Noah- faith part 4
Sunday 21 Sept.
Noah. Faith and obedience
Living by faith- God calls us to live by faith, confidence in unseen God and his Word
This pleases God
Story of 1950’s glass skyscrapers
Heb 11- speaks of men and women who had faith in God from Genesis
Abel- faith in his worship to God
Enoch- faith in his fellowship with God
Noah
Gen 6:9-22
V22 is the key- he did all that God commanded
look at what God commanded him to do:
Build a massive boat on dry land 140m long, 25m wide, 3 stories high.
Genesis 6:3 indicates that God gave him 120 years to build the boat and to preach
A flood was coming
From genesis 2 it seems that Noah and the people possibly did not even know rain- because the water came up as streams from the bottom of the ground
For certain animals to live in
He must have been a joke to the world around him
He lived in a dry, land locked area
What made Noah persevere and obey God and His word?
Heb 11:7
Noah had faith
Faith. He had a confident trust in God, He believed God even though the events were yet unseen. God said it but would it actually happen?
Noah believed in spite of what he saw. He walked by faith not by sight
Noah did not have a fragile faith- gave up easily. Lets ask God to give us a Robust faith
His faith led to obedience
When you have faith, confidence in God, then obedience is the natural response
God spoke and Noah obeyed. Noah Acted
If the tree’s roots are firmly in good soil, the natural result in fruit
Obedience
When God calls us to obey, its normally very uncomfortable and not popular with our friends, family the world.
Noah had the Ark
Obedience will cost you, it cost Noah
Cost you reputation, ego
When God calls you its often outside of what naturally makes sense
- Being saved by believing in Jesus, not your good works
- Living a life dying to sin, living holy life
- Trusting God for healing, physical, emotional,
- Telling others about Jesus- witnessing
- Worship
- Giving your money away, tithing
- Being committed to the church
- Submitting to the leaders- God’s word but world will think that’s crazy
- Trusting God to use you
In all these things you need faith!
What has God called you to do which might seem crazy or impossible
Make sure you are obedient from faith not negative fear or selfish motives
*share story of us coming to Oudtshoorn
- God gave me faith
Noah’s obedience was characterized by holy fear
He obeyed. He obeyed in reverent fear.
Good fear, more like respect which characterized his obedience
Isaiah 66:1-2
What is your attitude when you read God’s Word, hear God’s word?
Is it one of indifference
Or is it one of reverence?
Lets be like the Thessalonians who received God’s word, not as man’s word but as it is, God’s Word
Through Noah’s faith his family was saved
He built an Ark for the saving of his household
As men, trust that you can bring your family to God through your obedience, your life.
By building an ark, the world was condemned. That means the world did not believe God and through his faith revealed their unbelief. He was a model to them.
What does God build today for people to be saved?
His church!
Noah pleased God because he believed what God said and obeyed him.
Faith is a matter of obedience. If you have a heart of faith and trust, it demonstrates itself in obedience and works.