As you look around at the world in which we live, it is easy to see lots of problems. There is corruption in the government, obvious moral decline, and an almost total disregard for others.
We see a growing lack of respect in our youth toward their elders, and this is encouraged in most of the songs that are played on the radio and on CDs. And as we see these things we often say, "What can we do?" We throw up our hands and conclude that we are helpless to make any real change at all.
As much as we cannot see how we might be able to change things, God has always used individuals to make those changes He wanted made.
Perhaps the most famous of these figures is a guy by the name of Noah. He was only one man but God used that one man to actually save mankind. So today, I encourage you not to listen simply to the historical account of Noah, but also listen to what God did through Noah; a single person.
Let’s talk about ……
1. THE STATE OF NOAH’S WORLD
In order to understand what God did through Noah, we have to understand what Noah faced. Listen to what the world was like in Noah’s time.
GENESIS 6:5-7
The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth--men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air--for I am grieved that I have made them.
"Every inclination of the thoughts of the heart was only evil all the time." What would cause God to say such a harsh thing? It doesn’t take much imagination to guess what was going on in everyday life back then. The people of that day disregarded God. They may have talked about Him in conversation but He did not occupy a place in their lives. Religion was an academic exercise; something they did when it was time to do it, but not a way of life for them. Morality was determined by personal choice rather than by God’s standards.
When you compare the two, those days were not much different from our own. The flood wiped those people out, except for Noah and his family. One would think that we could learn from our mistakes, but in just a few chapters later in Genesis, we read about the people of Babel and how they had reached a similar state of disobedience.
In Romans 3:10-12 Paul wrote about how things were still depraved in his day.
" … there is none righteous, none that do good, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."
I don’t think things have changed very much over the years, do you? To make you realize just how much we are like the people of Noah’s day, try this little experiment.
This week as you watch television notice how many times the 10 commandments are disobeyed in just one half-hour TV show. Look at the innuendo regarding illicit relationships, or how funny they try to make it when they lie to each other. Look at how violence and hatred is glorified. And then see if you can find just one instance where anyone shows true respect towards anyone else. And then realize that this goes on in nearly every single TV show, and we allow all of that to come into our homes on a daily basis. It is no wonder why we have troubled marriages, troubled kids, and trouble finding God in our homes.
Listen to the radio (both talk and music programs) and notice the values of those in charge of the shows. They have standards that belong in the street, but do not belong to God. Unless it is a Christian station, most of them follow a god, but it isn’t the Holy God of Heaven.
Speaking of God, listen how most people talk about God today. The God they talk about is not the God of the Bible. I saw a famous TV star the other day talk about how God’s main desire is for us to feel good about ourselves and to see us have fulfillment in life. There was no talk of holiness, sin, or judgment. The God of the world is a caricature created in the image of man.
Watch any recent movie. Pay attention to the language, the morality, and watch how God’s people are often portrayed as lunatics or worse.
When you have done these things, ask yourself why you didn’t notice all these things before, or why you are not repulsed at them when you do see them inside your home. The answer will startle you.
It’s because these things are now considered normal because we have slowly grown used to it over a long period of time.
In Noah’s day, people had religion, but they had taken God out of it. Such was the state of religion back then. Such is the state of religion today, too. God has promised that there will always be a remnant of believers. We are part of that remnant. Let us never stop praying for a revival; a revival that would reignite the world for Jesus.
Now, let’s talk about …
2. THE CHARACTER OF NOAH
What type of man was Noah?
In GENESIS 6:8-9, it tells us:
‘But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.’
In the midst of that evil society, one man stood out . . . a man by the name of Noah. Notice what we read about him.
Noah found favor.
In the NIV, it says that Noah found favor. It is important that we notice something very important here. Noah did not EARN God’s favor . . .he was GIVEN God’s favor. Noah was not a perfect man. We have a tendency to see Noah as someone extra-ordinary. Truth is, he was just a common man like you or me. And he was willing to follow the Lord. And because of that, Noah was a righteous man
We can conclude that he had a good relationship with others. They may have felt he was a little weird for spending so many years building a boat in his yard, but they respected him. There are no accounts where anyone had any problems with Noah. They may have questioned his sanity, but they could never find fault with his heart.
