brother, put her face close to his, and say, 'Baby, tell me what God feels like. I'm starting to forget.’’ Have you grown older and forgotten God? It's not too late to return to the one who created you. Jesus taught that to enter the kingdom of God, we must simply receive it like a little child (Mark 10:15).”

 

Source: Leadership, Vol. 16, no. 3.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1997/august/3308.html]

 

The longer we’re alive and the longer we’re a follower of Jesus Christ, we can run the risk of not remaining faithful (forgetting what God feels like). ​​ We can recapture those feelings and remain faithful by slowing down our pace and walking with God.

11

 

/by

Finding Favor

, ,

Origins

Finding Favor

(Genesis 6:1-8)

 

INTRODUCTION

“For some reason, human beings can't walk in a straight line. There's just something about our inner orientation that causes us to walk in a crooked or warped way. That's the conclusion of Robert Krulwich, science correspondent for NPR. In an interview on Morning Edition, Krulwich cites a study from Jan Souman, a scientist from Germany, who blindfolded his subjects and then asked them to walk for an hour in a straight line. Without exception, people couldn't do it. Of course everybody thinks they're walking in a straight line, until they remove the blindfolds and see their crooked path.

 

Krulwich observed,

 

This tendency has been studied now for at least a century. We animated field tests from the 1920s, so you can literally see what happens to men who are blindfolded and told to walk across a field in a straight line, or swim across a lake in a straight line …, and they couldn't. In the animation, you see them going in these strange loop-de-loops in either direction. Apparently, there's a profound inability in humans to [walk] straight.

 

According to this research, there's only one way we can walk in a straight line: by focusing on something ahead of us—like a building, a landmark, or a mountain. If we can fix our eyes on something ahead of us, we can make ourselves avoid our normal crooked course. Krulwich concludes, ‘Without external cues, there's apparently something in us that makes us turn [from a straight path].’”

 

Source: Steve Inskeep, "Mystery: Why We Can't Walk Straight?" NPR: Morning Edition (11-22-10).

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2011/may/5050211.html]

 

As followers of Jesus Christ we realize that in order for us to “walk a straight line” we have to fix our eyes on God.

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Blessings of our marriage

        • One of the blessings of our marriage is that Judy and I both grew up attending United Brethren in Christ churches

        • We met at Huntington College (now Huntington University), which is the denominational college of the United Brethren in Christ church

        • We were both followers of Jesus Christ when we met

        • Because of our faith and common upbringing, we had the same goals and we were fixing our eyes on God

        • Those same goals and focus have enabled us, over the years, to stay connected and growing in our love and dedication to each other

        • God brought us together for a purpose, to serve Him in ministry

 

  • WE

    • Not everyone has experienced what Judy and I have experienced

    • We realize that and our heart breaks for those who have struggled in their marriages and have even gotten divorced

    • Story of one person

        • There is one person I know who said after two days of being married, they realized they had made a mistake

        • They were not following the Lord (their eyes were not fixed on the Lord) when they met their spouse and subsequently married someone who was not a follower of Jesus Christ

        • This created problems in the marriage, which finally resulted in divorce

        • This person deals with regret, because of marrying someone who was not a believer

        • This story is not an isolated incident – it probably happens more often than we know

        • Perhaps every one of us knows of someone who has experienced this or maybe we have experienced it ourselves

 

We’ll see today that the population of the earth exploded and that sin was rampant. ​​ This broke God’s heart as He watched godly individuals compromise their convictions and marry ungodly individuals. ​​ While this happened on a large scale, there was still hope, because of one man and his family, who had their eyes fixed on God. ​​ We’ll learn today that . . .

BIG IDEA – Our heart will find what it’s looking for.

 

If our eyes are fixed on the things of this world, then our heart will find the things of this world.

 

If our eyes are fixed on the Lord, then our heart will find the things of the Lord.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Genesis 6:1-8)

    • Pursuit of Sin (vv. 1-4)

        • Population of the earth in Noah’s time

          • The population began to increase in number

          • “If a man has four kids and lives to see his kids have kids, in five generations his family will number ninety-six. ​​ In ten generations, the population will jump to 3,070. ​​ In twenty generations, the population soars to 3,120,000. ​​ And in thirty generations, it skyrockets to 3,220,000,000. ​​ If a generation is forty years, with at least forty generations listed in Genesis 5, the population on earth in Noah’s day would have conservatively been billions and billions of people.” ​​ [Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary, Old Testament, Volume 1: ​​ Genesis-Job, 29]

          • The Population Reference Bureau lists the world’s population at 7.8 billion in 2020

          • Noah probably lived when the population on the earth was higher than it is now

          • This is hard for us to wrap our minds around, because we see the genealogy in Genesis 5 and it seems so compact in 32 verses

          • We never really stop to think about what is really being said when they list the first born son and then mention that the individual had other sons and daughters

        • Mixed marriages

          • Sons of God

            • There are three views concerning who they were

              • Angelic beings

                • This view was held unanimously up to the second century A.D.

                • Scholars view these angelic beings as being either angels or fallen angels, so there is division about that also

                • The phrase “sons of God” is used in three other places in the Old Testament that refer to angels (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7)

              • Rulers/Kings

                • The Hebrew word for God (Elohim) is used for rulers in Ex. 22:8-9 and Ps. 82:6

                • Those who hold to this belief focus on those passages

              • Sethites

                • This view focuses on the passages where those who are spiritual are called God’s children (Deut. 14:1)

                • We know from Genesis 4:26 that during the time that Seth had his son, Enosh, that men began to call on the name of the Lord

                • We also know that it’s from Seth’s line that Noah comes, and from Noah’s line that Abraham is born, and eventually Jesus

            • What makes it most difficult to determine, which view is correct is that all of them can be defended with Scripture

          • Daughters of men

            • This distinction doesn’t need any further explanation

            • These were human women

          • Married any of them they chose

            • The Hebrew word for marriage is the usual word used for marriage and does not carry any connotations of the “daughters of men” being forced to have sexual relationships with the “sons of God” or forced into marriage (it was consensual – agreed upon by both parties)

            • What exactly is the concern here with the sons of God marrying the daughters of men?

            • Let’s return to the three views of who the sons of God are [Walton, The NIV Application Commentary, Genesis, 291]

              • Angelic beings

                • The concern with human women marrying angelic beings is the transgression of boundaries

                • In the creation story we know that God said that each tree was to produce its own kind and every animal was to reproduce its own kind

                • The same would be true for human beings

                • The reproduction of angelic beings with human beings would produce demigods, as the mythological accounts tell us

              • Rulers/Kings

                • The concern with human women marrying human rulers was that the rulers of the day would have married multiple women

                • The offense would have been polygamy or promiscuity

                • We already saw that with Lamech in Cain’s line (not to be confused with Lamech from Seth’s line)

              • Sethites

                • The concern with human women marrying human men from Seth’s line is the mixing of godly with ungodly

                • The offense would have been spiritual exogamy (marriage outside the group)

            • Godly and ungodly lines of humanity

              • Because the punishment that is coming, is for mankind only, I tend to shy away from the view that the “sons of God” were angelic beings

              • The identification of the “sons of God” is less important than the principle or truth behind it

              • “Whatever position one takes on the identification of ‘sons of God,’ the truth remains that there was a sin of improper, mixed marriage that resulted in great sin and eventually necessitated God’s world-wide judgment.” ​​ [Gangel & Bramer, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Genesis, 66]

              • PRINCIPLE #1 – God is concerned about proper marriage, because godly marriages are the foundation of a righteous society.

