Hope Floats

Payer

“All the events of life, even such dark events as war, famine and flood, violence and murder, are not irreversible fatalities. Each moment is like a seed that carries within itself the possibility of becoming the moment of change. . . . We no longer need to run from present time in search of the place where we think life is really happening. We begin to have a truer vision of the world and of our lives in relationship to time and eternity. We begin to glimpse something of eternity in time. At this point boredom falls away and the joyful and painful moments of our lives take on new and profound meaning. It is then that we know that for us time is becoming transparent. The contemplative life, therefore, is not a life that offers a few good moments between the many bad ones, but a life that transforms all our time into a window through which the invisible world becomes visible.” Henri Nouwen- Dutch-born Catholic priest, professor, psychologist and writer

"Heavenly Father,

We come before You today with heavy hearts, grieving the divisions in our nation and the state of our politics. We long for unity, peace, and justice in our land.

Lord, we repent of our part in fostering division and strife. We lament the brokenness we see around us and within us. Forgive us for placing our hope in earthly powers and political solutions rather than in You.

Remind us, O God, that our true citizenship is in Heaven. Help us to be Your church on Earth, a foretaste of Your coming Kingdom. Empower us to love as You love, to seek justice as You do, to care for the widow and the orphan, to speak for those without a voice, and to reach out to those on the margins of society.

For those who are worried and anxious, we pray Your peace that passes all understanding. You have not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. Let this truth anchor our souls in turbulent times.

To those feeling despair and shaken, we declare that King Jesus still reigns supreme. Our hope is in You, Lord, not in earthly circumstances or leaders.

Align our hearts and minds with the truth of the gospel. May we be equipped to give others a glimpse of Your Kingdom - where fear is banished, pain is healed, and tears are wiped away. Where peace, love, and justice prevail, and where Jesus is the center of all things.

Grant us the courage and wisdom to be Your hands and feet in this world. May our lives reflect the transforming power of the gospel, as Paul the apostle wrote, “it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes, offering hope to a hurting world.

In the name of Jesus, our Rock and our Redeemer, we pray. Amen."

Introduction

The Case of the British Spitfires in World War II

During World War II, British Spitfire fighters were crucial in defending against German air raids. However, they faced a significant problem: many Spitfires were being shot down, and the military urgently needed to improve their survivability.

Initially, the Royal Air Force (RAF) focused on analyzing the damage patterns on returning aircraft. They planned to add armor to the areas showing the most damage, assuming these were the most vulnerable parts.

However, a statistician named Abraham Wald pointed out a critical flaw in this approach. He realized they were only looking at the planes that made it back - not the ones that were shot down and never returned.

Wald suggested that the military was asking the wrong question. Instead of "Where are the planes most damaged?", the real question should have been "Where are the planes that don't return likely being hit?"

His insight led to a completely different conclusion: The areas on returning planes with no damage were likely the most critical. Planes hit in these areas probably weren't surviving to return to base.

Based on this reframing, the RAF armored the areas that showed no damage on the returning planes, rather than the areas that showed the most damage. This counterintuitive approach significantly improved aircraft survival rates.

As we enter into Genesis 7 looking at the great flood that God brought about upon the world, there are going to be some questions that we will bring to our reading.

Was it a local, regional, or global flood?

Given the space on the ark, the sheer amount of animals, the needs to take care of the animals underway, and all of the things that come with that, how did they do the seemingly impossible (feeding, cleaning, sanitizing, care, maintenance, etc.)

The sheer volume of water that it would take to fill the earth in the way it describes and then to recede in the amount of time listed, how did that happen?

Is this story supposed to be literal or allegorical?

All of these are great questions. I think these are things that many try to get after. I highly encourage you, if you have these questions, to seek out the answers. Through prayer, study, research, and the Word of God… I’m excited to see what you’ll come up with. But as you might have guessed, our approach to Genesis in this time is to dive in and see what questions the Bible is trying to answer. What I have experienced and found is that often times I’m not aware of even what the right questions are. But when I sit, listen, and hear what the Bible is saying, I find that there is a deeper answer, a deeper balm, a deeper invitation to experience and know more about God, who He is, who I am, and who I am in light of who He is.

What does God do in the midst of evil and rebellion?

What does it mean to be righteous in the midst of a perverted and crooked people?

Where is God in the midst of the chaos waters in our life?

If you have your Bibles or on your devices, you can turn to Genesis 7. If you are willing and able would you stand with me as I read God’s word this morning… let us pray… amen… you may be seated.