This is the same experience many believers have today. I remember when I first went into the ministry; there were some who I worked with at the Post Office that said things that showed their unbelief. Some poked fun at me and said I had finally lost what little mind I had left. Others did everything they could to just ignore me.
Yet, when any kind of tragedy came into their lives, I was the first person they came to for prayer. One man even said that I probably had an inside line to God, so could I put in a good word for him and his family.
Noah "walked with God." Noah did not just visit with God. He didn’t "stop in to see God" on Sundays . . . he walked with Him on a daily basis. Noah’s relationship with God was not a temporary fascination; it was a true commitment. Choosing to love God was not something Noah did; it was a life he chose to live.
Now, let’s talk for a moment on …
3. GOD’S PLAN
God was very unhappy how mankind had turned out, but because of Noah’s faithfulness, He came up with a plan. The plan was basically to start over. He would bring a worldwide flood to destroy everything in the world, except Noah and his family and the animals they would take with them aboard an ark. Listen to how the Bible describes it.
GENESIS 6:13-21 -
So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it.
Everything on earth will perish. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark--you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them."
This story is so familiar that we may miss the importance of what God is asking of Noah. Noah was asked to build a vessel that was 4 1/2 stories high and as long as a football field and a half - even though he lived over 500 miles from any water! And according to some scholars, it had never rained before upon the earth at that time. So, here we have people who are totally unfamiliar with water coming from the sky, or floods, and Noah is building a big ship to float away in. Can you imagine how Noah explained that one to people?
So, not only did God ask Noah to build this great vessel for which there was no precedent, he had to do so in the midst of public ridicule. Certainly, others must have known him as "crazy Noah". I wouldn’t be surprised if families traveling on vacation would made it a point to drive by and see the man who was building something "God told him to build".
How do you think that scenario would be played out if it happened today? Let’s take a look and see.
The Lord spoke to Noah and said: " I’m going to make it rain until the whole earth is covered with water and all the evil people will be destroyed. But I will save you and your family, and two of every kind of living thing on the planet. I am ordering you to build Me an Ark." And God gave Noah the specifications for an Ark.
"OK," said Noah, trembling in fear and fumbling with the blueprints.
Then the Lord said, "Six months, and it starts to rain, so you’d better get a move on, Noah."
Six months passed. The skies began to cloud up and rain began to fall. The Lord saw that Noah was sitting in his front yard, just looking at this huge stack of lumber. But the Lord saw no Ark.
The Lord shouted, “Noah! Where is my Ark?"
"Lord, please forgive me!" begged Noah. "I did my best. But there were big problems. First I had to get a building permit for the Ark’s construction, and your plans didn’t meet the local fire code. So I had to hire an engineer to redraw the plans. Then, my neighbors objected, claiming I was violating zoning by building the Ark in my front yard, so I had to get a variance from the city planning commission.
Then I had a big problem getting enough wood for the Ark because there was a ban on cutting trees in order to save some kind of owl. I had to convince Fish and Wildlife people that I needed the wood to save the owls. But they wouldn’t let me catch any owls. Then the carpenters formed a union and went out on strike. I had to negotiate with them before anyone would pick up a saw or a hammer.
When I started gathering up animals, an animal rights group sued me. Then, the government got involved and wanted to know where I got the money for the lumber. Now I’m trying to resolve a complaint from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over how many people I’m supposed to hire. And on top of all that the IRS seized all my assets claiming I’m trying to avoid paying taxes by leaving the country.
Noah’s society was corrupt, and so is ours today. And all during this time of building, Noah is preaching to the people. He preached but no one responded. But Noah continued doing what God called him to do. He trusted God’s Word and God’s promise. And that’s what made him a man of faith.