                • Choosing a spouse is a serious matter, before the Lord

                • We should be very careful who we marry

                • In fact, we should be very careful who we date, because once an emotional attachment is formed it’s very difficult to break that connection, even when we know we should

                • Paul talks about not being yoked with unbelievers when he writes the Corinthian believers

                • 2 Corinthians 6:14-16a, Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. ​​ For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? ​​ Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? ​​ What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? ​​ What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? ​​ What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? ​​ For we are the temple of the living God.

                • If you are in a dating relationship with an unbeliever, I would encourage you to seek the Lord about ending that relationship

                  • Marriage is sacred!

                  • Marriage is for a lifetime (until death do us part)!

                • If you’re in a marriage with an unbeliever, listen to Paul’s advice to the Corinthian believers

                • 1 Corinthians 7:12-14, To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): ​​ If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. ​​ And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. ​​ For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. ​​ Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

                • If God is concerned about proper marriages, then we should be concerned about it too

              • The sons of God were being indiscriminate in who they were choosing to marry and in some cases they were choosing ungodly women – the reverse was probably true also – ungodly men were choosing godly women

              • Our heart will find what it’s looking for.

              • NOTE: ​​ We see repeated here what happened with Eve and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil – both of them saw something that was good/beautiful and they took it

          • It was improper, mixed marriages and the resulting sin that followed that prompted the Lord to remove His Spirit from mankind

        • Time of grace

          • “In withdrawing his ‘spirit,’ the Lord no longer graciously preserves their life span. ​​ ‘The attempt by man to become more than he is results in his becoming less.’” ​​ [Eslinger cited by Mathews, The New American Commentary, Volume 1A, Genesis 1-11:26, 332]

          • Obviously, after all of humanity was destroyed through the flood, the Spirit of God would no longer remain with them

          • With the removal of the Spirit comes this period of grace prior to the punishment

            • Growing up I always read this passage and thought that it meant that human beings would not live longer than 120 years

              • We know that some of the Patriarchs lived longer than 120 years (Abraham lived 175 years)

              • I don’t know that in our modern age that many people even make it to 120 years old

            • In studying for this message, it’s fascinating that many scholars believe that the 120 years was a period of grace prior to the flood

              • Potentially how long it took the build the ark

                • Genesis 5:32, After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

                • Genesis 7:6, Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth.

              • God was providing a time for humanity to repent before He wiped them out

                • It seems that He used Noah to preach righteousness to them during this time

                • 2 Peter 2:5, if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others

                • PRINCIPLE #2 – God is patient with His creation.

                  • This is especially true when it comes to salvation

                  • Peter continues writing to believers and reminds them about how God destroyed the earth by flood (2 Peter 3:5-6)

                  • Then he reminds us of God’s patience when he says, The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. ​​ He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)

                  • It’s mind blowing to realize that God pronounced judgment on humanity and then waited a hundred years to act, so that they would have an opportunity to repent and turn to Him

                  • God is still patient with His creation today

                  • Perhaps that’s a truth that you need to hold on to today, especially if you have been praying for years for a loved one to repent and turn to Jesus for salvation

                  • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Claim the promise that God is patient, especially with those who need to repent.

          • In verse 4 we basically have information that helps us place this story in time

        • Time frame

          • Nephilim

            • The Hebrew word can mean “giants” or “fallen”

            • “Luther gives the correct meaning, ‘tyrants:’ they were called Nephilim because they fell upon the people and oppressed them.” ​​ [Kiel & Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 1, The Pentateuch, 86-87]

            • These giant, fallen, tyrants were on the earth before and after the sons of God and the daughters of men were marrying

          • Heroes of old, men of renown

            • It is most natural in the sentence structure to connect the heroes of old, men of renown with the sons and daughters

            • These were the offspring of those marriages

            • The Nephilim were not the heroes of old, men of renown

        • We’ve seen the pursuit of sin in the first four verses and now we see the punishment for sin

    • Punishment for Sin (vv. 5-8)

        • The Lord saw (v. 5)

          • He saw that humanity was caught up in wickedness – they were focused on it – their eyes were fixed on it

          • He saw that human beings thought about evil all the time

            • “Wickedness is an inner compulsion that dominates their thoughts and is not just overt action; they plot evil as a matter of lifestyle.” ​​ [Mathews, 340]

            • That’s the human condition

            • We are all born sinners (Rom. 3:23)

            • Romans 3:10-12, As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. ​​ All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

          • That’s what God saw and it grieved Him

        • The Lord grieved (v. 6)

          • PRINCIPLE #3 – God is grieved when His people choose evil over righteousness.

            • Our heart will find what it’s looking for.

            • If our heart is looking for evil, it will find evil

            • If our heart is looking for righteousness, it will find righteousness

          • The imagery here is of a parent who is grieving and feeling the pain associated with losing a child or having a child walk away from the Lord

            • That child is fixing their eyes on the world instead of God

            • Their heart is finding what it’s looking for, but that brings incredible pain to us as parents or loved ones

          • “Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright shares this brief moment she shared with Holocaust survivor and author, ElieWiesel:

            Not long after September 11, I was on a panel with Elie Wiesel. He asked us to name the unhappiest character in the Bible. Some said Job, because of the trials he endured. Some said Moses, because he was denied entry into the Promised Land. Some said Mary, because she witnessed the crucifixion of her son. Wiesel said he believed the right answer was God, because of the pain he must surely feel in seeing us fight, kill, and abuse each other in the Lord's name.”

            Source: Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, in a talk given to Yale Divinity School in March 2004

            [https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2007/october/8100107.html]

          • This didn’t take God by surprise, but knowing that it was going to happen didn’t lessen the pain [Goldingay, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament, Pentateuch, 126]

          • After grieving and experiencing the pain of His creation rebelling, the Lord had to act

        • The Lord said (v. 7)

          • Humankind, animals of all kinds, and birds will be wiped out

            • This was God’s punishment for the human race, that thought about evil continually

            • The animals and birds were an unfortunate side effect of humanity’s sin

              • They weren’t going to be able to tread water for 40 plus days

              • This is a reminder that our sin doesn’t just affect us, but it affects others

            • “The Lord audited the accounts because he had made humankind in the earth and his heart tormented him (i.e., he was distressed) over it. ​​ So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe humankind, who I have created, from the face of the earth . . . because I have audited the accounts since I have made them.’” ​​ [Walton, 310-11]

          • PRINCIPLE #4 – God is just and must punish sin.

