Sermon Notes from this morning: (summarized and amended for
here :) )
"For as were the days of Noah"
Matthew 24:37-39, 45
Genesis 6:11-12
John 14:1-4
Jesus said that "As were the days of Noah, so will be
the coming of the Son of Man" Amplified Bible ... What was it like in
those days? Depraved, filled with violence, desecration, infringement, outrage,
assault, and thirst for power. Sounds a lot like today, but on a large "in
your face" kind of way; thanks to the technology we have available at our
fingertips. Genesis 6 says that "God looked upon the world and saw how
degenerate, debased, and vicious it was, for all humanity had corrupted their
way upon the earth and lost their true direction." Isn’t that the way the
world seems these days? People have “lost their way”, they’ve lost their true
direction. People with no direction miss out on their destinies that way. They
can’t see the forest through the trees.
I know that your life may be nuts, you're tired and really sick of everything. In fact their are days you wonder why you even got out of bed. The world is too much to handle sometimes. I mean look around. You can't look at the news without seeing something horrible and totally messed up. People act like they've lost their conscience. Nothing is off limits in its awfulness.
If you notice that in these Scriptures, God commands us (not asks, not suggests, he commands) us to: Watch - be closely observant
Be ready – fully and properly be prepared
Have you ever gone about your business or embarked on a journey without preparation? You feel discombobulated and rather out of place. You may have missed something rather important because you just were not prepared or ready to go.
That is how believers should NOT be..you’ll miss out if you do. Remember the saying, Get right, or get left (speaking about the coming of the Lord). He is coming for a church who is prepared and who has been doing what He has asked them to. In Matthew 24:45 Jesus asked a question about WHO is the faithful, thoughtful and wise servant…have you been about your Father’s business?
Have you ever noticed how God uses ACTION words? Aren’t we supposed to be in motion and moving forward, because God is. Why are you sitting still? He is a Lord who DOES, not was. He expects us to be in action regarding His business. Simple.
In the days of Noah, when the world was nuts and he was expected to live up to the “norm”, and the social expectations and thought processes of his time, did Noah bend? Did he say, “heck with it, I’m tired of doing the right thing, and I’m tired of people thinking I’m better than anyone else. Why not just go have some fun”….Uh, no! In fact, “Noah found grace (favor) in the eyes of the Lord”. WOW!
Why? you ask…well, Noah was: Genesis 6:9
Just – agreeing with what is considered morally right or good
Righteous – morally good
Blameless in his evil generation
I know that your life may be nuts, you're tired and really sick of everything. In fact their are days you wonder why you even got out of bed. The world is too much to handle sometimes. I mean look around. You can't look at the news without seeing something horrible and totally messed up. People act like they've lost their conscience. Nothing is off limits in its awfulness.
If you notice that in these Scriptures, God commands us (not asks, not suggests, he commands) us to: Watch - be closely observant
Be ready – fully and properly be prepared
Have you ever gone about your business or embarked on a journey without preparation? You feel discombobulated and rather out of place. You may have missed something rather important because you just were not prepared or ready to go.
That is how believers should NOT be..you’ll miss out if you do. Remember the saying, Get right, or get left (speaking about the coming of the Lord). He is coming for a church who is prepared and who has been doing what He has asked them to. In Matthew 24:45 Jesus asked a question about WHO is the faithful, thoughtful and wise servant…have you been about your Father’s business?
Have you ever noticed how God uses ACTION words? Aren’t we supposed to be in motion and moving forward, because God is. Why are you sitting still? He is a Lord who DOES, not was. He expects us to be in action regarding His business. Simple.
In the days of Noah, when the world was nuts and he was expected to live up to the “norm”, and the social expectations and thought processes of his time, did Noah bend? Did he say, “heck with it, I’m tired of doing the right thing, and I’m tired of people thinking I’m better than anyone else. Why not just go have some fun”….Uh, no! In fact, “Noah found grace (favor) in the eyes of the Lord”. WOW!
Why? you ask…well, Noah was: Genesis 6:9
Just – agreeing with what is considered morally right or good
Righteous – morally good
Blameless in his evil generation
He didn’t buckle to what and who others thought he should do
or be. He was in the middle of the desert and he was building a big ship
because God told him too. His friends probably abandoned him, he became
unwelcome in the popular social circles, and people probably thought he was
crazy. Has God asked you to do something that made no sense whatsoever, but you
did it because He told you to?
Are you ostracized because of your obedience to the Creator instead of the created? Only you can answer that question. I don’t know your hearts nor its intent. But He does.
Now with the cards stacked against him, how in the world was Noah able to do this? You’re probably expecting a long theological explanation aren’t you? Wrong. It is simple.
Verse 9 says, “Noah walked in habitual fellowship with God”. There was no short text once a week, no short desperate prayer once a month when the bills were tight. No once a week hour sermon to tide him over til the following week. No.
Noah did what the Lord intended for him (us) in the first place…to have FELLOWSHIP with Him. A friend and companion. As natural as breathing. His walk was “habitual”, it was regular and repeated and he was a friend of God. Isn’t that just so awesome?! Noah was able to go through what he did and tolerate all the “stuff”, because God was his friend and companion in the good times and the bad times. The One he could go to, to talk with and be a True Friend. That’s what the Father wants us to do. That’s how we are originally supposed to be. Yes, we are fallen man, but God created a Bridge to Life. And that is through Jesus Christ. You see, with judgment, He makes a Way. That is called LOVE. And He loved us so much that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
We all have a choice. What is yours?
~MMC
Are you ostracized because of your obedience to the Creator instead of the created? Only you can answer that question. I don’t know your hearts nor its intent. But He does.
Now with the cards stacked against him, how in the world was Noah able to do this? You’re probably expecting a long theological explanation aren’t you? Wrong. It is simple.
Verse 9 says, “Noah walked in habitual fellowship with God”. There was no short text once a week, no short desperate prayer once a month when the bills were tight. No once a week hour sermon to tide him over til the following week. No.
Noah did what the Lord intended for him (us) in the first place…to have FELLOWSHIP with Him. A friend and companion. As natural as breathing. His walk was “habitual”, it was regular and repeated and he was a friend of God. Isn’t that just so awesome?! Noah was able to go through what he did and tolerate all the “stuff”, because God was his friend and companion in the good times and the bad times. The One he could go to, to talk with and be a True Friend. That’s what the Father wants us to do. That’s how we are originally supposed to be. Yes, we are fallen man, but God created a Bridge to Life. And that is through Jesus Christ. You see, with judgment, He makes a Way. That is called LOVE. And He loved us so much that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
We all have a choice. What is yours?
~MMC
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