Noah:Clarity In Obedience

-Food Pantry & Mudd ES collection bins

-Wednesday Night Bible Study (at the building and on zoom @7pm)

-Women's Retreat Interest Meeting next Sunday 1/28 after church.

-2 year celebration! 1/21. We will also be doing Baptisms this Sunday if anyone is interested(sign up sheet).

-Family Talk, First Time guest connect with Pastor Manny and I.

-De’Leon Spotlight

Genesis Series:

-In a world that often seems chaotic, where uncertainty and confusion abound, it becomes imperative for us to seek a source of clarity and purpose. The book of Genesis serves as an unparalleled foundation for understanding not only the origins of our existence but also as a timeless guide for finding meaning and order amidst life's tumultuous circumstances.

-Genesis unfolds the narrative of creation, revealing a God who, in the midst of formless darkness, speaks order and beauty into existence. As we read, we discover profound insights into the nature of God, our identity as His creation, and our responsibility to bring order to the world around us.

-We have unpacked the creation account in Genesis 1 & 2, Then we hit on the fall and sin last week. Today we are going to look at how Noah found clarity in his obedience.

-The history in the first eleven chapters of Genesis appears in skeletal form. One cannot know how much time transpired between chapters or, in some instances, between sets of verses. There are times when the events of one chapter may have actually begun in time before the events occurred at the end of the previous chapter.

-One gets the impression that God and the human author wanted quickly to get through the preliminary information to reach the story of Abraham.

-The early accounts give just the high points before God slows the pace of storytelling. The opening phrase of this section of Genesis 6, When men began to increase in number (6:1), gives the feeling that some time had elapsed since chapter 5 or, just as likely, that the author was reaching back to an earlier time.

Genesis 6:1-4

Notes: Yeah….Weird…

-This is one of those sections of scripture where what we talked about week one. There are things that are interesting and we can dive into it, but ultimately we don’t make it the most important thing, because the Lord doesn't.

The understanding of Genesis 6:1–12 has been debated for many years.

-The big problem is the identity of the sons of God (6:2). Some have insisted that, as in the book of Job (see 1:6; 2:1), the sons of God were angels who had fallen and then married into the human line. But how could it be possible for an unbodied spirit to marry and have physical relations with a human woman? Why did not God punish them? And how would such a union be possible when Jesus said categorically that angels neither marry or are given in marriage (Mark 12:25)?

-Some think the sons of God may refer to the offspring of a ruling class, what we would call the nobility, marrying the offspring of commoners. But how could that be so wrong as to add to the growing evil and necessitate the Flood?

-The more probable understanding is that sons of God indicated followers of God, as is found in the New Testament. The sons of God would then have been the descendants of Seth(who was given to Eve after Abel was murdered) , who intermarried with the descendants of Cain (Cain was banished from the Lord’s presence for the murder of his brother, they were considered the daughters of men).

-While it is true that the phrase sons of God does refer to angels in the Old Testament, such as in Job 1:6, it also refers to followers of God, as in Psalm 82:6. If the author meant to portray sons of God as angels intermarrying with earthly women, then we must recognize that Satan appeared as one of the sons in Job 1. If these sons were angelic beings, we would have to wonder why God did not judge the angels who participated in carnal intercourse.

-The expression seems rather to be a typical Hebrew parallelism. To illustrate what this means, Hebrews liked to use two lines to emphasize a thought. In the first line the statement was made; then, for emphasis, the second line gave the same idea with synonyms so as not to sound monotonous. Another type of parallelism, as would be the case here, is when a statement is made in the first line; then follows a contrasting idea in the second line.

-If this literary device is what the author is using, then Genesis 6:1–12 tells of the time when believers decided to marry unbelievers (both sons and daughters has the broader meaning indicating both sexes). It speaks of a time when faith found common cause with doubt, and people thought that they could go separate ways together in marriage.

-Sin multiplies more quickly it seems when someone of faith enters an intimate relationship with one of unfaith. The sacred more easily becomes diluted and eventually desecrated. Today’s believers need to remember not to violate Paul’s principle of being unequally yoked to unbelievers

-The mixed marriages caused God to give a warning: My Spirit will not contend with man forever (6:3). The meaning of spirit here seems best understood as the life-giving power of God given at the Creation (see 2:7) which is translated there as “breath” of life. But it is more than just “breath,” for if it were only breath, then humans would die when it was withdrawn.

