Noah - The Crazy Weatherman
Pastor Glenn Newton
June 5, 2005
Genesis 6: 5-22 Read
The first thing I notice in our passage this morning, in verse 5 and 6, is that God is watching us, not only as individuals and how we live, but also as a whole... as His creation.
God deeply cares more than we realize how our world is responding to His Truth, to His Message of Hope, and most importantly to His Son Jesus Christ. Why is this important?
Some might have the idea that we can live our Christian lives to ourselves, and just kind of watch the world go by, on their way to hell... and as long as we take care of ourselves, we are going to be OK. I want you to know that God looks at the whole, and we make up a part of that, and we need to be concerned about our nation, about our world.. We need to be light, we need to have influence, as Christians we have a Mandate to “Go” and make an impact, a difference in our world. Your calling goes beyond these four walls, your calling goes beyond the four walls of your home... don’t ever forget who you are and what God has called you to do.... This morning let’s look at a man who made a difference... in fact, he may have saved all of humankind because of his faithfulness to God.
Let’s look at verse 5,6 together... Read.
“Evil filled the thoughts and imagination of everyone’s heart... this includes the mind.” People were reveling in their sin... they were not only living sinful lifestyles... they were promoting their lifestyles.... wanting others to accept their sinful lifestyles as normal, as acceptable.
Does that sound familiar?
*There is a push in every corner now to legalize drugs... to make it acceptable.
*Hollywood has made the homosexual lifestyle commonplace, there is a homosexual character on almost every sitcom. The gay agenda is to sue for the right to marry, to recieve the same benefits of a married couple..... Why? They want us to accept their sinful lifestyle as acceptable... I believe God’s heart is grieved.... is yours?
* Sexual immorality has spread like a plague... premarital sex, extra-marital sex, you name it, it’s out there... We have been watching a known pedophile on TV for weeks now as he is on trial for molesting young boys, but his fans don’t seem to care... and for the most part I don’t think America it to disturbed.... Michael Jackson says it’s normal....
I could go on this morning... but I hope you get the point... we live in a world that is not that different from Noah’s day... I believe God’s heart is grieved...... and our hearts need to be broken because of what sin is doing to our country, in our community and in our own families. Christians, don’t let the corruption of our world destroy your families, your values, don’t be lulled to sleep.... look what’s going on around you... and more important... examine your own heart and mind and see if anything is being allowed in your own life, in your own way of thinking that would be displeasing to God... if so, Repent and turn away from those things..... and God will be pleased with you.
God makes a decision in verse 7, let’s read what He decides to do.
Let me tell you.. God hates sin... He will judge sin every time... don’t make any mistake... if your living in a sinning lifestyle... you need to repent and ask God for forgiveness, because God does not change, He is Holy and he wants His people to live Holy lives.... The wages of sin is death. Sin always brings judgment.... in this case God wants to wipe out all of creation... I would say He has seen enough.
Thank Goodness for verse 8... “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” Without that verse in the Bible... we might not have anything else to read in the Bible, because no one would be here to write it or read it. One man made a difference for all eternity.
repeat.
Let’s find out why Noah found favor with God... this is important, we need to hear this today... in the days we live in I believe God is still looking for men and women who He can Favor....... will you be one of those, you can be... listen to verse 9.
“ GE 6:9 This is the account of Noah.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.”
I’ve read that verse many times this last week..... you know for a guy to save the whole world from destruction... I was thinking maybe there would be more to it than what I kept reading. Listen to what I didn’t find when I read this verse..
* no special gifts mentioned
* no theology degree
* it didn’t say anything about how smart, or how talented he might have been.
It’s interesting because when I kept reading this verse over and over again... what kept coming to me was that this could have been anybody... Anybody who was willing to follow and obey what God wanted for their life.
“Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.”