            • Many people struggle with God’s justice, but it is one of His many attributes

            • Perhaps the struggle we have is that we really haven’t experienced perfect justice in our culture

              • We know of people who have broken the law and have never been brought to justice

              • We also know of people who have been falsely accused and have even spent time in jail – some of them have been found innocence years later and set free

            • God’s justice is perfect!

              • It’s hard for us to realize that all of humanity was corrupt and evil except for eight individuals and yet we know our own hearts and the sins we struggle with

              • In our humanness we don’t want to see people hurt or destroyed

              • Guess what, God doesn’t want them to be destroyed either, that’s why He is patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance

              • As was mentioned earlier, none of us are righteous, we have all turned away from God, none of us does good

            • If God did not punish sin, He would not be just

              • Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

              • While God must punish sin in order to be just, He has also provided a way for us to have our sins forgiven

              • He sent Jesus from heaven to earth to take our punishment for sin

              • That’s the gift of God that enables us to have eternal life

              • 2 Corinthians 5:21, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

            • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Accept God’s gift of eternal life by recognizing that Jesus took my punishment for sin.

          • It’s great that the passage doesn’t end there, because that would be dark and depressing

          • What we see in verse 8 is hope and a future

        • Finding favor

          • Noah’s heart found what it was looking for

            • Noah had his eyes fixed of the Lord and it made all the difference

            • His heart was looking for righteousness

            • Noah’s lifestyle was characterized by righteousness

          • Our heart will find what it’s looking for.

          • God’s favor is also His grace, which is initiated by Him

            • PRINCIPLE #5 – Only God’s grace can save us from His judgment.

            • “The only way people can be saved from God’s wrath is through God’s grace (Eph. 2:8-9); but grace isn’t God’s reward for a good life: ​​ it’s God’s response to saving faith. ​​ ‘By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household’ (Heb. 11:7, NKJV). ​​ True faith involves the whole of the inner person: ​​ the mind understands God’s warning, the heart fears for what is coming, and the will acts in obedience to God’s Word.” ​​ [Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Old Testament, Genesis-Deuteronomy, 43]

            • #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Worship the Lord for extending His grace to me and saving me from His judgment.

 

  • YOU

    • What is your heart looking for? (the things of this world or the things of God?)

    • Have you expressed your gratitude to God for His patience & grace?

    • Are you ready to accept God’s gift of eternal life?

 

  • WE

    • How can we help our family and friends with what their heart is looking for?

 

CONCLUSION

“On April 28, 1789, Lieutenant William Bligh, commander of the H.M.S. Bounty, was awakened by men who ‘seizing me, tied my hands with a cord and threatened instant death if I made the least noise.’ Bligh called out anyway, but all of the ship's officers were guarded by mutineers. Bligh was then ‘carried on deck in my shirt, in torture with a severe bandage round my wrists behind my back, where I found no man to rescue me.’

 

Anyone who has seen either the 1935 or the 1962 version of this story likely thinks Bligh had it coming. He was a sadistic villain, and the dashing leader of the mutineers, Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable/Marlon Brando), was doing everyone a favor. The reality was more complicated—and the ending much more surprising.

 

When the mutiny occurred, the Bounty was en route from Tahiti, where its crew had collected breadfruit plantings, to the Caribbean, where the plantings would be used to grow food for slaves. The sailors had enjoyed their time in Tahiti, though, and they didn't want to leave—especially under the command of Bligh, who was, if not a sadist, notably strict and ill-tempered.

 

Christian's original plan was to flee the Bounty in its attached long boat and head back to sunny Polynesia, but other crew members convinced him to keep the Bounty and pack the officers in the long boat instead. Amazingly, Bligh and company navigated their overcrowded vessel 3,600 miles to the Dutch East Indies. The lieutenant eventually made it back to England, then returned to the South Pacific for revenge. In the meantime, the mutineers were living large on Tahiti.

 

Though Christian never found out Bligh had survived, he feared that staying at Tahiti could put him in danger of capture. Mutiny was, after all, a capital offense. He reboarded the Bounty and set out to find a place where he could hide forever. Seven other mutineers, twelve Polynesian women, six Polynesian men, and one infant joined him. After months of exploration, they found Pitcairn Island, which had no people but an abundance of coconuts, breadfruit, and other useful crops. The group destroyed the Bounty, to avoid detection by passing ships, and settled into their own paradise.

 

Like the first paradise, however, this one featured hidden dangers. Unfettered sexuality provoked jealousies and rage. The root of the ti plant, one mutineer discovered, could be distilled into liquor. The underlying problem, though, was building a society with criminals, concubines, and malcontents. Within four years, all of the Polynesian men and half of the mutineers had been murdered. A few years later, only two Englishmen—Edward Young and Alexander Smith—remained with the fearful women and children.

 

The Mutiny on the Bounty films are uninterested in the fate of Pitcairn Island, but for Christians, this is where the story really begins. While poking through the items saved from the ship, Smith discovered a Bible and a Book of Common Prayer. Smith couldn't read, but Young taught him before succumbing to consumption in 1801. Smith studied the Bible for years and became convinced that everyone on the island (at this point, himself, 10 women, and many children) needed to live by its principles. He instituted Sunday worship and daily prayer times, at which he would offer petitions like this:

 

Suffer me not, O Lord, to waste this day in sin or folly. But let me worship thee with much delight. Teach me to know more of thee and to serve thee better than ever I have done before, that I may be fitter to dwell in heaven, where thy worship and service are everlasting. Amen.

 

In 1808 an American ship discovered Pitcairn Island, where the crew was shocked to find a community of 35 English-speaking Christians. The Americans reported their find, but England was too busy with the Napoleonic Wars to do much of anything about it. Six years later a British ship rediscovered Pitcairn, and though the crew had orders to seize and kill any mutineers they found in the South Pacific, they couldn't bring themselves to disrupt the peaceful community by punishing Smith, now known by all on the island as ‘father.’ Smith still feared recapture, and he changed his name to John Adams (after the American president) in a rather curious move to avoid it. But no one came to seize him, and he died on the island in 1829.

 

Even sincere biblical teaching couldn't turn Pitcairn into an earthly paradise—every community has its problems—but Smith's work made a huge difference. The island settled by fugitives from the law has a courthouse, but it has never hosted a trial. Pitcairn's three jail cells house only lifejackets.

 

Source: Elesha Coffman, "Mutiny and Redemption," Christian History Newsletter (4-27-01).

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2001/june/13104.html]

 

Notice that Alexander Smith fixed his eyes on the Lord and it made a huge difference. ​​ It transformed him from a mutineer to a man of God.

12

 

/by

I Understand!

, , ,

Easter Sunday

I Understand!

(Luke 24:36-49)

 

INTRODUCTION

“Patsy Clairmont beautifully and movingly portrays the reality of recovering from grief. I quote her words because they are so strongly and lovingly written: “We buried my friend’s 26–year–old son last week. An accidental gunshot took Jeff’s life. We have more questions than answers. We are offended at people who have all the answers and no experience with devastating loss.

