One Small Step Pt. 1: Obey Without Objection

Intro

When was the last time you had to do something you REALLY didn’t want to do?

I was a total rebel growing up. I’m stubborn. Once I set my mind on something, I see it through no matter what. Now the opposite holds true as well. If I DIDN’T want to do something, I would find any and every excuse not to do it. Much like many of you, I still had to do things I didn’t want to do. For example, I like working out, but I really don’t like being forced to bench press 225lbs at 5:00am. In college when I was on scholarship, we had to be IN THE GYM by 5:00am. They would load 225 on the bench press and look at us and say “Go! Do as many as you can!” Now aside from the fact that our strength and conditioning coach used to be in the army, trying to lift that heavy of a weight when you’re barely awake not only makes you feel like you’re gonna die, but makes you WANT to die as well. If I said no (which my coach scared me so I didn’t), he threatened to make me run until I puked twice. Emphasis on twice. So I naturally did what I was told to do. Early in the year, it was brutal. My heart wasn’t really in it. However, I noticed that because my heart wasn’t in it, I wasn’t getting as strong as I had hoped. So halfway through the year, when I started building a rhythm, going to bed earlier, and trying to hype myself up for the next morning, I started to add on extra weight than what I had loaded on before. I felt better about myself and whenever my coach would ask something insane of me, I’d look at him and say “Bet!” (Because that was popular in 2017).

When we start a new year, we often make resolutions to do things that we really don’t want to do because it’s good for us. One of the biggest reasons we fail so many resolutions is because we don’t pride ourselves with what we do. If your goal is to read the Bible in a year, you get to Leviticus where it becomes a Snooze Fest and you stop. So… This year, as a group who wants to know either who God is, if He’s even real, or you do follow God and want to actually want to get closer to Him and reveal your purpose in life, how do we get there? Well, or journey to knowing God, ourselves, and our purpose begins with one small step. Our text today is going to be the first book of the Bible, the origin story of humanity if you will, called Genesis. This will be in chapter 6 and up on the screen.

Text: Genesis 6:11-22

This story is about this dude named Noah. Noah and his family were the only good people on earth. So God is fed up with the evil. Let’s read what happens.

Genesis 6:11–22 ESV

Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.” Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.

So what can we do to Obey without Objection?

Point 1: We Need to Expect God’s Directon at Any Moment

Notice here that God gives Noah directions. He gives them and even provided detailed instructions. Noah had every right to be skeptical. God told him that a flood was going to wipe out the Earth (If you’re a science nerd like me, This might have been Pangea). Can you imagine how that conversation went? “Hey Noah!” “Who’s there?” “It’s me, God. Quick question for you, do you like sailing?” “What’s sailing? I’m just a gardener.”

Point 2: We Need to Stop Procrastinating

Bringing it Together

Jesus

Big Idea/Conclusion