Wise Choices for A New Year

(Genesis 8:13–22)

Genesis 8:13–22 NLT

13 Noah was now 601 years old. On the first day of the new year, ten and a half months after the flood began, the floodwaters had almost dried up from the earth. Noah lifted back the covering of the boat and saw that the surface of the ground was drying. 14 Two more months went by, and at last the earth was dry! 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Leave the boat, all of you—you and your wife, and your sons and their wives. 17 Release all the animals—the birds, the livestock, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—so they can be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth.” 18 So Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives left the boat. 19 And all of the large and small animals and birds came out of the boat, pair by pair. 20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and there he sacrificed as burnt offerings the animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose. 21 And the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things. 22 As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.”

Dr. George Bannister / General

New Year / Genesis 6:9–8:22

INTRODUCTION:

A- A serious question:

1- The beginning of a new year presents the opportunity to make some lifestyle changes that will impact the rest of your life. There are some choices that you can make that will have eternal consequences.

2- Could you imagine having the opportunity of engaging a brand new beginning in a brand new world? What would you do? In Genesis 8:13-22, we find a man and his family who were faced with just such a situation.

(Genesis 8:13–22)

B- The background (Genesis 6:1-8:12).

1- The wickedness of the human race :

(Genesis 6:5–6)

The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.

(Genesis 6:11–12)

Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt.

2- The Judgement of God upon the world:

(Genesis 6:7-7).

And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.”

(Genesis 6:12-13).

God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!

3- The Grace of a New Beginning:

a. Through the lives of people who experienced God’s grace.

(Genesis 6:8-9).

But Noah found favor with the Lord. This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.

(1). Noah was in a right relationship with God (righteous).

tsaddiq (צַדִּיק, 6662), “righteous; just.” This adjectival form occurs 206 times in biblical Hebrew. In Old Aramaic the adjective signifies “loyalty” of a king or high priest to his personal god, often represented by a gift to the god. (2). Noah lived a blameless life (unlike the other people on the earth).

(2) Noah was “blameless” before God.

tamim (תָּמִים, 8549), “perfect; blameless; sincerity; entire; whole; complete; full.”(3). Noah walked in close fellowship with God.

(3) Noah walked with God.

halak (הָלַךְ, 1980), “to go, walk, behave.” Noah’s ongoing behavior indicated that he was living and walking in close fellowship with God.

(4) With all of his good traits, What God was going to do for Noah and his family was a matter of “grace” or undeserved divine favor.

chen (חֵן, 2580), “favor; grace.”

In order for this new beginning to come to pass, Noah and his family had to make some choices. If you and I are to experience the New beginning that God has in store for us, we must make these same choices.

I- CHOOSE TO ENTER GOD’S ARK OF SAFETY (Genesis 6:17-19).

Genesis 6:17–19 NLT

“Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood.

A- Accept the fact that sin results in God’s judgment. (GENESIS 6:17).

Genesis 6:17 NLT

17 “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die.

1- Noah believed God’s declaration of coming judgment.

a. He recorded God’s instructions for building the ark and populating it.

(Genesis 6:14-21).

Genesis 6:14–21 NLT

14 “Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. 15 Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 16 Leave an 18-inch opening below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper. 17 “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18 But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 19 Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. 20 Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. 21 And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.”

b. He followed God’s instructions. He did not try to make it his own way.

(Genesis 6:22)

Genesis 6:22 NLT

22 So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.

B- Accept God’s covenant terms to receive His promise (GENESIS 6:18).

Genesis 6:18 NLT

18 But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives.

1- Noah and his family entered the ark with the animals, when commanded to by God (Genesis 7:1-5).

Genesis 7:1–5 NLT

1 When everything was ready, the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous. 2 Take with you seven pairs—male and female—of each animal I have approved for eating and for sacrifice, and take one pair of each of the others. 3 Also take seven pairs of every kind of bird. There must be a male and a female in each pair to ensure that all life will survive on the earth after the flood. 4 Seven days from now I will make the rains pour down on the earth. And it will rain for forty days and forty nights, until I have wiped from the earth all the living things I have created.” 5 So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him.

a. Even after building the ark, they had to get on board in order to escape God’s judgement.