 

‘I watched the heart-wrenching scenes as the family tried to come to grips with their tragedy. I can still hear the travailing of the mother’s anguished heart. I can still see the wrenching of the father’s grief-worn hands. I can still feel the distraught sobs that racked the sister’s body as I held her. I can still smell the hospital and the funeral home. Memories march before my mind like soldiers, causing me to relive the agony. If it is this difficult for me, Jeff’s godmother, how much more magnified it must be for his birth mother! I can’t imagine.

 

As I watched Jeff’s mom, Carol, the week after his death, I observed a miracle. I saw her move from despair to hope. From franticness to peace. From uncertainty to assurance. From needing comfort to extending it.

 

I witnessed a mom face her worst nightmare and refuse to run away. Instead, she ran to Him. When grief knocked the breath out of Carol, she went to the Breath Giver. I watched as the Lord placed His mantle of grace around her and then supported her with His mercy. The grief process has just begun for Jeff’s loved ones. The Lord will not remove His presence from the Porter family. But there may be moments when He will remove their awareness of His presence. That will allow them to feel the impact of their loss. For He knows it would be our tendency to hide even behind His grace to protect our fragile hearts from the harsh winds of reality. He offers us refuge, but He also promises us wholeness. Wholeness means we are fully present with ourselves and with Him. Therefore, we have to own our pain. If we do not, part of who we are we must either shut down, avoid, or deny. That would leave us estranged from ourselves and divided in our identity. Also, we would never heal in a way that would allow us to minister to others’ (Under His Wings, [Colorado Springs: Focus on the Family, 1994], 139ff.).

 

The death of Jesus Christ left his followers devastated with grief similar to the Porter family’s. They had lost their best friend, their leader, and their life’s goals, hopes, and dreams. All meaning had disappeared from life. Meeting the resurrected Christ gave them the assurance and power they needed to recover from their grief realistically, regain their wholeness, and renew their commitment to the goal Christ set before them. We have trouble feeling the same grief and loss the disciples felt at Jesus’ death, but we can feel the glory of his resurrection and the joy of being part of his goal for living and for dying.”

 

[Butler, Holman New Testament Commentary, Luke, 413-14].

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Alternative guitar chords

        • When I first started playing guitar in high school, I took lessons and began to learn scales and chords

        • It was awkward at first trying to get my fingers to hold the position for each chord

        • Once I learned the individual chords then I had to learn how to transition between the various chords, so I could play songs

        • Many years later, while living in California, the worship leader at the church we attended, introduced me to some alternative chords for E, B, A, and C#m

        • This knowledge made it so much easier to transition between those chords and to play many worship songs

        • Let me illustrate it for you this morning on my guitar [Use the song Almighty and show the original chord locations, then show the alternative chord locations]

        • It took me a little bit of time to retrain my brain with the new location for these chords, but once that happen it made playing so much easier

        • I was finally able to say, I understand!

 

  • WE

    • The nine times table

        • How many of us know our nine times table?

        • Would it be helpful to learn an easy way to remember the nine times table?

        • [Have everyone hold up their hands with their palms facing out]

        • [Show how to lower one finger based on the formula 9 x _ and how the remaining fingers will give them the answer]

    • My guess is that every one of us has a memory of struggling to understand something

        • It may have taken several people explaining it to us in various ways before we got it

        • Once we got it, we were able to say, “I understand!”

 

The women that went to the tomb early in the morning and the apostles and disciples that were gathered together in Jerusalem did not have a resurrection mindset when it came to the first day of the week after Jesus’ crucifixion. ​​ They had not fully understood Jesus’ teaching from the Old Testament about His purpose on earth and what was going to happen to Him. ​​ So, they were not expecting Him to rise from dead on the third day. ​​ After His resurrection, though, Jesus did something supernatural for them that enabled them to understand the Scriptures and it transformed them all. ​​ This transformation is what motivated them to preach the Gospel to all nations. ​​ We can experience the same transformation today. ​​ Through the Holy Spirit that lives within each follower of Jesus Christ, we have the same power as the apostles and disciples. ​​ We’ll learn from Luke 24:36-49 that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – Understanding God’s Word, empowers us to witness.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Luke 24:36-49)

    • Physical proof (vv. 36-43)

        • While they were still talking about this

          • We have to go back to verses 13-35 to understand what they were still talking about

          • Those verses share the story of the two believers who encounter Jesus on the road to Emmaus

          • If you remember they were traveling from Jerusalem to Emmaus when Jesus began to walk and talk with them

          • Jesus wanted these two men to express, openly, what they were thinking and feeling about His death and burial, so He acted as though He wasn’t aware of everything that had just transpired in Jerusalem

          • After hearing their hearts, Jesus began to use Scripture to explain that everything that had happened over the past several days had been foretold by Moses and the Prophets

          • The two disciples asked Jesus to stay with them when they arrived in Emmaus, which He eventually agrees to do

          • As they were sharing a meal together, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them

          • At that moment, their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus

          • They weren’t able to talk with Him anymore, because He disappeared

          • They returned to Jerusalem immediately, found the other disciples, and told them what they had experienced

          • This is what the group of disciples was talking about when Jesus appeared to them behind locked doors

        • Jesus’ supernatural appearance

          • Jesus stood among them and greeted them with Shalom

          • PRINCIPLE #1 – Jesus is all-powerful (omnipotent).

            • The disciples were gathered together behind locked doors for fear of the Jews (John 20:19)

            • Jesus didn’t have the key and He didn’t need a key

            • He was able to supernaturally appear to them

            • We don’t know exactly how He did it, but we know that He did do it, because He is all-powerful!

            • This principle and truth should give us hope as we face life’s struggles

              • The disciples were experiencing fear because of the political and religious atmosphere of their culture

              • Some of us can definitely identify with the disciples – we are experiencing fear because of the political and religious atmosphere in our culture

              • Maybe our fear is centered around our health, with the coronavirus and the vaccine

              • Perhaps our fear and anxiety stem from financial struggles as a result of the coronavirus or the loss of a job

              • There are those who are experiencing fear, anxiety, and depression due to the loss of a loved one or a broken relationship

              • Hebrews 4:15, For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet without sin.

              • Jesus is able to sympathize with us through our weaknesses, heart break, fears, anxiety, and depression

              • He’s not only able to sympathize with us, but He is able to do something about it, because He is all-powerful

              • He is waiting for us to sacrifice our independence and self-sufficiency, and rely completely on Him

              • Philippians 4:6-7, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ​​ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

            • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Recognize Jesus’ omnipotence by crying out to Him with my fears, concerns, and anxious thoughts.

          • PRINCIPLE #2 – Jesus’ presence brings peace.