Think about what happened as a result of this one man. Noah was able to save his family, and because of what he did, he saved humanity itself! I want you to notice that Noah was able to accomplish all this, not because he was overly capable or overly smart – but he was faithful enough to do what God wanted him to do.
I want you to understand that this is not just a story about what happened long ago. God is still using individuals today to do His work. He may not ask you to build an Ark in your front yard, but He will call you to be faithful to Him.
He may ask you to take a financial risk in order to reach others. There have been many people over the years that have come to this church needing cash, and there have been many who have answered the door who have dug into their own wallets to meet that need.
He might ask you to do things for Him when others fight against it, and He might ask you to let someone falsely accuse you, and then to show them nothing but love in return, because you are more concerned with what they feel than what you feel.
He may even ask you to pick up your cross and follow Him – even if you have to move away and leave everyone you love and every thing you find comfortable.
There was a small church in Arizona that we planted. It was called CrossWinds Bible Church. I was the Senior Pastor and a young man by the name of Shane Simpson was the Associate Pastor. Shane’s wife was in charge of our worship. Both of us had our families there, and pretty much everything we had in our lives was centered there. But God called each one of us to leave it all behind and to “go and do.” I am now pasturing this church in Catoosa, Oklahoma, and Shane and Elizabeth were called to a church in Osceola, Iowa, where Shane is pasturing Christ‘sway Christian Church.
I can tell you firsthand, and I think Shane would agree with me, that when you are called to leave everything behind, it is a very hard thing to do, but something that you never think about not doing. As hard as it is to do that, it is one of the most fulfilling blessings a person can have in life. If God ever calls you to “go and do”, my encouragement to you is to simply “GO AND DO”.
One person can make a difference. You can make a difference; if you will let God use you. But you must remember some things. Remember that God is not looking for perfection or talent. He is looking for willing hearts. As Willie said not long ago; God does not call the qualified – He qualifies the called.
Before God can use you for His kingdom, you must be F.A.T. You must be Faithful in following Him. You must be Available to follow Him. And, you must be Teachable so you can follow Him.
God will put the opportunities in front of those who are willing to accept them. But there is always a sacrifice involved. To step forward for God, you must be willing to step out of where you are now. You cannot stand in one spot and move forward, can you?
God is looking for those who will dare to trust Him as Noah did; someone willing to do what He says to do. I personally think it is time that we start letting God use us, because we have all used Him too long.
When we decide to let God guide us, it is not a decision to be made lightly. It is the deepest of commitments. God is not looking for the weak; He is looking for that which is solid and strong. He is not looking for those who will talk loudly, but those who will talk boldly. He is just looking for ordinary people who are willing to trust in a very great God.
Over and over God used ordinary folks. God chose Moses – a stuttering man, the young shepherd David, and He used the social outcasts, the sheepherders, on the night Jesus Christ came into this world to save us. And, God can use you . . . if you let Him.
Would the Victory Singers please come back onstage?
IN CONCLUSION
Today, the stakes are just as high as they were in the days of Noah. There is no coming flood, but there is a coming judgment. And God offers you the chance to be judged righteous. He may not ask you to build a boat, but He may ask you to do something just as difficult. He will ask you to sacrifice yourself and put Him first in your life.
God asks you to admit that you are a sinner and that you need His help. He calls us to trust Jesus. God calls us to believe Him when He tells us that when Jesus died, He died for our wrongdoings. He asks us to believe that in Jesus we are set free from the past and given a future we do not, and could not, deserve.
And, He asks you to trust your life and your very hope of eternity to Him. As in the days of Noah . . . we are faced with a choice. You can be among those who are saved, or you can be among those who are condemned in the Judgment. The story of Noah is being repeated in our day and in our society. The decision today is the same as it was for Noah – to be faithful to God or not to be faithful to God.
My advice to you is to make sure you get right so you don’t get left when Jesus comes back to gather up His faithful.
Noah found grace, not because he was perfect, but because he was faithful. You, too, can find grace if you choose to be faithful to God. All you have to do is listen carefully to God; pray deeply for His leading; and then choose wisely what you will do.
INVITATION