2- God has provided the ark of safety to escape God’s judgment for sin.

a. The gift of eternal life purchased by the blood of Christ.

(1) You must be reject the self-willed life of sin (repent)

(2) You must receive the payment-in-full for your sins made by Jesus Christ on the cross and the power to live a new life as evidenced by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.

(3) You must surrender control of your life to the Lordship of Christ—choosing to become his disciple.

II- CHOOSE TO TRUST GOD IN THE STORM (Genesis 7:1-8:12).

A- The storm is not often short, nor easy.

1- Noah and his family faced a serious situation enroute to their new beginning.

a. The journey was dangerous:

(1). Jewish writings and the New Testament (κατακλυσμός) have the same practice for reference to the famous deluge (Matt 24:38–39; Luke 17:27; 2 Pet 2:5). The idea conveyed is that the flood was so dangerous, it was cataclysmic!

Matthew 24:38–39 NLT

38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

Luke 17:27 NLT

27 In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all.

2 Peter 2:5 NLT

5 And God did not spare the ancient world—except for Noah and the seven others in his family. Noah warned the world of God’s righteous judgment. So God protected Noah when he destroyed the world of ungodly people with a vast flood.

b. The journey was long:

(1). The ark journey took a full year.

We have here the last date in the Flood story. The earth is dry on the 27th day of the 2nd month in the 2nd year. The Flood had begun on the 17th day of the 2nd month in the previous year (7:11). From first to last we have here a period of one year and 10 days. It has been pointed out that a lunar year consists of 354 days; and that one lunar year and 11 days is exactly a solar year of 365 days.

The LXX in 7:11 dated the commencement of the Flood from the 27th day of the 2nd month of the 1st year; and, therefore, assigns an exact year to its duration.

c. The journey was inconvenient:

(1). Confined.

(2). Noisy

(3). Uncertain - didn’t know the end.

2- God has not promised that the road will be easy, nor that the pathway will be short for you and I.

a. In fact, scripture assures that the opposite is true.

(2 Timothy 3:12)

Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

(1 Peter 4:12–16)

Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world. If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs. But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name!

B- The journey requires continued obedience.

1- You must be willing to carry out what God has given you to do and let him take care of the rest.

a. Noah and his family had to continue to take care of the animals and other day-to-day tasks.

(1). Had to leave the steering and safety of the ark to God.

2- You must be willing to wait on God’s direction … don’t get ahead of God.

a. Noah and his family stayed ready to move, but did not exit the ark until God directed them. (Genesis 8:1-14).

(Genesis 8:15-19)

Then God said to Noah, “Leave the boat, all of you—you and your wife, and your sons and their wives. Release all the animals—the birds, the livestock, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—so they can be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth.” So Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives left the boat. And all of the large and small animals and birds came out of the boat, pair by pair.

III- CHOOSE TO MAKE WORSHIP AND SERVICE TO GOD THE PRIORITY (Genesis 8:20-22).

A- God is to be given top priority.

1- The first thing that Noah and his family did was to worship God.

a. They built an altar and offer the prescribed sacrifices.

(Genesis 8:20 NLT)

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and there he sacrificed as burnt offerings the animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose.

b. God was pleased and made a promise.

(Genesis 8:21-22).

And the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things. As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.”

2- The sacrifices he desires from us:

a. brokenness over our sin.

(Psalm 51:17)

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

b. Yieldedness of our whole life to him.

(Romans 12:1-2)

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

B- Live in the assurance of his promises.

1- God is always faithful to keep his promises.

(1 Corinthians 1:9)

God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

CONCLUSION:

SONG:

“I have decided to follow Jesus”

1 I have decided to follow Jesus; I have decided to follow Jesus; I have decided to follow Jesus; no turning back, no turning back.

2 Though none go with me, I still will follow; though none go with me, I still will follow; though none go with me, I still will follow; no turning back, no turning back.

3 My cross I'll carry, till I see Jesus; my cross I'll carry, till I see Jesus; my cross I'll carry, till I see Jesus; no turning back, no turning back.

4 The world behind me, the cross before me; the world behind me, the cross before me; the world behind me, the cross before me; no turning back, no turning b