How Faith Works For God!
Reading: Hebrews 11v7
Three weeks ago we had a look what faith is.
Then we looked at the life of Abel and discovered that the life of faith begins with worship.
Last week we looked at the life of Enoch and discovered what the life of faith consists of.
Tonight we’re going to look at the life of Noah,…and Noah teaches how faith works for God.
In other words,…when we live our lives by faith,…then the work for God that flows out of that faith will have eternity in it!
It means,…that ministry for God should flow out of intimacy with God!
…and so here’s how the lives of Abel and Enoch and Noah somehow fit into each other: First we worship God,…then we walk with God,…and then we work for God!
Most of us often make the mistake of working for God all we can,…but forget to worship God and we forget to walk with God!
We often get so busy working for God,…that we forget that working for God flows out of worshipping Him and walking with Him.
If you reverse the order,…then your life makes no sense whatsoever.
Your ministry does not last because it runs on empty.
There is nothing backing your ministry,…there is nothing sustaining your ministry.
…and so here’s what we so often miss: We think about doing,...when God is about being!
We think about ministry as the goal,…but ministry is not the goal: The glory of God is the goal!
“Remember the story of Mary and Martha?”
Here’s the story in Luke 10v38-42, “As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what He taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, "Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to You that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me." But the Lord said to her, "My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her." (NLT).
In other words,…Martha was distracted by the big dinner she needed to prepare,…while Mary sat at Jesus’ feet.
Martha was worried about the details,…while Mary was more concerned about worshipping Jesus.
…and who pleased Jesus more?,…Mary.
She had discovered what was more important in life,...because she gave priority to the act of worship.
In other words,…we don’t live to please Pastors or churches or organizations or other people or even ourselves.
We live to please Jesus alone!
Now,…that does not mean we do nothing for God.
God is always at work,…God is a missional God and He is on mission all around us.
Its not the church’s mission or our mission,…its God’s mission.
God is on mission and He invites each one of us to participate in His mission.
In other words,…God doesn’t need us to fulfill His mission,…because God is all sufficient.
Yet God loves us,…and because He does,…He invites us to participate in His mission here on earth.
…and I think that kind of answers the question why so many people in the church are not involved in working in God’s Kingdom.
It answers the question why only about 10% of the people in the church do 90% of the work.
If you worship and walk with God,…then work for God will automatically flow from that!
…but if people are not properly worshiping God and not walking for God,…there is no working for God either.
In other working,…working for God naturally flows from worshipping God and walking with God!
That is why we work for God,…but then we get so caught up in working for God,…that we forget to worship Him and walk with Him.
…and Noah’s faith led him to work for God.
Now,…I know most of us know the story of Noah fairly well,…but we have to realize that Noah still had to do his job right and with the right attitude and with the right approach.
…and so Noah demonstrates faith working in the right way and the right order.
Here’s the story of Noah in the Old Testament in Genesis 6v5-14, “The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and He saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the LORD was sorry He had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke His heart. And the LORD said, "I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them." But Noah found favor with the LORD. This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. Noah was the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. So God said to Noah, "I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth! "Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior.” (NLT).
There is one thing we have to take careful notice of here.
Noah was not counted righteous by God because of his works,…but because of his faith.
“What faith?’,…by faith he believed God about the future!
By faith he adjusted his life,…and by faith he built the ark,…believing God will send the flood.
…and this faith he had,…saved his family,…and proved all the wicked people wrong,…and caused God to count him as being righteous.
1. By Faith Noah Believed What God Said About The Future.
In other words,…Noah took God at His Word,…period!
He believed God,…even though he lived in a desert where there was no water.
In actual fact,…Noah staked his whole life on what God said to him about the future,…even though he had a lot less evidence for believing God,…and a lot more opposition than what we have today.
Think about it.
Today we have many people living all around us who believe.
…but Noah was the only one who believed God,…and everyone else was against God!
Think of those odds for a while!
“Would you believe God with out the evidence if He had to come to you,…and you were the only believer around?”
Someone once said, “Anyone can have faith in the probable,…but to have faith about the unseen and the improbable is true faith and will be victorious faith,…and this was Noah’s faith”.
“How come Noah so easily believed God?”,…because it says here in Genesis 6v9, “Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.” (NLT).