-Concerning the bones getting new life in Ezekiel’s vision, recorded in Ezekiel 37, God explained to him that the bones were the people of Israel in the graves of the Exile. God was going to put His spirit (breath) within them so they could “come to life” (Ezek. 37:5). This life force that makes the flesh and soul live, which cannot exist without God’s Spirit, would be withdrawn if evil continued to add to man’s depravity, says Genesis. People would continue to breathe, but God’s Spirit would no longer be a part of their lives. God’s mercy always has its limits. Judgment is inevitable at some point.

-Who are the Nephilim (6:4)? Were these “giants” the result of the mixed union of the sons and daughters (6:2)? Though some have maintained this view, the author mentioned them only to establish a point in time. They were in the land when this unholy union occurred; they were not the result of it. The author mentioned them , indicating a specific group that presumably his readers would recognize. These “giants” had created a name for themselves through their great physical strength, which they may have expressed through violence.

-In the context, perhaps we are made aware of the growth of evil in people and that rather than physical “giants” they were “giants” at committing evil. Admittedly, there were men later who, like Goliath, were of large physical proportions, but they were considered exceptions rather than the norm for an entire tribe or clan of people.

-However difficult the exact understanding of the various possibilities of these verses, the overarching purpose of the passage is that God was fully aware of the moral climate, of its rapid decline, and was reaching the limits of His patience to endure it. There are many views on this as well.

Genesis 6:5-10

Notes: Sin and Brokenness are running rampant!

-Genesis 6:5 suggests that humankind was now near the end of the grace period. Wickedness on the earth had significantly worsened since evil was not an occasional interlude in moral living. It was so ingrained in the very nature of all thought and activity that every inclination of the thoughts of [man’s] heart was only evil all the time. God’s plan had run aground, mired in evil so deeply that it seemed nothing of His creation was worth redeeming.

-Because of the limits of human understanding, God sometimes stoops to human levels to communicate His truth. Since God wanted His people to know about Him and His “feelings” to the limit of their comprehension, He chose to describe everything about himself in human terms. God used this method when He said that the Lord was grieved at having made man, and his heart was filled with pain (6:6). In reality, God cannot be grieved at anything He has done; that would give the idea that He had made a mistake.

-What’s in man’s hearts? Unending evil thoughts. And what happened in God’s heart as a response? Grief.

-This is the only emotion that’s attributed to God in the whole book of Genesis- and it is pain.

-God doesn't say that He's angry at humanity for their sin, or frustrated that He's going to have to have to develop a new plan to redeem it all. Instead, He's grieved over the impact that sin has on His children. Violence, corruption, evil, injustice, suffering- it grieves God deeply. Again and again in the Old Testament, we see that God intentionally connects His own heart to humanity, and that humanity’s condition affects Him deeply. When the poor and oppressed cry out, He listens and acts.

-But God wanted His people to know the sorrow and hurt He felt. The free will He gave people took a route that moved them far away from their Creator. They became captives of evil, unable to choose otherwise.

-The writer of Genesis gives the distinct impression that there was no possible way to lift humanity out of its cesspool of existence and so change the course of history. The depravity was so deep, so pervasive, so all-encompassing that destructive judgment was God’s only option.

-Noah is found to be the only righteous one of all creation! These verse say he was blameless and that he walked with God.

-Why did God approve Noah? God saw in Noah what He wants most in every person in every generation—a righteousness that brings a blamelessness among people (see 6:9). The Hebrew word for blameless carried with it also the idea of a level of completeness, of perfection on the moral level. This word described one whose every inclination was only good all the time. And how was this made possible? Noah walked with God (6:9). We read earlier that Enoch also walked with God (5:22, 24). The phrase indicates that someone is in close communion with God.

-To be the only one in step with God must have been incredibly difficult (sometimes we can experience this when we give our lives to Jesus, i did. My mother told me she liked me better before i was a Christian, explain this),

-but Noah proved it was possible. On a day-to-day basis, everyone with whom Noah had dealings wanted to take advantage of him, but if tempted to return in kind, he did not yield. Noah was an example to all, though it was much harder to be honest when everyone else was dishonest.

Genesis 6:11-22

Notes:Obedience is a lot easer to talk about than it is to live out….…

-Noah’s obedience and faith should be an encouragement and reminder that as Christ follower we must all walk in Obedience to God. For He alone is worthy of our obedience!

