Noah: The Ungiver
Genesis 6:5-9
Read Gen 6:5-7 5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 The Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”
** Sin had increased. Man was evil. His heart was bent to evil.
God determined that He was going to destroy sinful man.
** Our duty, as believers, is Not focusing on the evil world; but focusing on staying righteous in an evil, sinful world.
** As Noah and his sons walked the earth, they were surrounded by the most wicked age in history. No one, except his family, worshiped God. All worshiped either idols or their own sinful, lusty desires.
** Imagine a world totally saturated with evil. Every person he knew was evil, all in the market were evil, those on the street, those in public gatherings... all were evil. They ridiculed the very thought of being faithful to God.
** Today, I don’t want to focus on the evil world, but on Noah and his endeavor to remain pure when immersed in such a sinful culture. How did Noah remain pure and lead his family to be steadfast in their walk with God? ............
I believe you can call him an “Ungiver”.
Gen 6:8-9 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. 9 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.
As we look at Noah’s example, we can learn 3 lessons of an Ungiver.
1. How Easy it is to Give In! Noah did not Give in!
* Difficulty- Noah was immersed in a world of sinners.
It's Hard to keep your morals when the world chips away a little at a time.
Verse 9. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.
A. Noah was Righteous- a right standing with God and other people.
It does not mean perfect, but means an honest attempt to do the right thing and to make amends for improper actions.
B. Noah was Blameless- similar word, but it basically means that when someone looks at your life they cannot find cause against you because you have lived in righteousness.
C. Noah was Spirit-filled- “Walked with God”. This is the key. Unless you are walking with God, you cannot maintain righteousness and be blameless.
** I Imagine with all the temptation he faced and the lack of any persons to hold him accountable to be pure, how easy it would be to just give in to the temptations that everyone else is living.
** Message to Thyatira....
Revelation 2:20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.
* This is an example of a church that is Giving In to the world.
It is a dangerous step for a church or a society.
The old saying is true that “What one generation tolerates, the next accepts, and the next embraces.”
We see that in America and in our churches today.
Jesus has called for the church to be transformers of society, but instead we see that society has transformed the church.... with horrific results.
Our Churches have basically given in to the world.
** Many of our churches have become reprobate. They perform homosexual marriages. They ordain practicing homosexuals as pastors. It's one thing for a church to tolerate sin and immorality in the church, it is quite another thing to endorse it in the church.
** Personal Lives.... Ex. We have a drug epidemic today. Many doctors have become nothing but Dope Doctors..... I've seen more than a few prescribing Percocet + Xanax for cash or sexual favors.
* Marriages are falling apart because of unfaithfulness.
* A large number of people have absolutely no work ethic.
** As Parents in our Family Life.....
It is Easy to give in to our children because we are too lazy or too weak to stand our ground. Our generation wants to be buddies with our children.
** Your child doesn’t need a buddy.... Your child needs a PARENT.
If you need a buddy, make friends with your spouse. (Which Solve some other problems)
* We need boundaries. Our children need boundaries.
And we need to make sure to be diligent to not cross them.
We need to stop Giving In.
2. How Easy it is to Give Up! Noah did not give up!
When I look at Noah, I see 2 things: Faith and Perseverance.
** Days, Weeks, Months, Years... he worked on that Ark.
** People likely mocked him and God every day. each day he worked
** Must have been difficult to keep on working.
** How was Noah able to keep on working?
Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, [h]in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
** And if we are to succeed in our spiritual walk with the Lord, we must not give up either...
Heb 12:2-3 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the [b]author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
WE NEED TO LIVE BY FAITH IN GOD JUST AS NOAH DID!
** When you look at the Church in Laodecia (Rev.3:14-17) you see a church that has just given up.
It just quit trying to live for God.
I’m not sure how or why it has become what it is.
But, It has grown into a church doesn’t love God or hate God, it basically just doesn’t care anymore.