            • When we cry out to God and present our requests to Him with thanksgiving, then we will be able to experience His peace

            • It’s a peace we cannot understand, because it’s supernatural – it comes from a source outside of ourselves

            • I’ve experienced it when I’ve gone through difficult times, and I can’t explain the feeling of peace when I should be experiencing a churning stomach and unrest

            • Perhaps there are those of us here today, that have experienced God’s peace that doesn’t make sense to our finite minds

            • We can rejoice and worship the Lord for providing His peace

          • It appears as though the disciples were not experiencing peace, though

        • Disciples’ reaction

          • The disciple’s fears were elevated

            • They were terrified and thrown into fear

            • They were already fearful and on alert because of the Jews

            • And now someone or something had gained access to their secure location

          • It’s a ghost!

            • Ghost stories

              • I remember as a child, waking up in the middle of the night, once, and thinking that I saw the doorknob on my bedroom door twisting. ​​ I tried to work up enough courage to walk past the door to my parent’s room, but it took a couple of tries. ​​ In fact, I didn’t walk – I ran. ​​ I was already wearing glasses at that age, so I’m certain, now, it was just my eyes playing tricks on me

              • My sister has always been attuned to the spiritual realm. ​​ It wasn’t until I was in college or perhaps after Judy and I were married that she told me about seeing the Grim Reaper standing at the foot of her bed. ​​ It didn’t happen just once, but multiple times.

            • Since the disciples had not understood Jesus’ teaching about His resurrection, they were not expecting Him to show up, in person

            • So, their assumption was that this was Jesus’ ghost

          • Jesus realized what they were thinking, so He asks them a question and then gives them two physical proofs that He is real – He is alive – He has been resurrected!

        • Question

          • “Why are you troubled [frightened], and why do doubts rise in your minds [heart]?”

          • If they had understood Scripture and Jesus’ teaching they would not have been frightened or had doubts – they would have been celebrating Jesus’ appearance

            • It meant that He was alive!

            • Scripture had been fulfilled!

            • Jesus had defeated sin and death!

            • God’s plan of redemption for humanity had been accomplished!

          • Perhaps there are those here today who are afraid of death and/or have doubts about life after death or about who Jesus is

            • The Gospel writers and New Testament writers tell us who Jesus is

              • The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)

              • He is the way, the truth, and the life. ​​ No one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6)

              • He is the light of the world (John 8:12)

              • He is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25)

              • He is the bread of life (John 6:35)

              • He is the stone the builders rejected that has become the cornerstone and salvation only comes through Him (Acts 4:11-12)

              • He accomplished this through His death, burial, and resurrection

            • We don’t have to fear death or have doubts about life after death, because Jesus has defeated sin and death

              • We may still have to experience physical death, but eternity with Jesus will far outweigh that experience

              • Physical death, for followers of Jesus, means eternal life with Him in a perfected body

              • You can have assurance about life after death, because of Jesus

                • First, we have to admit that we are a sinner (Rom. 3:23; Rom. 6:23) [Ten Commandments]

                • Second, we have to believe in who Jesus is and why He came to earth (1 Cor. 15:3-4)

                • Third, we have to choose to repent and turn to Jesus for salvation

                  • 2 Corinthians 7:10, Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

                  • Repentance is intentionally and purposely turning away from sin and toward righteousness

                • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Choose to repent of my sins and turn to God for His salvation.

                • As followers of Jesus Christ we can claim the promise found in Hebrews 13:5b-6, . . . God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” ​​ So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. ​​ What can man do to me?”

                • God is always with us – He is omnipresent!

          • Jesus provides two physical proofs to ease the disciples fears and doubts

        • Two physical proofs

          • His body

            • Nail marks in His hands and feet

            • “I have flesh and bones, touch me – I’m real! I’m alive!”

            • “Ghosts don’t have flesh and bones, but I do”

            • This first proof didn’t seem to convince them, probably because they were in shock

            • They were so happy to see Jesus alive, but they were struggling to understand how it happened

            • Nothing like this had ever happened before (someone coming back to life on their own – they had seen Jesus raise Lazarus and others from the dead, but that was different)

          • Food

            • While the disciples are trying to wrap their minds around what they are seeing, Jesus asks them for something to eat

            • This is part of His second proof

            • A ghost was not going to be able to take something tangible, solid and eat it

            • Jesus proved that He was alive by taking the broiled fish and eating it in their presence

        • Jesus provided physical proof on the day of His resurrection that He was real, He was alive!

        • At a later time, He provided intellectual proof also

    • Intellectual proof (vv. 44-49)

        • We don’t know the exact time frame between verses 43 and 44, but it was sometime during the 40 days that Jesus spent with His disciples between His resurrection and ascension

        • Jesus fulfilled Scripture

          • Jesus reminds His disciples that everything that happened to Him while He was on earth was in fulfillment of Old Testament Scripture (Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms)

          • PRINCIPLE #3 – God keeps His word, even when it involves things that seem impossible.

            • God promised to send a Savior

              • Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

              • Isaiah 7:14, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: ​​ The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (Immanuel means God with us)

            • Jesus is that Savior – He is alive!

          • Jesus opened their minds so they could understand Scripture

            • It’s not that the disciples didn’t know what Jesus was about to tell them

            • They had heard it countless times, even more times than its recorded in our Bibles

            • They were struggling to make the connection between Jesus and what was written in the Scriptures

            • Electrical illustration

              • In an electrical circuit, all the components are there to have power

              • In order for power to run through the circuit the switch has to be engaged, completing the circuit, otherwise no electricity and no lights

            • This is similar to what had happened with the disciples

              • All the components were present – Jesus and the Scriptures

              • The circuit had not been completed in the disciple’s minds – the switch needed to be engaged

              • When Jesus opened their minds, the switch was engaged, the circuit was completed, and the light came on

              • “We understand! ​​ Why didn’t we see this before?”

          • Once the switch was flipped, Jesus reminded them of the past and foretold the future

            • The recent past

              • While it was written about, hundreds of years before, the events had just happened days before

              • The Christ will suffer (Isaiah 53)

              • The Christ will rise from the dead on the third day

              • Both of those things happened to Jesus

            • The future

              • Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem

                • Jesus was telling them what they would be doing in the future

                • They would tell others what they had seen and heard concerning Jesus and His ministry (that’s what being a witness is)

                • They were going to spread the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the known world

              • They had to wait for the empowering of the Holy Spirit before they began their mission

                • Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

                • Acts 2:1-4, When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ​​ Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ​​ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ​​ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

                • We know that Peter stood up with the Eleven and preached the Gospel boldly and about 3,000 were added to their number that day (Acts 2:14, 41)

            • Application

              • Understanding God’s Word, empowers us to witness.

              • PRINCIPLE #4 – The Holy Spirit gives us power to witness for Christ.

                • The same power that the Eleven experienced at Pentecost is living inside of every follower of Jesus Christ

                • The Holy Spirit comes to live within us when we repent and turn our lives over to Jesus Christ

                • The command and commission that Jesus gave to His disciples is for us also

                  • Mark 16:15-16, He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. ​​ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

                  • Matthew 28:18-20, Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ​​ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. ​​ And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

                • Fear

                  • Many of us have fear about sharing the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others

                  • Remember, we have the power of the Holy Spirit living in us to help us share

                  • The Holy Spirit has opened our minds to Scripture and with that understanding we are empowered to witness for Christ

                • #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Ask the Lord to empower me, through the Holy Spirit, to be a witness of the Gospel to someone this week.