In other words,…there was great intimacy there,…and ministry naturally flows from intimacy from God.
It’s his walk with God that profoundly effected his life of ministry for God.
…so when God came to Him and invited him to join Him on His mission,…his natural tendency was to join God without complaining.
…and that lies before each one of us this evening as well.
…which begs us ask the question, “How’s your walk with God?”.
“How’s your worship of God?”,…because if that is not in place,…then you will not join God when He comes asking you to join Him on His mission in this world we live in.
…and we see here that Noah obeyed God exactly as the Lord said.
Here’s what it says in Genesis 6v22, “So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.” (NLT).
…and the result was that Noah avoided disaster for him and his family.
…and that kind of makes me think about the father’s here tonight.
Often the spiritual well-being of our families is to some degree dependent on our obedience to God.
Its dependent on my faith and my choice as the father of my household to believe God and act upon that belief.
You know,…when a man saves his household,…it tells us a lot about that man’s walk with God!
It tells us a lot about that man’s fear of God!
It tells us a lot about that man’s faith in God.
Now,…the opposite of that belief is sin.
…and we must understand that our sin is not isolated.
Our sin always affects our families,…because sin doesn’t happen in a vacuum!
So when you ignore God,…you put yourself and your family in danger.
…and Noah teaches us that his family was saved because of his faith and his obedience to God.
2. By Faith Noah Rearranged His Life To Do What God Was Calling Him To Do.
Noah was doing what Noah was doing,...until of course God came to him and invited him to go on Mission for God.
…and then Noah believed God about the future,…which meant that he now had to rearrange his life to do what God was calling him to do.
…and God called him to do something that he was not even familiar with,…to build a boat in the middle of a desert.
…and this would take him 120 years to complete.
What a task God gave him!
…and I think that required some adjustments on Noah’s side,...wouldn’t you think so?
…so Noah looked at his diary and said, “I’ve got so many thing that I still have to do for myself,…but I guess God takes priory here”.
In fact,…God will have to take over my whole diary for the next 120 years!...and by the way,…Noah had to build that boat without power tools!
Think about that for a moment!
Yet Noah committed Himself to God’s mission with all of his life.
He considered 120 years of his life to be a worthy sacrifice for God’s mission!
Now,…God has already called each one of us into His mission fields.
Jesus said in Matthew 28v18-20, “Jesus came and told His disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (NLT).
That’s Gods’ invitation to every believer to join Him on His Mission!
Question is, “Are you willing to believe God about the future,…and are you willing adjust your life to be on mission with God,…just like Noah did?”.
There was a day that God came to me and invited me to be on mission with Him.
At that time I had my own electrical company,…and I was also in business with some family members in a construction business.
My life was starting to take shape in Johannesburg,…but then God came along and invited me to be on mission with Him.
…so I gave up my business and trusted God for the outcome and the provision for the rest of my life.
Then God added to my life a wife that was called to be on mission with God as well,…and He gracefully brought us together to be on mission with Him.
…and here we are today,…18 years later,…still on mission with God.
“Did Sharné and I had to make some adjustment to our lives?”,…you bet!
“Financial adjustments?”,…you bet.
…but we believe what God has said about our future with Him.
…and here’s what that adjustment requires: Giving up something!
Adjusting means giving something up that’s very important to you, in order to be obedient to God!
In other words,…when God calls,...He’s also asking you to lay down some things in your life to do what He has called you to do.
Now,…you might think that you are giving things up,…that you’re the one losing out and God is the One gaining.
However,…what I have discovered is the following: When you give things up for God,…He gives you back in more blessings.
That’s just how God is!
Problem is that many people don’t trust God enough to surrender the things they are accustomed to.
They don’t trust God enough and don’t believe God that they will be more satisfied in Christ when they give those things up.
…and Noah had to adjust his life,…and he did so by faith.
…and if we live our lives like that,…then we will always make adjustments so that we can be on mission with God.
Question is, “What is there that you have to give up to be on mission with God?”
“What is God asking you to surrender so that you can be on mission with Him?”
3. By Faith Noah Built The Ark According To God’s Instructions.
Being on mission for God is what happens when you are convinced that God’s glory and His kingdom is the most important things for Him.
