New Beginnings Part 12
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
Intro:
Genesis overview
Gary teaching last week
Rule
Sexual
Useful
Belong
This week we get to the actual flood
Pray
Flow:
Flow:
We arrive now at the details of the flood. And chapters 7 & 8 will serve for us just that. Details. We will see dates and numbers and specific step by step actions and it might be tempting to skim through these chapters to arrive back at the action in chapter 9 but that would be a great mistake
These details are placed here for a reason and they are given with precision to give the story importance and historical credibility.
The Lord wanted the Israelites and us to know what happened step by step and how it happened.
Now when you think of this story what do you picture?
Show children’s picture
Then show scene from Noah’s Ark movie
The flood was catastrophic and it didn’t happen by accident.
As we’ve talked about God was in complete control
There were many versions of this account in history and the biggest differentiation between the account of someone like the babylonians and the account given here in Genesis is that Yahweh(God) was in control over ever specific step and thing the entire time
So we get to these chapters and one of the main objectives in this writing is to show the Israelites and us why things happened the way they did and how they happened
It also is going to give historical validity to the flood account recorded in Genesis
Here’s a brief summary of the two chapters
Noah entered the ark when he was 600 years, 2 months, and 10 days old.
· Seven days later the rain began to fall.
· The rain fell for 40 days and 40 nights.
· The “fountains of the great deep” (evidently subterranean caverns) also burst forth with water.
· The floodwaters spread across the entire earth, covering the mountains to a depth of 20 feet.
· All living creatures on dry land were wiped out.
· The flood covered the earth for 150 days.
· As the floodwaters receded, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat, evidently the region of far eastern Turkey, near the border with Russia.
· Seventy-four days later the tops of the mountains became visible.
· Forty days later Noah sent out a raven.
· Noah then sent out a dove on three occasions. The third time it did not return.
· Two weeks later he saw dry land.
· Noah stayed in the ark another 57 days until the Lord told him to leave.
· Noah was 601 years, 2 months, and 27 days old when he left the ark.
In all, Noah was in the ark for 1 year and 17 days
Now Scripture tells us nothing about Noah’s attitude during all of this.
Perhaps he was completely confident the entire time
Maybe there were times he has his doubts
Maybe there were days in the ark he had to rally and remind his family about the promises of God
Maybe there were times he wondered if the flood would ever end.
One of my favorite vacations is going on a cruise
Eat all the time
Relaxing
People waiting on you hand and foot
Entertainment all day
Noah and his family were on no cruise ship
They were trapped together with thousands of animals
Imagine feeding all of those animals(and don’t forget that food all has to come out sometime)
Imagine the smell. Let’s hope none of them were seasick right?
Now I love my family but imagine being trapped on a boat with them for over a year
Imagine trying to find some me time on that boat
Last week Gary talked about the 4 internal drives given to each and every one of us.
Do you think Noah ever struggled with his drive to belong?
Do you think there were times he might have felt abandoned or alone?
Are there ever times where you feel that way?
Have you ever been in a place in your life where you felt like the Lord has just abandoned you? Maybe you are there right now.
As we read these chapters in Genesis and we get to chapter 8 verse 1 there’s a statement made that should give us hope.
As we read these chapters in Genesis and we get to chapter 8 verse 1 there’s a statement made that should give us hope.
1 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.
“But God remembered Noah.”
This remember is not like the English word remember as in God had forgotten about Noah and then one day remembered him.
The Hebrew phrase signifies “to act upon a previous commitment to a covenant partner.”
By the Lord acting upon his earlier promise to Noah He shows himself to be a trustworthy covenant partner. (We will talk about covenants later)
God can be trusted
Even in the silence God can be trusted
Even in the hurt God can be trusted
Even in the pain and the defeat God can be trusted
Because you are not forgotten. God remembers you and He knows.
How God remembered Noah:
By sending a wind
1 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.
God may or may not be the initiator of your affliction but He is most definitely in control of it and at His word the flood ceased.
God does not waste a second. At His timing He removes our pain, hurt, affliction
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
God doesn’t even waste your suffering, He is using it to produce something in you that could only be a result of suffering.
So at this moment God sends a wind to make the waters recede.
He gave him a sign
11 When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth.
Do you ever think, “if I just knew how long this was going to take or how much it was going to cost me then I could endure.” We could just about endure anything if we only knew when it would end.
We have to remember that God told Noah when the flood would begin but not when it would end.
He sends out birds. First a raven then a dove and the 2nd time he sends the dove it returns with an olive branch signaling to Noah the end is near.
