The Flood
Notes
Transcript
This morning we are going to talk about the flood
I would recommend if you ever get the chance to go to the Ark Encounter in Kentucky go and do that
It is so amazing to see and the people who run and that did that are the same people who we do our Sunday School Material through
The Flood actually happened and we believe that it was a world wide flood not a local flood
In the Biblical account of the flood we learn about Gods character
See we like to say we know about God but here we see what we know about God played out for us to see and experience
Church this account of the Flood and Noah and the Ark should drive us to do exactly what Noah did when he came out of the Ark
20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
Church to know God more and more and more intimately should drive us to worship God more and more
That is what happened with Noah
He had experienced God in such a way that when he got out of the Ark he built and alter and worshiped the Lord
When we are obedient to putting the Word of God into action in our own lives we experience God in such a way church that drives us to worship
That is exactly what happened to Noah
So we need to go back to where it started
5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
Just like last week Sin does not stay contained
It didn’t
It spread throughout the entire world
To the point where God looks at His own creation and is broken hearted over the matter
God sees His own creation the apple of His eye and sees that every intent of the thoughts of mans heart is evil continually
It was continuous sin after sin and after sin
I have to wonder church does that look familiar to today
Do we start to understand the depravity that is man
That is a interesting word it means morally corrupt or wicked
Church because of man’s depravity there is separation from God and punishment from God
For people in church we like to say and its true that you have a sin nature or a default setting to sin
And I think sometimes we as a church gloss over that
And yet we find in scripture this verse that plainly puts it out there that God was sorry He made man
That every intent of our hearts and minds was evil continually
Church for you and I to fully understand our need for a savior
Or to even begin to cry out to God to save we must understand how depraved we are as a person
We are not good
For God to think and be sorry that He created us goes way beyond a parent saying they are disappointed in us
And yet we know this is truth from Scripture
And we know the rest of the story
Once again the grace and mercy and even the patience of God is on full display
7 The Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
This is Gods response to be sorry He made humanity and the evil that is in the world
God cannot be with that so He will blot them out
Understand humanity deserved this type of sweeping judgement
For the wages of sin is death
There is no gettin around that
Sin will always lead to death and destruction and struggle and separation from God Himself
And yet in the middle of God pouring out punishment deserved punishment I might add
We see God be patient
But
But Noah in the midst of an evil world and evil humanity Noah stood out and was different
Noah it says later on that he walked with God
So church this morning lets pause for a moment
As you look at our world you can’t help but think wow
Is our world and society just as evil if not worse
And yet in all of that Noah walked with God
Church let me ask you the question do you walk with God
Does your speech match your lifestyle and your actions
Does you speech and what you post on social media match you actions when no one else is looking
Does you life glorify and honor and point to God
We must be walking with God church we must be the Noah in the story who finds favor with God who is walking with God
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Let us be lights in a world that shine in such a way that people see the light and are drawn to Jesus and glorify Him because of how we live our life
It is not about just being nice and kind but about our heart being united with God and obedient to Him no matter what He calls us to do
Church He has called us to be lights in this world not just on Sunday or Wednesday, or when it is easy and convenant, or when we believe we are prepared
You see church it was Gods grace and mercy and love that causes Him to be patient
And we like that fact that God is patient
I mean we are here today because God is patient
9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
God desires all humanity to come to know Him through a personal relationship with Christ
But God is also a righteous God and cannot and will not be a part of sin
God is also a loving God but don’t mistake His love for you as accepting of your sinful ways
Because Yes God is patient
Yes God told Noah to go and build the Ark
13 Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth. 14 “Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch.
And then Noah was obedient
Notice there wasn’t any debate are you sure God
Or I need to practice first
Notice what Noah did
22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.
Like Noah church we are to be obedient to what He has called you to do
maybe it is build an Ark, but since God has promised to never destroy the earth again with flood you might not need that
Maybe God has called you to say something to a coworker
Are you called to invite a friend or neighbor to church or even to your house to eat lunch
Notice church God commanded Noah
And then Noah was obedient
I fall into the God commanded me
Then I want to drag my feet and ask questions and make sure I am prepred
Let me tell you if the God of the universe has called you to do something it doesn’t matter what you think about you being prepared it has everything to do with God doing a work through you
You will be fine when you are obedient to Gods call on your life
12 The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. 13 On the very same day Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark, 14 they and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, all sorts of birds. 15 So they went into the ark to Noah, by twos of all flesh in which was the breath of life. 16 Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and the Lord closed it behind him.
Church we see the rain starting to fall and once again Noah is obedient
Noah is leading his family to be obedient
Now please hear me this morning
I am not saying that you need to go and build an ark and by doing that you will be obedient
God has promised to never end the earth again by flood so an ark may not do us so much good
So this isn’t a look at the Bible and see how Noah was obedient in building an nark go and be obedient by building an ark
Rather it is a look at the account of the flood and see how Noah walked with God
Walk with God
See how Noah was given instructions by God was obedient to do what God has said
So when God gives you instruction because you have been walking with Him and He has spoken to you through His Word and in Prayer then church you need to be obedient to what He has called you to do
Whatever that is
Maybe it is stepping into a leadership role or helping in a ministry here at church
But to be obedient to what He has called you to do
Then God brought the animals into the ark
Then notice that Gods patience had run out
Noah had built for a long while
You have to think people around the community where Noah was started to notice and that he probably told them
If not he at least told his hardware store clerk
But God is patient until He shuts the door and thus sealing their fate those who are not in the ark
Now God didn’t do that to them their own actions did that to them
Just like when we are punished we can’t blame anyone but ourselves
And so church Yes we love the fact that God is a patient God but at some point His patience will run out and He will return and there will be no more opportunity for you to turn from sin and trust Him
That is why it is vital that you and I are a bold light in a dark world because we don’t know when He will return other than He will
13 “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.
Church we are to be on alert
We are to be a bold witness to the things we have experienced through our own personal relationship with Christ
We are to look for those opportunities to share the Love of Christ with others
Because we don’t know when He is returning
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Finally church because we don’t know the time or place we have been called by God to go and preach the Gospel message
The Gospel Message is to repent and believe because Jesus paid for you debt of sin on the cross
Because church we have been called to do just that
Now let us go and be obedient to what God has called us to do
Just like Noah was obedient in building an ark and went and built an Ark
We skimmed over the flood account and I would challenge you to read through it and see God at work in the story of the flood
After the rain stopped and the flood waters started going down eventually Noah came out
20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
And because Noah had experienced the living God, he spent time worshipping Him
When we encounter the living God it is good for us to spend time and worship God to thank Him, to praise Him
Spending time with God and being obedient to Him should drive us to worship Him
And finally church the rainbow
12 God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; 13 I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. 14 “It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, 15 and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 “When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
God has made a promise Noah and to all the earth to never destroy all flesh with a flood
Which is absolutely amazing when we see Rainbows in the sky after it has rained
We are reminded that God is faithful to His Promises
When God sees His bow set in the sky after it rains it is a reminded of what He promised Noah so long ago
And church that alone should drive us to worship because God is faithful to keep His promises
So this morning as we come to a close
Maybe you are here this morning and do not know Jesus personally
I would invite you to speak with someone down from who can show you through scripture how you can know Him personally today
And this morning you can walk out of darkness and into life through a personal relationship with Jesus
Or maybe you have a personal relationship with Jesus
Maybe you are dragging your feet about being obedient and you need to stop
Maybe you simple need to spend sometime in prayer
Would you respond obediently this morning to what God has called you to do