In other words,…when you believe God and you adjust your life accordingly,…then you begin to build God’s Kingdom according to His plan and according to His will.
…so if you want to live your life by faith,…then you need to ask yourself what you believe God has said to you,…and adjust your life accordingly.
“What does God want to do with your life?”
“Where does want you to join Him in His mission?”
…because here’s the crux of the matter: What you believe God is doing and has said about the future will determine how you should adjust your life, and how you can build His kingdom here on earth.
Here’s another heart wrenching question for you, “What keeps you from adjusting you life?”
“What is it that you’re holding on tightly,…that you won’t let go,…even for God’s sake?”
Listen,…you might think that God is asking you the world,…but this is what I have discovered in my walk with God: God is not a life wrecker!
He’s not a joy robber!
He really wants you to live your life with great joy.
I know today that my joy comes from my ministry.
My joy comes from preparing hours and hours in my study,…and then delivering them on Sundays.
…so don’t think, “If I adjust my life then God’s going to send me to the darkest of places where people are going to eat me”.
Hey,…maybe that will happen,…who knows!
…but if that happens,…you know you’re in God’s will for your life.
Listen! Being on mission with God is a, life well spent!
Noah lived by faith.
It required faith to believe God in things not yet seen.
It required faith to live in a culture that mocked him for 120 years.
It required faith,…because no-one was cheering him on.
It required faith,…because no-one was following him either.
It required faith,…because there was no sea around for hundreds of kilometers,…and there had never been a flood.
It required faith,…because there wasn’t a prayer party praying for him.
It required faith,…because there were no weather forecasters who knew about rain.
It required faith to preach to the unbelievers for 120 years,…- telling the people that God was going to send a flood to destroy the world,…- and no-one ever listened.
Noah simply believed God,…and his righteousness consisted of the fact that he took God at His word!
…and by faith Noah continued to believe God even though he could not immediately see the results.
Here’s what is said about Noah in 2 Peter 2v5, “And God did not spare the ancient world—except for Noah and the seven others in his family. Noah warned the world of God's righteous judgment. So God protected Noah when He destroyed the world of ungodly people with a vast flood.” (NLT).
…which suggests that Noah stayed with the task God had given him all that time,…and that required great faith.
When no-one believed,…Noah did.
When everyone else was breakings God’s laws,…Noah was keeping them.
When everyone laughed at God,…Noah continued to believe God by faith.
…and God has again spoken about the future of the world,…and He used Noah as an example in Matthew 24v37-39, “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn't realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.” (NLT).
It means that today we live in a culture very similar to that of Noah.
It says this in Hebrews 11v7, “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 [this calls for great faith]. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.” (NLT).
In other words,…Noah got himself ready by faith for what God had spoken about of in the future,…and then it happened and he and his family were saved.
…and God has again warned us of another judgment on the world that’s coming,…this time not by water, but fire.
“Do we know when its going to happen?,…no not at all.
However,…this is what God has said to each in anticipation to this coming judgment in Matthew 24:44-51, “You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. "A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. But what if the servant is evil and thinks, 'My master won't be back for a while,' and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (NLT).
During Noah’s time God provided them with an ark as the only means of escape from the coming flood.
Today we have been given Christ as our means of escape.
Christ alone can save us from the coming judgment of God.
…and you and I are called to get into this Ark that God has provided for us in Christ alone.
Noah believed God and he acted on that belief by faith.
In the same way,…you and I must believe God and act on that belief by faith.
Question is, “What adjustment do you need to make to your life so that you can build God’s Kingdom here on earth for His glory?”
You see,…Noah was called to confront his culture with obedience,…but we’re called to confront our culture with Christ!
Noah confronted his culture with faith,…and we need to do the same.
Now,…if you’re unwilling to do that,…then maybe there’s something wrong with your worship of God,…- maybe there’s something wrong with your walk with God,…because if that is properly in place,…then building God’s Kingdom would be a pleasure and an honour.
Listen!,…our lives is not about us and our stuff and our wants.
Its about God and His glory and His Kingdom!
Here’s God’s encouragement to all of us in 1 Corinthians 15v58, “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” (NLT).
Question is, “Will you now live in obedience and faithfulness to the task of living and proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ?”
“How will you now adjust your life by faith, to be on mission with God?”