Hebrews 11:6-7 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

-The biblical language of faith concerns a relationship of faithfulness and cooperation. The concept of the covenant, which is especially explicit in the Old Testament, informs the biblical writers’ use of the language of faith. To have faith in God or Jesus is to be faithful to a covenantal bond, which is initiated by God and bound according to appropriate promises and expectations on both sides.

-The command for Christians to have faith is not merely a cerebral exercise or eager wish, but a command with the expectation of fidelity and trust. This definition of faith is apparent in Josh 24:14: When the Israelites renew their covenant to the Lord after taking possession of Canaan, Joshua demands, “Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord” (NRSV).

-Obedience to God proves our love for Him , demonstrates our faithfulness to Him , glorifies Him in the world. -Faith is necessary to please God , and if our faith is genuine and true, we will live a lifestyle characterized by righteousness, modeling the example set for us by Jesus Christ. We obey His commands, not because we have to, but because we want to, because we love Him. We are enabled to obey because, once we believe in Christ and are saved, we are remade. We are not the same people we once were. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” -When we obey the Lord, we can live a life of joy, without shame, rooted deeply in the Lord and confident in our eternal hope. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). Our obedience is actually part of our assurance that we truly know God (1 John 2:3). -When God’s children obey their Heavenly Father, He is glorified. Jesus told us that the plan is for others to “see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Of course, performing “good deeds” requires obedience to the One who calls us to good deeds. A Christian’s testimony of holiness is a strong witness that God is at work in the world. -“Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in obedience to him” (Psalm 128:1). The Bible often tells us that God blesses and rewards obedience. James 1:22-25 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. . . . Whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” See also Psalm 119:1-2. -God is gracious. If we haven’t been living for Him, if we haven’t been following His commandments, if we’ve been living in and for the world, we can be transformed by the blood of Jesus Christ. We can ask God for forgiveness, and He will give it. And He will choose to forget the sin, just as if we had never committed it in the first place. God is glorified when He extends forgiveness, because it is written, “I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds. . . . Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more” (Hebrews 10:16-17).

-In the midst of all this devastation, God told Noah that He would establish His covenant with him (6:18). Covenant, the word that signals a relationship in the context of an agreement, appears here for the first time in the Bible. Admittedly, the covenant is not an agreement of equals. In this case, both members did not have responsibilities toward each other, for Noah had none specified toward God. Noah simply acted in obedience to what God directed. But the Lord showed intimacy and affection for Noah by revealing to him the plans necessary for him and his family to escape the coming deluge.

Faith is simply a reliance upon and trust In God, who He is, what He says, What He has done, is doing, and will do. This will lead us to walk in Obedience.

Genesis 7:1-10

Notes:Noah never grumbled, he simply obeyed. He trusted that the Lord is faithful to His word and was going to make it all make sense in due time.

-To often we grumble about what God has asked us to do. We walk around bitter, angry, dejected.We can become jealous of what God has done or called other to. You must focus on what God has called you to not anyone else. Then walk joyfuly, humbly, obediently with the Lord in that and allow Him to use you.

-Noah obeyed God and completed the ark despite no visible evidence that a flood would come. God told him to enter the vessel with your whole family, because I have found you righteous (7:1). Noah had obeyed God’s directions even to the smallest detail. He was righteous before beginning the construction of the ark; he was the same after building the ark and readying it for its voyage.

Genesis 7:11-24

Notes: TheFlood can be tough to talk about…..…

Skeptics have noted at least two arguments against the validity of the Flood account.

-First, they state that there is no way enough rain to flood the earth could have come down in a mere forty days. This is true. But the Bible states that not only the floodgates of the heavens were opened, [but] all the springs of the great deep burst forth (7:11). Somehow God caused pressure to force water up from underground sources, while rain was falling from the sky.

-Second, some argue theoretically that if all the water in the air was liquefied and the world’s ice was melted, the world’s water line would not be raised more than nine or ten inches. Since no water is ever lost, and no more is being generated, where then is all the water that flooded the world?

-The answer must be that the world today has a very different configuration than it had before the Flood. A sonar probe of the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean has revealed a seam in the middle of it. It somewhat matches the continents of North America and Europe with South America and Africa. The impression is that at one time the Atlantic Ocean did not exist, perhaps before the Flood.

-But through a cataclysmic fissure, the ground opened to make the water recede quickly. This indicates that it is really too difficult to determine what might have happened during the Flood. One is much safer simply to take the Word of God as a factual report of a totally unique and one-time event on the earth.

