SERMONS 2008
WEEK 1
Genesis 1-11; Job 1-9
TITLE: EXPOSED
THEME: exposing of sin, preservation of dignity, Revealing of character
INTRODUCTION:
1. Good morning! Happy New Year to everyone. Last year we took almost a whole year to go through one book. This year we are going to try to go through the whole bible in a matter of speaking.
a. We will not be going through an exhaustive study, but what we will be doing is touching on portions as we travel through the Bible together.
b. I’m encouraging everyone to challenge themselves to read through the Bible this year. I am going to try share a message out of the scripture reading for that week. One of the positives of this is that if you are doing the readings, you will already be familiar with the reading for the week.
c. Another thing to be aware of is that God will speak to you through your readings. You may read through the same passage and something may stick out that is different then what I preach on. That is okay.
i. One of the hardest things about preaching through the Bible like this is not being able to find anything to preach on, but having to much. Just in this last week, I found probably a dozen topics that I could have touch on. All important, all valid – but I had to pick one.
d. I’m going to encourage each of you to keep a reading journal. Everyday that you read it would be helpful to choose a portion of the scripture you read, make observations about that passage, and then make some kind of biblical application. You may look for other supporting passages of scripture that back up your application; finally you should take a moment and pray to God. Ask Him for wisdom, maybe even strength in how to use that application in your life.
2. Remember the passage from last week.
Mark 4:26-29 (NIV)
26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
a. What is going to happen is seed, Godly seed is going to be planted in your life. It will grow, you may not now how, but it will grow. Producing theat bountiful harvest I talked about last week.
3. SCRIPTURE
a. Genesis 9:18-29 (NIV)
18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the earth. 20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. 21 When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father’s nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” 26 He also said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. 27 May God extend the territory of Japheth; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his slave.” 28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29 Altogether, Noah lived 950 years, and then he died.
4. OBSERVATIONS
a. Ham was pointed out to be the father of Canaan, Why?
i. Usually in scripture when there are additional details – that is a good indication that one should dig deeper into the scripture.
ii. I will tell you more about Canaan in just a moment
b. Noah was drunk, and uncovered in his tent
i. Genesis 6:9 (NIV)
9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.
Genesis 6:8 (NIV)
8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
ii. Even though Noah was a righteous man, He was still a man that lived in a fallen world and had the stain of sin upon his life from the fall of man. When we allow other things, alcohol, drugs, money, even other people – to have more control then God, we are prone to walking in the flesh.
c. Ham saw his father naked and proceeded to tell his two borthers
i. Seeing your father naked at that time was a brech of ethics. Now Ham came into his fathers tent and caught him unclothed on accident. That could have happened to anyone and probably would have been excused, but what Ham did next was not excusable.
ii. The Hebrew in this case gives us an idea that Ham when he told his brothers did it in a manner of bring shame to his father. His attitude was that of being better then his father and wanting to bring to light His dad’s shamefulness.
d. Shem and Japheth covered their father (walking in backwards not ot see his nakedness)
i. The other two sons acted in completely the opposite way. Not only did they go in and cover their father, but they proceeded in backwards so they would be able to say that they had never seen their father naked.
ii. What they did, and what Ham did not do are I believe very important for us as people today. What did they do, or not do you might ask? Shem and Japheth preserved their fathers dignity, Ham’s desire was to uncover his fathers shame to appear better in his own eyes, as he compared himself to his father.
iii. Noah may have been overcome with wine, but Ham had been overcome with pride and arogance, something I think is more deadly and distructive then the fruit of the vine. Not that I am advocating drunkeness – the Bible does speak to that issue as well.
e. Noah Cursed Ham’s son Canaan, again why?
i. Did Noah really put a curse on Canaan the son of Ham? Not really, but what he was trying to do is say that the nature of the sons would be past down to their offspring.
ii. In Leviticus 18:3 God tells his people not to act like the people in the land of Canaan, the land that God was taking them to.
iii. The widom Noah in this passage suggest that if we give ourselves over to sin that the Bible says so easily intangles that instead of leading, we will be subject to others. That is exactly what happened.
1. The Israelites would be blessed and the Canaanites would be condemned, not because of what Ham did, but because of the actions and lifestyle of His decendants
5. APPLICATION
a. We all fall down, just don’t kick someone after they fall.
i. It doesn’t matter how “righteous” you think you are. It doesn’t matter how mature you may be in your faith. You may be strong in your faith, you may know a great deal from the Bible, God may speak to you on a regular basis – but you need to WATCH OUT
ii. 1 Corinthians 10:12 (NLT)
12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.
iii. Ephesians 5:15 (NIV)
15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise.
iv. 1 Timothy 4:16 (NIV)
16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
b. Preserve Dignity and don’t uncover shamefully
i. Listen, we all make mistakes – there are times that we do not act as “Christian” as we ought. In those times, the Holy Spirit should be the one that brings conviction to our hearts about our actions and through that bring us to a place of repentance.
ii. What we don’t need however are people going out like Ham did in this passage telling everyone about it. Am I saying hide someone’s sin – no! But I don’t think one person sin should be shamefully passed around the dinner table, or at tea, or over a cup of coffee.
1. In my time as a Christian you would not believe how many ladies functions have turned into a time of men bashing
2. There are many times that I have seen both husbands and wives as well reprimand their spouses in a public place bringing humiliation and deep roundedness.
3. I have known many a person that decided they would never step foot back in a church because of the fear that everyone was talking about some mistake they made that brought on shame.
iii. I believe God has called us to preserve dignity and restore gently those that have fallen.
Galatians 6:1 (NLT)
1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself
iv. HOLD YOUR TONGUE
1. Proverbs 11:12 (NIV)
12 A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue.
2. Proverbs 11:12 (NLT)
12 It is foolish to belittle one’s neighbor; a sensible person keeps quiet.
3. Proverbs 12:18 (NIV)
18 Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
c. The seed doesn’t fall far from the tree
i. Noah’s curse was more a prophetic utterance of a path that Ham was leading his descendants down. Now I’m not saying that every child will follow in the footsteps of their parents, good or bad. But I do know that the things we deposit into their hearts now, will at some point being as I said last week bring forth a harvest.
1. If you want your children and grandchildren to be respectful and honoring then teach them that. Don’t just teach them the what – make sure to teach them the why
2. If you want your children and grandchildren to be people of integrity and truth. Be a person that speaks truth and teaches integrity. Show them in the Bible what it says about being a person that trust in the Lord and strive to live it out in life for them to see. Yes they will see you make mistakes, but they will also see how you confess those things before the Lord, how you strive to be at peace with all men, how you desire to honor God with your life.
3. Ham let his arrogance get the best of him, probably never seeing anything wrong with it – that was once step among many that he and his descendants took away from God.
ii. Deuteronomy 6:6-8 (NIV)
6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
CONCLUSION
1. When sin first entered the world, man recognized his nakedness and shame, God covered that nakedness with animal skins. Then Jesus came not just to cover our nakedness and shame, but also to wash it away.
2. This morning God wants to wash away your shame, He wants to heal your wounded ness, and wants to give you new dignity. You can hold your head high today as you proclaim to be a child of God.
3. If that is you this morning I want you to raise your hand
a. Maybe it is a confession of faith
b. Maybe it is a cry for help
c. Maybe it is a declaration of war against the enemy that has tried to beat you into submission to Him and you raising your hand is a firm conviction that you, with God’s help, will not let that happen.
PRAYER
