Genesis 7:1-24 NKJV Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. (2) You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; (3) also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth. (4) For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.” (5) And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him. (6) Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth. (7) So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. (8) Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth, (9) two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. (10) And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth. (11) In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. (12) And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. (13) On the very same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark— (14) they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. (15) And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. (16) So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in. (17) Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. (18) The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. (19) And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. (20) The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. (21) And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. (22) All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. (23) So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. (24) And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.
- Good morning and welcome to chapter 7 of Genesis!
- We are getting through it guys, we may in fact finish Genesis before I retire!
- Here at CLC we preach through books of the Bible, and today we just happen to be in Genesis chapter 7.
- Over the past few weeks we have been talking about the flood and the things that lead up to the flood.
- We especially took note of the two reasons that God said He flooded the earth:
- That the earth was full of corruption… meaning that sin had so taken over that mankind was not doing what it was supposed to be doing, that men had turned away from what they were naturally designed to do, to chase after the unnatural… their way’s, their lives were corrupt.
- So God said one of the reasons that He flooded the earth was that mankind had become corrupt.
- Secondly, God said He flooded the earth because violence had filled the earth…
- So last week we talked about violence in the days of Noah… then we examined our own hearts and dealt with violence and the love of violence in our own lives.
- But this week we come to the actual events of the flood. No longer are we talking preparation… no longer are we talking the reasons for the flood… now we are talking about the events of the flood themselves.
- Noah and his family taking with him all these animals, getting in the Ark, God shutting the door, the rain falling, and the flood water rising.
- Now what is remarkable about chapter seven is that it serves as a very early on faith chapter in Scripture.
- Now when I say “The Faith Chapter” most people probably think of Hebrews Chapter 11, and you do well to do so…
- Hebrews 11 defines faith, and examines the faith of many Biblical characters…
- In fact, we are only in Genesis 7, but Hebrews 11 has talked about 4 events we have already covered.
- It talks about the Creation of the World
- It talks about Abel’s sacrifice being a sacrifice of faith
- It talks about Enoch being raptured.
- And it talks about Noah… in fact, let’s read these verses because as we talk about Genesis 7 I want our minds to be focused on faith…
Hebrews 11:1-7 NKJV Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (2) For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. (3) By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. (4) By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. (5) By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “AND WAS NOT FOUND, BECAUSE GOD HAD TAKEN HIM”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. (6) But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (7) By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
- Do you guy’s see how important Genesis is to our faith?
- Some people say that we don’t need the Old Testament… they say we need to “Unhitch ourselves from the Old Testament”… WHAT? Hebrews 11 is ALL about the OLD Testament… how do you make sense of these verses if you don’t believe in The Old Testament?
- How do you make sense of these verses if you don’t believe in Genesis.
- Guy’s the first 22 verses of Hebrews 11, the Faith chapter, THEY ARE ABOUT GENESIS!
- More than HALF of the faith chapter is about Genesis…
- And so we see here, in Genesis seven, thousands of years before Hebrews 11 was written, we see a chapter ALL ABOUT FAITH.
- Yes this chapter is a real record of real event’s… but none of these event’s would have happened if it was not for the faith of Noah and the Faithfulness of God.
- And so for the Next two weeks I am going to present to you that Genesis Chapter Seven is the first “Faith Chapter” in scripture… the first of many… but man or man what we can learn about faith from this chapter… let’s pray.
- This week and next week I am going to preach through seven points about faith from Genesis seven.
- OK, Genesis Chapter 7, seven points about faith… easy to remember.
- These are the seven “R”s of Faith, from Genesis chapter seven, Preachers commentary is the one that listed these seven R’s and they are so phenomenal… as I read them I felt the Holy Sprit lead me to preach through these.
- Let me list them now and then we will preach through them one by one.
Seven R’s of Faith from Genesis Seven
Response to Revelation (7:1)
Relationship of Trust (7:16)
Readiness to Obey (7:2-5)
Release of Blessing (7:23)
Resource of Power (7:6-16)
Rebuke to Unfaithfulness (7:17-22)
Reminder to the Faithful (7:23-24)
- You see Faith is often times a Response to Revelation.
- Faith is built on a Relationship of Trust.
- Faith is demonstrated through a readiness to Obey.
- Faith Releases blessings.
- Faith is Resource of Holy Spirit Power
- Faith is a Rebuke to the Unfaithful
- And Faith is a Reminder to the Faithful
- Let me say these again so it sticks in, because this is where we are going to be for two weeks…
- From Genesis chapter seven we se that:
- Faith is a Response to Revelation.
- Faith is built on a Relationship of Trust.
- Faith is demonstrated through a readiness to Obey.
- Faith Releases blessings.
- Faith is Resource of Holy Spirit Power
- Faith is a Rebuke to the Unfaithful
- And Faith is a Reminder to the Faithful
- Ok let’s get into it by talking about the first four R’s
- The Faith of Noah (Part 1). Response, Relationship, Readiness, Release.
- Ok, let’s start out by talking about “What is Faith” and how it is often times a response to revelation.
Point One – Faith is a Response to Revelation
Genesis 7:1 NKJV Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.
- God spoke to Noah… and Noah responded in faith.
