How To Stay Afloat In Times Like These

Genesis 7:1-10 (TLB)

1 Finally the day came when the Lord said to Noah, "Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I consider you alone to be righteous.

2 Bring in the animals, too—a pair of each, except those kinds I have chosen for eating and for sacrifice: take seven pairs of each of them,

3 and seven pairs of every kind of bird. Thus there will be every kind of life reproducing again after the flood has ended.

4 One week from today I will begin forty days and nights of rain; and all the animals and birds and reptiles I have made will die."

5 So Noah did everything the Lord commanded him.

6 He was 600 years old when the flood came.

7 He boarded the boat with his wife and sons and their wives, to escape the flood.

8 With him were all the various kinds of animals—those for eating and sacrifice, and those that were not, and the birds and reptiles.

9 They came into the boat in pairs, male and female, just as God commanded Noah.

10 One week later, when Noah was 600 years, two months, and seventeen days old, the rain came down in mighty torrents from the sky,

VERY BRIEFLY WITH THE HELP OF THE LORD AND THE GUIDIANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS

I WANT TO REASON WITH YOU ON THE THOUGHT

(HOW TO STAY AFLOAT IN TIMES LIKE THESE)

MY BROTHER AND SISTERS

WE ARE LIVING IN A DAY AND TIME WHERE STRONG UNDERCURRENTS WILL TRY THERE BEST TO DRAG A CHILD OF GOD UNDER THE WAVES OF DESPAIR

FOR EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK……..THERE ARE SOCIAL PLOTS ----AND PRESSURE---FINANICAL FRENZIES AND FRUSTRATIONS

THERE ARE SECERTIVE ASSOCIATIONS---CORRUPT BUSSINESSES AND INSTITUTIONS

AND RACIAL STRIFE AND BITTERNESS IS AT A ALL TIME HIGH

AN IF YOU WOULD JUST PAUSE FOR A MOMENT AND TAKE A LOOK AT THIS OLD SINFUL WORLD

YOU WOULD SEE THAT

LYING AND CHEATING IS IN ABUNDANCE

IMMORAL HAVE TAKEN A COMMON PLACE

JEALOUSY AND ENVY CONTROLS MULTITUDES

SLOTHFULLNESS AND LAZINESSIS ON THE INCREASE

AND THE LIST COULD GO ON AND ON

BUT IN THE TEXT BEFORE US

THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT NOAH FOUND GRACE IN THE EYES OF THE LORD

BUT NOT ONLY DID HE FIND GRACE

BUT THE BIBLE ALSO TELLS US THAT HE WAS A JUST MAN AND PERFECT IN HIS GENERATION

NOW THE WORD PERFECT –DOES NOT MEAN THAT NOAH DID`NT SIN

BUT IT MEAN THAT HE WHOLEHEARTLY LOVED AND OBEYED GOD

AND WE ARE LIVING IN A TIME WHERE EVIL IS ALL AROUND US

AND IF WE ARE GOING TO STAY AFLOAT IN TIMES LIKE THESE WE NEED TO WHOLEHEARTLY LOVE AND OBEY GOD

BUT AS I STUDIED THE TEXT I DISCOVERED THAT THERE WAS SOME SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS THAT NOAH FOLLOWED TO STAY AFLOAT IN HIS GENERATION

AND WE MUST FOLLOW THE SAME INSTRUCTION IF WE WANT TO STAY AFLOAT IN OURS

WELL THE FRIST THING THE TEXT REVEAL TO US IS THAT

(NOAH LISTEN TO GOD)

AND WE TO NEED TO LISTEN TO GOD

BUT IN ORDER FOR US TO LISTEN TO GOD THERE ARE 3 THINGS WE MUST DO

1.WE MUST BECOME ACQUAINTED WITH GOD`S VOICE AND GIVE HIM OUR COMPLETE ATTENTION

WELL THE 2ND THING WE MUST DO IS

ACKNOWLEDGE HIS RIGHTEOUS AUTHORITY AND QUESTION HIS KNOWLEDGE AND JUDGEMENT

3RD WE MUST LISTEN TO GOD WITH OUR HEART AND TRUST HIS EPTIOME OF WISDOM IN ALL SITUATIONS AND CIRCUMSTANCES

WE ARE LIVING IN A TIME WHERE WE WILL LISTEN TO EVERYBODY EXCEPT GOD

AND IF THE TRUTH BE TOLD WE ALL NEED TO TAKE THE COTTON OUT OF OUR EARS AND PUT IN OUR MOUTH AN LISTEN TO WHAT GOD IS TRYING TO TELL US

NOAH LISTEN TO GOD

WELL NOT ONLY DID NOAH LISTEN TO GOD ---BUT THE RECORD ALSO REVEALS IN VERSE 5 OF THE TEXT THAT NOAH OBEYED GOD

AND IN ORDER TO OBEY GOD

WE MUST BE WILLING TO FOLLOW DIVINE LEADERSHIP

AS WELL SUBMIT TO GOD PURPOSE FOR OUR LIVES

BY FULFILLING OUR GOD GIVEN RESPONSIBILITY

BY OBEYING GOD PRECIOUS WORD

AND LIVING A GODLY LIFESTYLE

BY PLEASING THE LORD IN ALL THINGS

NOAH OBEYED GOD

EVEN THOUGH HE HAD NEVER SEEN IT RAIN –BUT HE PREPARED FOR IT LIKE GOD TOLD HIM TO

EVEN THOUGH HE HAD NEVER SEEN AND ARK

HE BUILT THE ARK LIKE GOD COMMANDED HIM TO

EVEN THOUGH THE TASK BEFORE HIM WAS TREMDOUS

NOAH DID IT WITHOUT COMPLAINING

EVEN THOUGH PEOPLE WAS PROABLY TALKING ABOUT NOAH

AND CRITIZING HIM FOR BUILDING THE ARK AND THINKING IT WAS GOING TO RAIN

BUT NOAH DID`NT ALLOW ANYBODY TO HINDER OR DISTRACT HIM FROM DOING WHAT GOD TOLD HIM TO DO