 

  • YOU

    • Do you need to recognize Jesus’ omnipotence by crying out to Him for help today?

    • Do you need to rest in the fact that Jesus’ presence brings peace?

    • Will you repent of your sins, today, and turned to God for salvation?

 

  • WE

    • Who will we witness to this week?

    • Who will we pray for and then invite to the revival services on May 17-23, 2021?

 

CONCLUSION

“After years of urban living had ground down my childhood love of nature, I found it suddenly rekindled through my friendship with a young photographer named Bob McQuilkin. I was working as a magazine editor at the time, and Bob seemed determined to drag me out of my stale routine and reintroduce me to the joyous world outside.

 

Once Bob drove his jeep to my office and insisted that I come see two baby owls he'd just rescued. For months he fussed over those scraggly orphaned owls, chasing barn mice and lizards to feed them, then trying to teach them to hunt on their own, and to fly. (Bob teaching a bird to fly!) They'd flutter in soaking wet from a rainstorm—not wise enough yet to find shelter—and Bob would patiently pull out his electric hair dryer and blow them dry. …

 

Bob was as fully ‘alive’ as anyone I have ever known. And so when I heard [in the fall of 2000] that Bob had died on a scuba-diving assignment in Lake Michigan, I could hardly absorb the news. Bob, dead? It was inconceivable. I could picture Bob doing anything at all—anything but lying still. But that is my last image of him: a 36-year-old body in a blue-plaid flannel shirt lying in a casket. … I would never ski with Bob again, never sit with him for hours viewing slides, never again eat rattlesnake meat or buffalo burgers at his house.

 

Susan, his widow, asked me to speak at Bob's memorial service. Without a doubt, it was the hardest thing I have ever done. When I stood before them, the magazine editors and art directors and family and neighbors and friends, they reminded me of little birds—Bob's owls—with their mouths open begging for food. Begging for words of solace, for hope. What could I offer them?

 

I began by telling them what I had been doing the very afternoon Bob was making his last dive. That Wednesday I was sitting, oblivious, in a café at the University of Chicago, reading The Quest for Beauty, by Rollo May. In that book the famous therapist recalls scenes from his lifelong search for beauty, among them a visit to Mount Athos, a peninsula of monasteries attached to Greece.

 

One morning, Rollo May happened to stumble upon the celebration of Greek Orthodox Easter, the tail end of a church service that had been proceeding all night long. Incense hung in the air. The only light came from candles. And at the height of that service, the priest gave everyone present three Easter eggs, wonderfully decorated and wrapped in a veil. ‘Christos Anesti!’ he said—‘Christ is risen!’ Each person there, including Rollo May, responded according to custom, ‘He is risen indeed!’

 

Rollo May writes, ‘I was seized then by a moment of spiritual reality: what would it mean for our world if he had truly risen?’

 

I read Rollo May's question the afternoon that Bob died, and it kept floating around in my mind, hauntingly, after I heard the news. What did it mean for our world that Christ had risen? Why were monks staying up all night to celebrate it? The early Christians had staked everything on the Resurrection, so much so that the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians, ‘And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.’

 

In the cloud of grief over Bob's death, I began to see the meaning of Easter in a new light. …

 

On Friday Jesus' closest friends had let the relentless crush of history snuff out all their dreams. Two days later, when the crazy rumors about Jesus' missing body shot through Jerusalem, they couldn't dare to believe. … Only personal appearances by Jesus convinced them that something new, absolutely new, had broken out on earth. When that sank in, those same men who had slunk away in fear at Calvary were soon preaching to large crowds in the streets of Jerusalem.

 

At Bob McQuilkin's funeral, I rephrased Rollo May's question in the terms of our own grief. What would it mean for us if Bob rose again? We were sitting in a chapel, numbed by three days of grief and sadness, the weight of death bearing down upon us. What would it be like to walk outside to the parking lot and there, to our utter astonishment, find Bob. Bob! With his bounding walk, his crooked grin, and clear, grey eyes.

 

That image gave me a hint of what Jesus' disciples felt on the first Easter. They, too, had grieved for three days. But on Sunday they caught a glimpse of something else, a startling clue to the riddle of the universe. Easter hits a new note, a note of hope and faith that what God did once in a graveyard in Jerusalem, he can and will repeat on a grand scale, for the world. For Bob. For us.”

 

Source: Philip Yancey, "The Great Reversal," Christianity Today (April 2000).

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2009/april/2040609.html].

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A Legacy Of Godliness

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A Legacy of Godliness

Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their ancestors. You may wonder why people put together their family trees? Some people may not know a lot​​ about their families past and would like to know more. Maybe a person was adopted and wants to find out about their biological family. Some people may want to know about their family’s medical history going back many generations. Some people may want to find out if they are eligible for membership into a lineage-based organization such as the Daughters of the American Revolution or the Sons of the American Revolution.

The Church of the Latter-Day Saints are one of the biggest groups that study genealogy. They believe that all humanity is one family and so everyone is literally and figuratively brothers and sisters. Because of this belief, it’s vital that the entire human family be connected to each other and doing genealogy is a way to show that connection.​​ They believe that families are forever – and those family connections will exist beyond death so finding those connections are important. They believe that doing genealogy will open up the blessings of heaven and once members are able to show those family​​ connections, they are able to do vicarious temple work for their direct deceased ancestors. Genealogies were also important for the Jewish people in the Bible in determining who could serve in certain roles. For example, only Levites were allowed to work​​ in the tabernacle and temple, and only the descendants of Aaron were able to serve as high priest. There were also many activities in the Mosaic Law that were limited to those who could prove they were of Jewish descent.

There are a number of reasons why genealogy is important as we study the Bible. First, the Bible's genealogies help confirm the historical reliability and accuracy of the Bible. They include real, live people, who had real pasts, presence and futures. Second, the Bible's genealogies reveal​​ the importance of man’s and the family’s value to God and to the​​ writers of the Bible. The family unit has served as the foundation of human society since Adam and Eve and their children. The importance is that each person and family is known, remembered and emphasized. Third, the Bible's genealogies also prove many of its prophecies. For example, prophecy said that the Messiah would be a Jew from the tribe of Judah and would be a descendent of both Abraham and David. Fourth, the Bible’s genealogies show us​​ the detail-oriented nature of God who is intimately involved with his creation and wants a relationship with them.

Fifth, the Bible's genealogies also teach how God has used a wide diversity of individuals throughout history to accomplish his purposes. For example, in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew's Gospel, four women are mentioned, including Rahab the prostitute and Ruth, a Moabite woman, emphasizing the importance of women to God. They were also Gentiles proving God’s love and care for all people. Lastly, the Bible’s genealogies show that the message of salvation is anchored in history. Luke traces the genealogy of Jesus back to Adam as the son of God and Matthew established Jesus’ mission in Jewish history back to the royal line of David.