Review

Creation: In absolute rebellion

Genesis 6:1–2 “When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.” (consumption)

Genesis 6:5 “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.”

Betrayed: God has concluded that the world has betrayed the intent in which it was created.

I will blot out (6:7; cf. 7:4, 23) I will destroy (6:13) I will bring a flood… to destroy (6:17)

Grieved: Deep pathos of God is shown in chapter 6 that he is not enraged but is grieved and is saddened. As we pointed out a few weeks ago, this word grieved is the same word that God uses when describing the toil/pain that a woman would suffer in child bearing.

God is resolved to bring a newness to that which is absolutely lost. It is as if we are looking at a house that is from all appearances looks great. But once the inspection has been done, you find that a strong gust of wind would knock the house over because it has been eaten from the inside out from termites. This is what is taking place in Genesis 7.

It is important to note as we’ve mentioned before, this is Moses writing down the history of the world as its been passed down from generation to generation. Genesis 1-11 is like the Old Testament of the Old Testament. We’re not given a play by play but a high-level look as to what is happening. It sets context and understanding of what a newly freed-captured people find themselves in this world. Who are they, who is their God, who are they in light of God almighty (KINDA SOME OF THE SAME QUESTIONS WE ASK ABOUT OURSELVES… Huh?)

This is great news to you and me. By entering into this moment, God is going to reset, save his creation which he called, “very good” but is going to bring chaos waters and in the midst of it, He enters into the midst of this delivers through the chaos waters a righteous man whom the known world will descend from.

Noah

God instructed Noah, his family, and these animals to enter the ark. Were reminded again...

Genesis 7:1 “The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.”

How do we know this, what are indicators of righteousness looks like…

Genesis 7:5 “And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.”

There is a pattern and deliberate choice that Noah made. He chose to follow YHWH when no one else would. It’s interesting to look at how the apostle Peter described Noah…

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;”

Peter calls him a preacher of righteousness. It might be that Noah went around declaring, like a prophet, calling to repent (though were not given that information… neither was Peter), but yet it’s also possible that the life that Noah was living as one that was preaching faithfulness and fidelity to God.

1 Peter 3:15–16 “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”

The life of Noah is seen as one of obedience to YHWH. In that he and his family are kept from the effects of the chaos waters.

He goes through the chaos waters, but their intent (the chaos waters) did not bring to bear upon their lives. God kept them through it all.

Judgment

This text reminds us that God is holy and just. God will bring the weight of judgment against sin and evil, showing His awesomeness and holiness.

The flood waters come. Lets take a moment and think of the disorientation they might have experienced. They had never seen rain before. They had never experienced a flood. They had never experienced the absolute power, chaos, and dread that comes with the violence of water.

In 2004 there was a devastating tsunami that occured in the Indian Ocean on December 26.

Cause: A massive undersea earthquake (magnitude 9.1-9.3) off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.

Affected areas: Coastlines of Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Maldives, and even parts of East Africa.

Impact:

Waves up to 100 feet (30 meters) high in some areas

Open ocean speed: In the deep ocean, the tsunami waves moved at approximately 500-550 mph (800-885 km/h). This is roughly the speed of a commercial jet airliner.

Shallow water speed: As the waves approached shorelines and entered shallower waters, they slowed down considerably but grew in height.

Rapid spread: Due to their high speed, the tsunami waves crossed the Indian Ocean in a matter of hours, reaching distant shores like Somalia in East Africa within 7-8 hours of the initial earthquake.

Undetectable in open water: Despite their high speed, the waves were often only a few feet high in the open ocean, making them difficult to detect without specialized equipment.

Wavelength: The waves had extremely long wavelengths, sometimes hundreds of kilometers apart, contributing to their high speed and energy.

Over 230,000 people killed across 14 countries

Millions displaced

Extensive destruction of coastal communities and infrastructure

If you can, imagine that on a global scale… It is in many ways incomprehensible.

The flood brings death and destruction. We have a literal de-creation. He takes the world as he has constructed it and brings us back to Genesis 1:2 “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

I’m convinced if we felt the depths of the depravity and evil in the world, we would be cheering and in full agreement. It’s hard for me to imagine this, but I am also privileged to have a lived a life where I have experienced injustice, but not enough to see the need for someone to lose their life. But I have enough of an imagination to where I could find that justifiable. To think a world full of that is frightening.

