NEW YEARS SUNDAY 2009
GENESIS 8: 1-22 PASTOR KEN CROW
Genesis 8
1And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged;
2The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;
3And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.
4And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
5And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.
6And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:
7And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.
8Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;
9But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.
10And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;
11And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.
12And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.
13And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.
14And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.
15And God spake unto Noah, saying,
16Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
17Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.
18And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him:
19Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.
20And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
21And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
22While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
1. NOAH AND HIS FAMILY HAD BEEN ON A ROUGH RIDE. THE EARTH HAD BECOME AS AN INFINITE OCEAN OF WAVES AND WIND. TOSSING ABOUT THE ARC LIKE A TOY, IMAGINE YOURSELF LOCKED IN THE HULL OF A BOAT WITH ALL KINDS OF ANIMALS,,SOME OF WHICH ARE NATURAL ENEMIES. DAY AFTER DAY OF CLEANING UP ,, DAY AFTER DAY OF NOT KNOWING ,,MAYBE BEGINNING TO THINK THAT THE WATER AND THE STORMS WOULD NEVER LET UP…..
A. 2008 MAY HAVE BEEN THAT KIND OF YEAR….FOR MANY OF US. FOR SOME OF US,,,OUR FLOOD MAY HAVE BEEN OUR HEALTH.
FOR SOME OF US IT MAY HAVE BEEN OUR FIANANCIAL SITUATION.
FOR SOME OUR JOB,,,OUR MARRIAGE, OUR FAMILY…
2008 MAY HAVE BEEN A ROUGH YEAR….
FOR NOAH AND HIS FAMILY ,,,THE RIDE HAD NOT BEEN FUN,,,
BUT NOAH HAD A PROMISE…AND IT WAS FROM GOD.
GENISES 6:17 -18 17And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
18But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
WE ALSO ,,,NO MATTER THE ROUGHNESS OF THE RIDE,,HAVE A PROMISE: MATHEW 28:20:
20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
THAT MEANS HE IS THERE IN THE STORM,,, THAT MEANS HE IS THERE AS WE FEEL TOSSED ABOUT,,,,THAT MEANS HE IS THERE IN OUR SITUATON OR CIRCUMSTANCE,,,,
NOAH KNEW FROM WHOM HIS PROMISE CAME. I CAN SAY TODAY WE MUST KNOW THE MAKER OF THE PROMISE…AND REALIZE WHAT HE IS DOING,,,
NOAH AND HIS FAMILY HAD TO GO ON THIS ROUGH RIDE,,,THERE WAS NO OTHER WAY FOR THEM TO BE PRESERVED. THE ALTERNATIVE TO RIDING OUT THE STORM WAS DEATH….
GOD WAS MOVING THEM TO SOMETHING BETTER,,,BUT THE ROUGH RIDE HAD TO HAPPEN TO GET THEM THERE.,,,
WE MAY HAVE BEEN THROUGH SOME ROUGH TIMES IN 2008 BUT WE HAD TO RIDE OUT THE FLOOD TO GET TO WHAT IS AHEAD IN 2009.
BUT LOOK WHAT HAPPENS,,
1And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged;
JESUS KNOWS WHAT YOU AND I ARE FACING,,,,HE IS ABOUT TO SEND A WIND,,,,IT MAY NOT SEEM LIKE IT BUT IF WE WILL JUST HOLD ON TO THAT PROMISE,,,WE ARE GOING TO SET OUR FEET ,,,,LIKE NOAH DID,,,ON DRY GROUND,,,,AGAIN…
NOAH WAS NOT ABOUT TO GIVE UP ON GOD,,,,HE STARTED DOING SOMETHING,,,,
8Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;
9But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.
THE DOVE CAME BACK,,,,,NO PROGRESS,,IT SEEMED,,,
BUT NOAH KNEW GOD,,,,,,HE KNEW GOD WELL,,,
WHEN WE KNOW JESUS ,,,,OH MY GOODNESS,,,,,WHEN WE KNOW JESUS ,,,
SEE NOAH COULD HAVE AND WOULD HAVE GIVEN UP WHEN THAT DOVE CAME BACK EMPTY CLAWED,,,,,IF HE HAVENT KNEW THE PROMISER,,,,
BUT LOOK WHAT HE DONE: And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;
11And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.
12And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.
13And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.
YOU MAY HAVE BEEN TO EVER PRAYER LINE IN THE COUNTRY,,,YOU MAY HAVE BEEN TO THE ALTER EVERYTIME THERE IS A SERVICE,,,,
YOU MAY HAVE SENT DOVE AFTER DOVE OUT OF THAT ARK OF LIFE….ONLY TO SEE IT COME BACK WITH AN EMPTY BEAK,,,,,DON’T GIVE UP…..TODAY LETS SEND IT OUT ONCE MORE……THE PROMISER,,,JESUS CHRIST IS PULLING BACK THE WATERS. LET JESUS MAKE 09 YOUR YEAR….
IT CAN BE THE YEAR ,,,,THAT WE SHED THAT ROUGH RIDE FOR SOLID GROUND. BUT ONLY IF WE MOVE CLOSER TO HIM. ONLY IF WE TRUST HIM…..ONLY IF WE GIVE OUR LIFE TO HIM. AMEN