Noah did what was right.... If he said he was going to do something, he did it. If he made a promise, he kept it... he was a promise keeper. He was righteous, this doesn’t mean he was perfect and never made a mistake or never sinned. What this means is that he kept his heart in tune with God... when He did make a wrong choice... He asked God to forgive him... He made atonement...the Word says, he walked with God.
How’s your walk with God going? Do you realize that you can walk with God the same way Noah did? In fact, we even have a better deal than Noah did, we have the Holy Spirit to help us, to teach us how to walk with God. You can stay in step with God... you don’t have to live in the grey area... you can stay close enough to God that you know you are where you are supposed to be... no question.
I wonder today how many of us go through most of our days wondering if we are OK with God or not. I wonder how many of us, feel like we are on the outside looking in sometimes when it comes to having true fellowship with God?
I want to share some simple steps that will help you stay in step with God..... How many of you here this morning want to Walk with God everyday? We all want this don’t we?
Is there anyone here today that would raise their hand and say.... I don’t want anything to do with God?
As His creation I believe we want to know Him, to be in right relationship with Him, sin is the problem, sin is what separates us, sin is what distorts our view, our walk with Him. We try to come up with other names for it, but sin is the issue.... Sin is what God hates.
Let’s look at what Noah did, just as God instructed.... we call that obedience... look at verse 15
Let’s think this through for just a minute. What Noah did here was not a small thing.
God was asking Noah to do something that was truly crazy from the human point of view. God wanted Noah to build a Ark, a huge boat, that was 4 1/2 times the length of this building, that was 25 feet wider than this building, and about 20 feet higher than this building.
* Noah was building this huge boat in a place that had never seen rain. Can you imagine what the town people were saying... we know they were evil... so you can imagine the ridicule that Noah had to endure... plus his family.
You know it’s one thing to ridicule me, but when you start picking on my family, then we got problems, right? You need to understand that Noah endured for 125 years while he carried out what God had asked him to do.
Let me ask you a question. What has God asked you to do that you think is too hard?
God won’t ask you to do something that He won’t give you the power, the help to accomplish it. Don’t you think Noah woke up some mornings just wondering what in the world was he doing? Doubts are normal... what set him apart... was that even though he had doubts... he followed through with what God wanted.
I mean there had to be times when Noah was like, God.... Can you please send me a email a confimation number so I can know this is what you ordered.
God.... this is a huge project, even if I finish the Ark, how am I going to catch all these animals, I can’t even catch my own cats.... Can you imagine the conversations that went on between Noah and God?
Do you want to know the key to Noah staying in step with God? Look at verse 22.
GE 6:22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
That’s the key... that’s why God’s favor was extended to Noah and his family.
Are you doing all that God has asked you?
To stay in step with God, the steps really haven’t changed through the ages, and they never will.... first I must obey God in what He has asked, then just stay close to Him through prayer and through the reading of His Word. In your worship, in times just like this.... God can speak to us... God does speak to us... He tells us what He wants... and then He leaves it up to us.... will you obey Him today?
If He is speaking to you this morning about a specific area, you will know what it is... He doesn’t deal with grey areas... God is very black and white when He communicates with us... you know why? He wants you to know that you know that you are doing exactly what He has asked you to do. Aren’t you glad He doesn’t leave us guessing what we are to do?
He loves you, He loves all of His creation, but His heart is grieved because of sin... and I believe His heart is grieved because so many of His people have allowed the sinful culture of our day to come in and distort our view of Him.... He wants His people set apart, Holy for his use, so that we can be a light in the darkness, a light in our own homes, so that we can keep our families together, keep our marriages together....... sin desires to destroy all of these things... and if we decide to live in sin, willfully.... it will bring what is promised in the Bible... spiritual death.
Will you be like Noah? A crazy Christian willing to trust God, willing to follow God, willing to be obedient to Him, even if what is being asked looks to hard? He is able to carry you through if you will follow and obey Him.
Today is the day to make your decision... you may never get another chance to say Yes to Him.