Now, we have to be careful about reading to much into our circumstances but I bet if you look back on your life you can see where God was at work. You can see signs that God has shown you, Scriptures, songs, words from someone else. Signs and signals from God and that is what Noah gets here.
A sign from God to say that I remember you, I can be trusted, and this season is coming to an end soon.
God speaks to Noah again
16 “Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 17 Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it.”
There is no indication in Scripture that God spoke to Noah while he was on the ark. Maybe He did, maybe He didn’t but it is clear in Vs. 16-17 that God speaks to Noah once again.
Also, notice that Noah didn’t get out of the ark when dry land was found. It was almost two month later. I’m pretty sure I would have jumped out as soon as I knew there was dry land around but Noah waits.
What does he wait for? The Word of God. I think we often get too far out in front of God. We force things and hurry God along like He’s real concerned about your timeframe.
I think often we learn the most about God in our waiting, not the results.
Especially because of where we live, where we expect a meal for our family to be provided to us in less than 2 minutes. It doesnt happen much here but you go to chick fil a, arguably the best at this, there will be 30 cars in front of you and in 2 minutes they have cooked meals for the 30 families in front of you and your family.
We need to learn patience. Quit trying to rush God. Everywhere in Scripture where people try to rush things God had for them it doesn’t turn out good so learn to wait
and when you get that down the next step is to learn to enjoy the wait. There’s so much to learn from God in our waiting, enjoy it.
So this is how God shows Noah that He “remembers” him, not like He forgot but that He puts action to his prior promise and shows His trustworthiness.
Sends a wind
Shows a sign
Speaks again
Then we see that Noah remembers God
He obeys
18 So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives. 19 All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds—everything that moves on land—came out of the ark, one kind after another.
There’s almost a word for word pattern in vs 18-19 from vs 16-17
Noah remembers God by obeying His command.
He steps out of the ark into a brand new world, lots of unknowns but he does it faith trusting God the whole way
He builds an altar
20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.
Noah has spent over a year in the ark and what is the first thing he does when gets off?
If it were me, i’m going for a run.
Im rolling in the grass
I might find some sand to feel and I don’t even like sand
But that’s not what Noah does
He builds an alter and gives thanks and worships God.
Noah recognizes that he owes everything to the Lord.
It’s this response, this attitude of worship, this remembering of God that pleases the Lord and God’s response is this
21 The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.
This curse here is different than the curse we see in 3:17. God isn’t lifting the curse set forth there this is a different Hebrew word signaling that God will never again destroy the ground.
Noah’s response in worship causes God’s response in pleasure
And so it’s this attitude of worship and thanksgiving from Noah that pacifies God’s righteous indignation toward sin because it’s not like sin ceased.
It’s clear here that every inclination of the human heart from childhood is evil so it’s not that we sin less
It’s grace given in this covenant with Noah through a divine promise
And it’s all because of Noah’s worship and thanksgiving
So what we see here is that Noah remembers God
But Noah is only able to remember God because God first remembered Noah
We remember God because He remembered us
We remember God because He remembered us
Let me speak to this for just a second and then we will wrap up
You could also say it like this “we worship God because of what He has done for us”
We give thanks because of what he’s done
This isn’t a transactional relationship
If God does ____ then I’ll worship Him
We worship God because of the cross
Just as Noah was one man who saved humanity, Jesus becomes the greater Noah and saves the world
It is only because of Christ’s remembrance of us on the cross that leads to our salvation from sin
And our only proper response should be to remember that. To worship and thank Him every chance, every opportunity we get.
Eccl 12:1 call us to remember God in our youth. Because if we do in our youth we are less likely to forget in our age
Jer. 51:50 call us to remember the Lord in a distant land. It’s a call to remember God when you are far from home, in an uncomfortable situation, in a unfamiliar place
Noah shows us in Genesis to remember God in all things. Worship, give thanks, remember.
Remember Him in your good days and your bad
In your joys and in your sorrows
Remember Him in your young days and your old
Remember God in your marriage
Remember God in your singleness
Remember God in your sickness and in your health
Remember Him in your dying moments.
And this isn’t just a get out of hell free card.
The cross is intended to give us eternal life yes, but Jesus came that we may have life here and now. An abundant life, life to the fullest.
If all God wanted to save Noah for was eternal life than He would have just killed him too and brought him up but he doesn't because Noah has an assignment. God had a plan and purpose for Noah’s life and the same is true for us.
God has a plan and a purpose for your life
Let us remember the God who remembered us on the cross
Let’s worship and give thanks
And let’s live the abundant life God has for us