Through out scripture we find this pattern will God will seek out those who are wanting/desiring/willing to seek His will (however imperfectly) and He works a work through them, not only for their benefit and the benefit of others because that is His character.

Exodus 34:6–7 “And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.””

We get a bleak picture in Genesis 7. Nothing survives save those in the ark.

Salvation

There are a few things at play here that we see mapped onto scripture.

40 is the number of preparation, testing, and judgment- rain here, years Israel in the wilderness, Elijah fasted for 40 days, Jonah warned Nineveh it’d be destroyed in 40 days if they didn’t repent, Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days, Jesus appeared for 40 days to the disciples and others after the resurrection.

40 days and 40 nights could speak to the completeness or thoroughness of the judgement

In the midst of the chaos waters, God sustained Noah and the animals within the ark. We’re helped by our NT authors

Matthew 24:36–41 ““But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.”

In the chaos of life, Jesus is our refuge, Jesus is the ark that we run into for salvation.

Hebrews 11:7 “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.”

1 Peter 3:18–22 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits—to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.”

Conclusion

How does the Bible seem answer those deeper questions…

What God does in the midst of evil and rebellion?

God is grieved. God is just and will not allow evil and injustice to prevail. He will either bring judgment upon those that have sinned or Jesus has taken that judgement upon himself for those of us who are in Christ.

Make no mistake, God is not mocked, judgment will come to all people and things in rebellion to God.

For those of us who have been wronged, this should be source of comfort. For those of us who have witnessed injustice, this should be a source of peace. For those of us who have commited injustice, we should fear, confess our sin, turn from our sin, yield our lives to King Jesus and submit ourselves to his mercy and forgiveness.

What does it mean to be righteous in the midst of a perverted and crooked people?

It means to follow Jesus and the way of Jesus. Being deeply formed by the Spirit of God, the Word of God, all the while living in the community of God (the church) being in the world but not of the world.

Our lives demonstrate a distinct difference (hint: we don’t have to force this in mustering up difference… it naturally comes as a tree bears fruit when we are living a life submitted to Jesus).

Our manner, our view of others, our speech, our conduct, our character, our integrity are things we are known for and our words only highlight the truth of those things. We are a people of grace, mercy, and when appropriate we share the good news of a life yielded to King Jesus. The Kingdom peace/piece comes with us. Allowing others to taste and see that God is truly good.

Where is God in the midst of the chaos waters in our life?

We all have chaos in our lives to one form or another. Some are seasons and some of those seasons are longer than others. In the midst of the chaos, Jesus is our refuge and safe place from the chaos waters.

We will not escape the chaos while we still have breath… it will come in circumstance, because of others, because of things out of our control, because of previous events or choices we’ve made, it will come because we are getting older, it will come because of the places we work, of the neighbors we have, of the family we were born into… in all of these things we will not escape the various forms of chaos that come. But it need not rule over us or destroy us. The intended effects of chaos will not come to bear as we abide in Christ.

We will focus on this more next week… but Genesis 8:1 is the pivot point in the flood narrative… Genesis 8:1 “But God remembered Noah …”

God sees you. God loves you. God showed his love to us in this way, while we were yet sinners God sent his one and only son into the world that those who believe on him would not perish but would have everlasting life. For God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through him.

May we recommit our lives to Jesus today in whatever circumstance that we find ourselves in.

If you need prayer this morning because the waves of the chaos waters seem to be getting higher, come receive prayer. If you are finding yourself sinking in the midst of circumstances… don’t be ashamed, we are in this together (this is the gift of the church), come and receive prayer. Let us come together lifting each other up and each others circumstances before the Lord and let us see what he won’t do.

Brothers and sisters, Genesis 7 reminds us that even in the midst of judgment, chaos, and rebellion, God is with us. He grieves over sin, yet His justice and love compel Him to act. For those in Christ, we find comfort knowing that Jesus bore the judgment we deserved. As we navigate the chaos waters of life, we're called to stand out as righteous people, not through our own strength, but through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Our lives should bear witness to the grace and mercy we've received. Remember, just as God remembered Noah, He remembers us. In every storm, every trial, every moment of chaos, our God is present. He is our refuge, our safe harbor. As we close, let us take heart in this truth: no matter how high the waters rise, our God is higher still. He is with us, He is for us, and in Him, we find our ultimate security and peace. Let us go forth, then, as people marked by His presence, living as beacons of hope in a world that desperately needs to see the light of Christ. Amen.