** Our world is filled with people just like that. Quitters. People who have just “given up.”
What does someone who has given up look like?
Well, they look alive on the outside, but on the inside they are dead.
There is no spark and no fire on the inside. Just cold and empty.
We’ve all been there.... where we feel we can’t go on.... when it feels like it’d just be easier to give up and quit.
** I’ve been there. I’ve been there lately.
One thing I’ve learned is that life is not about the individual victories we experience in our journey.
It is about the JOURNEY itself!
* Many people have such great plans and lofty goals in life, but they sometimes GIVE UP in the face of huge adversity.
* Many parents do every thing they know to do in trying to raise their children, but at some point they get discouraged and give up.
We must be like the father of the Prodigal Son. He had to see him go, but he never gave up hope that he would return.
We must realize that at the time we feel most like giving up on a rebellious child, is right when they might just need us most.
3. How Easy it is to Give Out! Quite Possibly, Noah did give out.
If there is any fault you can find with Noah, it is that he seems to have given out.
He had walked with God all of his life.
He had been a shining example for his family.
He worked hard in serving God and had remained morally pure.
Through the whole flood event, he overcame every obstacle and maintained his faith in God.
It must have been difficult. Imagine the spiritual battle he endured.
** After the battle was over and the waters receded, Noah does something that seems out of character for him. He plants a vineyard, harvests the grapes, makes wine and gets very drunk. It may not seem like such a big deal, but it did cause a major problem in his family.
** In our world today, there are numerous examples of very strong Christians who have done the same thing. They just Gave Out. They served God for many years. Fought enormous spiritual battles and seemed like the pillars of faith. Then, at some point, they just gave out and made major boneheaded decisions that cost them greatly. That cost the Kingdom of God greatly. But we need to endure and finish well.
** Apostle Paul talked about this.
2 Timothy 4:6-8 6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
It’s hard enough to summon up the strength to fight a single battle, no matter how big the battle is.
But, What is much harder is to fight battle after battle over the long haul.
** Paul had likely witnessed many believers that were faithful to God and served Him in great and mighty ways, but somewhere along the way they just spiritually “gave out.”
In their moment of failure, they ended up undoing all the good they had done throughout their life.
* This is why Paul exhorts us to finish well.
To keep the faith.
To never let your guard down.
To struggle, to continue the fight and to finish well.
To not give up until the race is over.
* Maybe as a parent or a patriarch of the family, you feel you have struggled to raise your children.
* Maybe one has tested you over and over again.
* Maybe that child has pushed you to your limits.
* Maybe you’ve bailed them out of one problem after another.
* Maybe you’ve even bailed them out of jail.
* Never give up on your children.
Galatians 6:9 says “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”
See them through it. After all, That is what God has done with you.
Maybe in your life the pressure seems overpowering.
Maybe you have done everything God has asked you to do or expected of you.
Maybe you have fought many battles over the years and at times you feel tired, spiritually worn out.
That inner strength, the drive, and determination you once had are not carrying you like it once did.
God’s Word is telling you today... Don’t Give in, Don’t give up, and don’t Give Out! Keep on struggling.
Keep on fighting. Don’t quit. Trust in God. Never let your guard down.
* Paul said that we should endeavor “to finish our race well.”
What I want you to see today, as you are struggling to serve God and be the spiritual leader of your family in an evil and sinful world is that you are not alone. God sees everything and He knows what you’re going through.
Look at Genesis 6:8 “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”
God looked down from Heaven and saw all the evil in the world, but do you notice Where were God’s eyes focused? On His faithful child.
And His eyes are on you this morning.
As He is watching you today,
** Does He see someone that has GIVEN IN?
If so, then repent of that and purify your heart and life.
** Does He see someone that has GIVEN UP?
If so, then renew your commitment to the Good Lord and He will renew your faith.
** Does He see someone who is about to GIVE OUT?
If so, then find your rest in Him. Be strengthened by His Spirit and endeavor to finish the race well.