-The flood is God’s just judgment upon His creation that has been completely tainted and ruled by sin. In Genesis 4 God tells Cain, sin is crouching at his door waiting to come in if he doesn't to what is right. For sin desires him. We know from this point on sin has its way…Sin is no longer crouching outside the door of humanity. We have gladly opened the door for sin, and it has made its home in our hearts, minds, and soul, and has gotten very comfortable. Sins desire for humanity had twisted humanity to desire sin in return, not their God. This can still be true for us today.

-Judgment had to take place. And We believe God is a just God. In order for renewal to take place something has to be destroyed. We might not like the idea of God destroying, but we had already destroyed our humanity by the choices we had made. God does not tolerate sin for He is Perfect and Holy, sin grieves Him and sin has to be dealt with and destroyed.

-As i read through this i can help but notice how Noah foreshadows Jesus in a few ways….…

-Foreshadowing is quite frequent in the Old Testament, as every is pointing to something better, our Savior Jesus.

Salvation through Ark and Christ:

Noah built an ark to provide salvation from the flood, saving his family and representatives of all living creatures.

Jesus is considered the Ark of salvation, providing deliverance from sin and eternal separation from God.

Righteousness and Blamelessness:

Genesis describes Noah as a righteous and blameless man who walked with God Scripture indicates that only he was righteous, yet his wife, sons, and sons wives reaped the benefits of his righteousness.

Jesus, being sinless and blameless, fulfilled God's righteous standards, making him the perfect sacrifice for the redemption of humanity.

Obedience to God's Will:

Noah demonstrated obedience to God's specific instructions in building the ark.

Jesus, in his earthly ministry, exemplified perfect obedience to God's will, even to the point of willingly laying down his life for the salvation of humanity.

Preservation and New Creation:

Through the ark, Noah and his family were preserved, and a new creation emerged after the flood.

Jesus, through his death and resurrection, brings about a new creation, offering spiritual renewal and eternal life to those who believe in him.

Representative of Humanity:

Noah served as a representative for humanity, chosen by God to be saved from the judgment of the flood.

Jesus is the ultimate representative of humanity, serving as the Savior for all who believe in him, offering salvation from the judgment of sin.

Genesis 8:1-14

Notes:

-The Dove as a Symbol:Noah sent out a dove to find dry land, symbolizing peace and the end of judgment.In the New Testament, the dove is associated with the Holy Spirit, and Jesus himself was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism, bringing peace and the end of God's judgment through salvation.

Genesis 8:15-22

Notes:Noahs first response after getting off the ark. Worship!

-May we have this posture as well when life is tough. realize God is sustaining you, giving you love, grace, and mercy daily, and is worthy of our praise and worship. We must humble ourselves.

Genesis 9:1-17

Notes:

Your Obedience and Faith Section:

Notes:

-We sent and email this week for you to be praying about this moment. So What is God calling you to be obedient in? Is He calling you to be bolder with your faith? Step into ministry? Serving in the community? Serve in a specific ministry? Step into something new and possibly uncomfortable? Step into a new job?

-We want today, as we celebrate our 2 year birthday as a church, to be a day marked by His people stepping up and into obedience. We don’t want to be afraid anymore about how hard things might be in what God is calling us to. Its time to be faithful and obedient! We are doing this because we believe to be an authentic community and to live holy (set apart lives) we must be obedient to Jesus alone, for he is worthy of our faith and obedience! -we want to come alongside you today and pray and encourage you to step out and be Obedient to what the Lord is calling you to! Sometimes obedience doesn’t make sense at first, but the Lord will give you clarity as you honor Him with your obedience.

-Pastor Manny and i want to help you, We want you to come forward, share with us what you need to step into obediently so we can commission and anoint you and pray for you.

Anointing Oil: Anointing oil is commonly used during commissioning services where individuals are being set apart or consecrated for a specific ministry or calling.

Symbolic of God's Presence: Anointing oil is seen as a symbol of the Holy Spirit and God's presence. It signifies consecration and the empowering of individuals for their specific roles.

Biblical Tradition: The use of anointing oil has biblical roots, with references in the Old and New Testaments, symbolizing God's favor and empowerment.

Symbolic Meaning: The act of anointing is symbolic of consecration, empowerment, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. It represents the person being set apart for a specific purpose.

Week 3 Questions:

1.What has God called you to be more obedient in?

2.Why is obedience to God hard?

3.What are some things that have been preventing you from being obedient to God? How can you remove those things that are holding you back?