One of the reasons I like genealogy is because of the legacy you can see passed down through each generation. It may be a legacy of first names. It is fascinating to see the different first names that are passed down many generations. It may be a legacy of occupations such as doctor, farmer and founding father. I have seen families who came over in the 1600’s whose father founded a town and then his son goes off and founds another. Our ancestors have made us who we are today. Our likes and dislikes, our personality​​ and physical traits all get passed down to you from your ancestors. Another thing I have seen is the legacy of faith that has been passed down. With most of our country being formed because of religious freedom, a lot of our ancestors may have been Quakers, Puritans or Mennonites and you can see those values being​​ passed down. ​​ I have been working on a friend’s genealogy who has many, many Mennonite pastors in their family tree. There is evidence of a legacy of faith in their family tree.

This morning we are going to be studying Genesis chapter 5 where we are given the genealogy of Adam through Seth, his third son. We will see a common formula repeated in the same way for each generation. The only times that the repeating of the formula is altered is when the narrator gives us special information about a few of Seth’s descendants. We will also notice that there was a legacy of faith passed down from generation to generation. It started at the end of chapter 4 when Seth’s son Enosh was born and “men began to​​ call on the name of the Lord.” We will see in our scripture this morning and in a couple of weeks in Genesis 6 that two of Seth’s descendants are characterized as “walking with God.” And the narrator of Genesis wants us to understand this morning that​​ “pursuing holiness requires that we are daily walking with God.”​​ That is our big idea this morning and we will be looking at what it means to “walk with God” and how that is essential to us as we strive to live daily, holy lives.

Let’s pray: Heavenly Father,​​ we come before you this morning humbling ourselves and asking for your Spirit to fill us so that we learn from your word. Help us to desire to walk faithfully with you every day and to join the ranks of Seth’s descendants as people of faith, righteousness​​ and holiness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

There are three points this morning. The first is Adam and that is found in Genesis 5:1-5. This is what God’s word says, “This is the written account of Adam’s family line. When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind” when they were created. When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. After Seth was born, Adam lived​​ 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Adam lived a​​ total of 930 years, and then he died.”

The first two verses are like a title page and prologue in a book, the title of the book being the genealogy of Adam. This “tolodot” or “beginnings”​​ of Adam differs from other “tolodots” such as the “tolodot” of creation found in Genesis 1 because it is described as a “written account.” This leads commentators to believe that the narrator of Genesis used a written source for the genealogy of Adam that​​ follows. The prologue takes us back to the beginning of the creation of mankind in Genesis 1:27-28, which says, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Four comments on the creation of humankind are made in Genesis 5. One, God created mankind in his image. Two, God created them male and female. Three, God blessed them. Four, he named them “adam” or “man.”

The narrator’s purpose is to tie the genealogy of Adam to God’s creation of the world and of mankind in Genesis 1. God made Adam and Eve in his image and likeness and bestowed the blessing of “be fruitful and multiply” on them for the purpose of passing his image and his continued blessing down from generation to generation. And we see it being played out in the family tree​​ of Adam through his son, Seth. There is a silence regarding the line of Cain in this genealogy because in the context of salvation Cain’s line is irrelevant and only Seth’s line survives the judgment of the flood.

The Hebrew word for mankind “adam” is repeated many times in the first three verses. In verses one and two it is referring to the human species but in verse three it changes to the personal name for the first man, Adam. This is the narrator’s way of transitioning from the “generic” man to the first man as his genealogy is introduced. ​​ Both​​ “image” and “male and female” are emphasized because the blessing is to be passed down from generation to generation by the procreation of the descendants of Seth.

Before we dive into the actual family tree of​​ Adam, I want you to be aware of a few things about the genealogical record. First, there is a formula used for each paragraph which corresponds to each generation. We see the age of the patriarch when he fathers the firstborn son, then we see the number of​​ years they lived after fathering that son, then we see that they had “other sons and daughters”, then we see the total number of years they lived and then we see the ominous “and then he died.”

Second, there are ten generations from Adam to Noah. Interestingly, there are also ten generations from Shem to Abram in Genesis 11 and ten generations in the genealogy of David found in Ruth 4. Ten was a popular number for genealogies that signified completeness of order. Most commentators believe that these genealogies did not include every single generation. This was not unheard of in the ancient world because the purpose of these genealogies was not to include every generation but to trace family connections. In our genealogy this morning, the purpose was to rapidly bridge the gap from creation to the flood and to show that the image and blessing was passed down through each generation of Seth’s family tree all the way to Noah.

Lastly, we see the ages of the Patriarchs. All ten live to be anywhere from 895-969 years old except for Enoch and Lamech. Most commentators believe that these are actual ages. ​​ Mathews says, “The argument is that before the flood human lifespans were longer because of climate conditions and sin had not yet achieved its full effect and is reflected in the ages shown.” The long life spans in Seth’s line contributes to his lineage of blessing and hope. In the Mosaic Law, long life was the product of God’s blessing for obedience. Apart from the patriarchs only Job, Moses, Joshua and Jehoida lived longer than a​​ hundred years.

Verse 3 now begins the actual family tree of Adam. It starts with him because it is all about connecting Adam who is created by God in his image and likeness with Noah, who God will use to save humanity from the flood. Adam,​​ who was made in the image and likeness of God and given the blessing, will procreate a son in his own likeness and in his own image and that continues generation after generation. ​​ 

We see a reversal of image and likeness here. In chapter 1 the emphasis is on God but the reordering here puts the emphasis on Seth’s likeness to his father in character and physical nature.​​ God passes on his image by creating; Adam passes on his image by procreating. “The image of God” and the blessing, has not been obliterated by the fall, but a life lived in the image of God is drastically different from life lived in the likeness of sinful man. That is evident from the ominous refrain, “and then he died”, which will be repeated eight times in chapter 5. Adam’s story ends with the first obituary in human history which is a moment anticipated since Genesis 2:17, when God said, “but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” God’s promise of punishment and​​ the consequences of sin has now come to pass. The blessing has been passed down but so also has the curse of sin.

Despite the harsh reality of physical death, we also see that Adam had “other sons and daughters” which shows the grace and mercy of God and​​ his provision for the line of Seth. Just as we saw God’s orderly creation in chapter 1, we now see God’s orderliness in the regular birth of human life. This repeated formula of the genealogy of Adam will continue until we get to the favored person of Enoch, which is our second point this morning and found in verses 6-20. Follow along as I read those verses: “When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh. After he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Seth lived a total of 912 years,​​ and then he died. When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. After he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enosh lived a total of​​ 905 years, and then he died. When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. After he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Kenan lived a total of 910 years, and then he died.​​ When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. After he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Mahalalel lived a total of 895 years, and then he died. When Jared had lived 162​​ years, he became the father of Enoch. After he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died. When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”

We are quickly taken through the next five generations of Adam’s family tree. There is not a lot known about these men but that doesn’t mean they are insignificant. Think about your own family tree. If you were to go back ten generations you would have over​​ 1,000 direct ancestors. Now you would have some awesome ancestors and you would probably have some scoundrels in your family tree, just like I do. The point is none of my ancestors are insignificant because if something had happened to one for any reason​​ I am not here today. The significance of Adam’s ancestors, and even mine and yours, are that they passed down the image of God and the blessing to each generation.

