Is Your Faith In Action? Pt.4
Is Your Faith In Action? Pt.4 • Sermon • Submitted
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· 4 viewsA look at Noah's Obedience to God in his faith.
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Salvation comes from the Lord
22 So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.
We looked last time at Noah’s obedience to God and went away with a full understanding that because of Noah’s obedience he was considered righteous.
7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.
As we look at the examination of Noah’s character, we see how he is classified as a hero of faith. But why is that the case. Well there are 3 things that are happening to point us to this position. So I want us to dive into that today.
1. It was his faith. Noah’s faith separated him from everyone else.
22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
Listen it doesn’t matter who you are, If you have faith in Jesus Christ. You are made right. Much like Noah’s day, Jesus is our savior, he is our ark to carry us by faith to the Father. Well Pastor P, I thought Noah was righteous?
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.
This is important because the text doesn't say it. But if you are not careful you will read into it, wait, Noah didn’t sin? That’s not what the text is saying. He was human and therefore he was born into sin like all humans. No, what it’s saying is that Noah was obedient to God, when none others were. He was obedient to God.
This matters because once you start being obedient to God. You activate God’s head to watch your actions, you activate God’s heart to have compassion, and you activate God’s hands to move on your behalf.
A man slid over the side of a cliff and was able to grab a branch at the last second. He hung dangling over the precipice, hundreds of feet from the ground below. He screamed out with a loud voice, “Help me! Somebody help me!”
A voice came out of the sky, “Do you believe that I can help you?”
The man responded, “Yes, I believe. Please help me!”
The voice came out of the sky again, “Do you believe that I have the power to help you?”
“Yes, I believe! I believe! Please help me!”
“Do you believe I love you enough to help you?”
“Yes, I know you love me. Please, oh please, HELP ME!”
“Because you believe, I will help you. Now let go.”
After a brief silence, the man said, “Is there anybody else up there?
He requires full obedience and that is what moves God’s hands. Your faith in action.
2. It was his obedience. Noah’s obedience saved him from God’s wrath.
18 Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.
19 So he went and preached to the spirits in prison—
20 those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood.
Listen, God was waiting patiently for those to turn to Him who didn’t turn to Him. When He told Noah to build the ark.
Listen, Your obedience or disobedience will always determine your direction in life.
I always say it, God is speaking are you listening. Or are you too busy listening to everyone else around you.
5 So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him.
There are those who say; well Pastor I’m tired of waiting on God, He’s taking forever to bringing me my blessing. Listen to what W.L. Lane says about Noah. Noah’s action in constructing the ark according to the specifications that God had given (Gen 6:22) reflected an attentiveness (εὐλαβηθείς, “he paid attention to”) to the divine instruction. He was convinced of the certain occurrence of the events which God had disclosed, but which as yet lay in the unseen future. Faith conferred upon those events a reality so substantial that he did not hesitate to act as though they were already beginning to happen. He appears to have recognized that the word of God is performative; it sets in motion circumstances that will eventuate in the promised reality.
3. It was his righteousness. Noah’s righteousness came through faith.
Noah’s faith caused him to be viewed by God as having dikaiosyne’ - A status of legal rectitude (Thinking) that satisfies the moral requirements of God’s character.
Noah’s faith contradicted, common sense. It was obedience against all common sense.
It also demonstrates a spiritual sensitivity to the reality of God that enabled Noah to endure the scorn of his contemporaries and the occasional doubts of his own mind, firmly persuaded that the safety of his family would be the reward that would follow a period of persevering expectation.
The way Noah thought was contrary to the rest of the world. Listen, we are in some very unstable times and most people can’t see it.
Jesus says in Matthew 24:38
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.
How many of them still didn’t believe? Listen fast forward. How many still don’t believe today?
3 A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.
10 Then the Lord said to Samuel,
11 “I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command.” Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard this that he cried out to the Lord all night.
12 Early the next morning Samuel went to find Saul. Someone told him, “Saul went to the town of Carmel to set up a monument to himself; then he went on to Gilgal.”
13 When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully. “May the Lord bless you,” he said. “I have carried out the Lord’s command!”
14 “Then what is all the bleating of sheep and goats and the lowing of cattle I hear?” Samuel demanded.
15 “It’s true that the army spared the best of the sheep, goats, and cattle,” Saul admitted. “But they are going to sacrifice them to the Lord your God. We have destroyed everything else.”
16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! Listen to what the Lord told me last night!” “What did he tell you?” Saul asked.
17 And Samuel told him, “Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The Lord has anointed you king of Israel.
18 And the Lord sent you on a mission and told you, ‘Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all dead.’
19 Why haven’t you obeyed the Lord? Why did you rush for the plunder and do what was evil in the Lord’s sight?”
20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul insisted. “I carried out the mission he gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else.
21 Then my troops brought in the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and plunder to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”
22 But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
23 Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”
24 Then Saul admitted to Samuel, “Yes, I have sinned. I have disobeyed your instructions and the Lord’s command, for I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded.
25 But now, please forgive my sin and come back with me so that I may worship the Lord.”
26 But Samuel replied, “I will not go back with you! Since you have rejected the Lord’s command, he has rejected you as king of Israel.”
I want to close with this thought
People are going to always try and coerce you to compromise your position Queen, they are always going to try and get you to compromise your position King. But don’t you dare give up what God has established for you. Your obedience to God is more important then anything else and this is directly connected to your faith. When you compromise your obedience, you compromise your faith and when you compromise your faith, you compromise your relationship with God.
Close with the story of the old king
Let’s Pray.