The formula for each generation doesn’t change until we get to the seventh generation where​​ we have Enoch being born to Jared. The seventh generation of biblical genealogies seemed to have significant​​ importance. The seventh generation from Adam in Cain’s line was the prideful, polygamous, and vengeful Lamech. Interestingly, in the genealogy of​​ David that I mentioned earlier found in Ruth 4, the seventh generation was Boaz, who played the significant role of being the “kinsmen redeemer” which meant being a relative of Ruth’s dead husband, he was able to marry her and continue the lineage which descended all the way to Jesus, the Messiah. Here in the godly line of Seth, Enoch stands out in contrast to Lamech.

Enoch is different in a couple of ways. One, he only lives on the earth for 365​​ years and two, he never dies a physical death. It seems that​​ after Enoch fathered Methuselah he began to “walk faithfully with God.” We aren’t told why he started to do this at this particular time or if it means he wasn’t doing it before Methuselah was born. But we are told twice that he “walked faithfully with God”, which indicates Enoch was outstanding in this godly family line. “Walking faithfully with God” meant that Enoch had on-going companionship, fellowship and close relationship with God. “Walking with God” captures an emphasis on communing with God and living a life of holiness. It was a lifestyle characterized by devotion to God and not something that was just a one-time thing.

Hebrews 11:5 says, “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because​​ God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.” Willet defines “pleased” as Enoch channeling all his love and desire into fulfilling the will of God. God was pleased with Enoch’s faith, righteousness and holiness and spared him dying a physical death and took him to heaven. This was something extraordinary God did for his friend. Elijah is the only other person who was taken to heaven and never suffered a physical death.

The godly legacy in Seth’s line of “calling on the name of the Lord” after his son was born now continues to bear fruit as Enoch “walks​​ faithfully with God.” We will also see in a couple of weeks that one of Enoch’s descendants, Noah, will also “walk with God.” Mathews says, “The finality of death caused by sin, and so powerfully demonstrated in the genealogy of Genesis, is in fact not so final. Man was not born to die; he was born to live, and that life comes by walking with God. Walking with God is the key to the chains of the curse.” God will be pleased with us when he have faith in him, when we pursue holiness and walk daily with him.​​ (BIG IDEA).​​ Enoch’s “walking faithfully with God” was a godly legacy that had been passed down from generation to generation, even in the midst of a world that God looked to destroy in the flood. This should be our example which brings us to our first next step this morning which to​​ channel all my love and desire into daily walking with God and fulfilling his will.

The genealogy of Adam is now rounded out as we see​​ our third point this morning, which is Noah, found in verses 25-32. This is what God’s Word says, “When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. After he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and​​ daughters. Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died. When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. He named him Noah and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed.” After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died. After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

The next generation in Seth’s​​ family tree is also significant in that it gives us Methuselah who is known as the oldest human being to ever live. When you count the years, Methuselah seems to have died the same year that the flood started. Even though Methuselah lived the longest of any human being nothing special is said about him. But we see that the formula changes again with his son, Lamech. Lamech was significant in​​ that he had a son called Noah, who God was going to use to save the human race.

When Lamech named his son Noah he expectantly prophesied “he will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.” Commentators have been puzzled because Noah’s name means “rest” not “comfort.” But Noah’s name sounds like the Hebrew word for “comfort.” We saw this before in the naming of Cain. Cain’s name means “smith” as in blacksmith but the name Cain sounds like the Hebrew word for “acquired” which is why Eve said “I have acquired a man with the help of the Lord” when Cain was born. Lamech was looking forward expectantly to a time when Noah would bring comfort to the human race in the midst of their labor and painful toil of the ground. Because of Adam’s sin the ground was cursed and Adam and the rest of humanity had to work harder for the ground to produce for them.

What was this “comfort” that Lamech was prophesying about? Maybe it had to do with the flood cleansing the earth and erasing the curse on the ground thereby bringing comfort to people that way, though, I am not so sure that tilling​​ the soil is easier now then it was before the flood. I would put forth that the naming of Noah foreshadowed his righteousness in the face of sinful humanity that would save the human race from the flood. His lineage would live on until his descendant Jesus, the Messiah, came upon the earth, died on a cross for our sins, and rose from dead, bringing comfort to us all. In that way, Noah lived up to the prophecy his father made on the day he was born. Whatever Lamech may have meant when he names his son, he ties the widespread wickedness in his day to man’s first act of disobedience in the garden and his hope for a better future resided with God’s blessing being on Noah. There is a deviation in the age of Lamech as he was only 777 years old when he died. Seven​​ stands for perfection or completion in the Bible. Lamech also stands out in stark contrast to the ungodly Lamech in Cain’s line.​​ Both of them are remembered for their words. One for his arrogance and the other for his expectant yearning.

Lastly we see a​​ narrowing of the genealogy of Adam in that Noah’s three sons are named. This reminds us of the three sons and daughter of Lamech being named at the end of Cain’s genealogy in chapter 4. We will also see this later in the genealogy of Shem as his lineage will be traced to Terah and be narrowed to his three sons, which includes Abram. The purpose of this narrowing is to continue to highlight the godly line. Adam’s genealogy is traced through Seth, Seth is traced through to Noah and Shem and Shem will be traced through to Terah’s son, Abram, who will be the father of the chosen people, that Jesus the Messiah will descend from.

There are many terms that describe genealogy such as ancestral, heritage and legacy. I tend to like this last one because we can see how a legacy can be passed down from generation to generation. We saw in chapter 4 how the ungodly legacy of Cain was passed down and culminated in Lamech, who had distorted God’s plan for marriage, was prideful and was ready to murder others at a drop of a​​ hat. Then we saw today in chapter 5 how the godly legacy of Seth was passed down culminating in the faithful and holy Enoch and the expectant promise in Noah. We all have a family legacy. It doesn’t matter what your family legacy has been up to now. What matters is what your families’ legacy will be now starting with you. Will you purpose in your heart to continue a godly legacy in your family or purpose in your heart right now to start a godly legacy in your family. That brings us to our second and third next steps this morning. My next step is to​​ purpose in my heart to continue a godly legacy in my family line.​​ Or second, my next step is to​​ purpose in my heart to start a godly legacy in my family line today.

As the praise team comes to lead us in our final song this morning, let’s pray: Dear Heaven Father, we desire to please you by walking in daily communion and fellowship with you. We desire to live faithful,​​ righteous and holy life every single day. I pray that you would pour out your Holy Spirit on us​​ because we can’t do it, in this world, on our own. Thank you for sending your son to die on a cross for our sins, and rising again so that we can be in relationship with you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

 

 

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