- God gave revelation to Noah… and Noah responded in Faith.
- Now I have preached about this many times before, so I don’t want to spend the whole sermon on this… but we all need to have an understanding of what faith is.
- We need to know what the word “faith” means.
- And our definition of faith comes from Hebrews chapter 11, that faith chapter we quoted earlier.
- For this I don’t need a Bible dictionary or anyone’s opinion… Scripture tells me straight up what the word Faith means…
Hebrews 11:1 NKJV Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
- That is the definition of faith… we don’t need anything else, it is right there.
- Faith is substance and faith is evidence.
- Faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.
- For example… this is the example I always use, but it is a good example…
- Church, raise your hand if you believe that some body, or group of people built this building.
- That a group of construction workers got together and using their tools and expertise constructed this building…
- Ok, now, show of hands… who watched them build this building?
- Anyone? Did anyone SEE people building this building?
- Did anyone see photo’s or video evidence of this building being constructed?
- NO ONE?! Yet all of you have faith that someone created this building! WHY?! You idiots believing in fairy tails and myths… that there is some kind of creator of buildings…
- NO! It’s not idiotic at all, I have faith that someone built this building… because there is a building here!
- Even though the builders are unseen, there is EVIDENCE that they built!
- Clearly this building was built by builder, there is clear design and expertise… we all understand this… we all have faith that there was builders… why? Because there is evidence of the unseen.
- Not only that… but how many of you were a part of CLC before we moved in here to this building?
- Do you remember how we HOPED for a building? How we prayed? How we trusted God…
- Through Elementary schools, Office Buildings, the Library, and even Green church… we hoped for a place to call our own.
- Now that hope has Substance… I have Faith that God can do MIGHTY MIRACLES because we hoped for a building we had no right to afford, and not on our own strength but God’s we received this building. Our hope has Substance, thus we have faith!
- Faith is the Substance of Things hoped for and the Evidence of Things unseen.
- With that definition in mind, as we think about Faith as a Response to Revelation, let’s read Genesis 7:1 again, and one other scripture to go with it.
Genesis 7:1 NKJV Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.
Romans 10:17 NKJV So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
- Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God… Faith comes by Revelation, Faith is a RESPONSE to Revelation.
- How much clearer is that then in Genesis 7:1… God Spoke, and Noah responds.
- What a different story this would be if God spoke and said “Come in to the Ark” and Noah said “No, it’s not Sunday!”
- Or what if Noah responded “Well ok, but when I am ready… I mean it’s not just a good time in my life right now… but when my kids are out of the house… when my college is paid off… when things settle down, then I will obey”.
- No that is NOT faith… faith is an immediate response to a direct revelation.
- God says Jump, and I don’t ask how high… I just jump as high as I can with all my strength and I keep jumping until He says to stop.
- God says to go to Singapore, in faith I go.
- God says to plant a church in Iowa, in faith we plant a church.
- God says raise money to buy a building, in faith we raise money to buy a building.
- What is God telling you in your life? YOU MUST RESPOND. Faith is a Response to Revelation.
- Don’t tell me you have faith if God gives you revelation and you don’t respond.
- Listen, somebody needs to hear this prophetically… I believe the Lord is showing me this even as I write it… someone here is being told by God to do something, to take a step of faith, to step out of the boat onto the waters…
- Whoever you are… if you KNOW God is telling you to do something… it is time to respond to that revelation in Faith. THIS IS YOUR SIGN!
- Faith is acted out as a Response to Revelation.
- Out of the blue, Noah is told by God about a cataclysmic flood… and Noah believed God… and Noah acted on what must have seemed insane to the world. Noah had faith… Noah responded to Revelation.
- Now that brings me to point two… Faith is built on a Relationship of Trust.
Point Two – Faith is Built on a Relationship of Trust
Genesis 7:16 NKJV So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in.
- Here is the deal with Faith… it doesn’t mix well with anxiety and doubt.
- Trust, on the other hand, is a huge ally of faith!
- God shut Noah in the ark…
- Can you imagine that moment? You are on this huge ship, you and your family and all these animals are aboard… and then God shuts the door.
- God shut Noah in.
- It was probably loud, cramped, and dark… the scripture only places one window on the ark… maybe there were more not recorded in scripture… but either way, the ark probably wasn’t a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
- And now Noah is shut in. And he will be shut in for nearly a year.
- And here is what is really interesting… there is no record of God speaking to Noah for that entire year.
- A year of rain, and storms, and darkness, and cramped quarters, and getting run aground at the top of Mt Arat.
- God did not tell Noah every detail of His plan. He did not say “Hey don’t worry when the ship runs aground on top of a mountain, that is a part of my plan!”
- Yet Noah had built a relationship of Trust with God, enough trust to last him a year on a boat with no further instructions.
Proverbs 3:5 NKJV Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
Psalms 9:10 NKJV And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
Joshua 1:9 NKJV Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
- Listen, when you step out in faith, you must CONTINUE to have trust in the Lord.
- It is a Relationship of Trust, not a moment of trust, not a decision based on trust… but a relationship of Trust.
- There will be moments of Revelation where God speaks to you and you hear clearly and you obey and He shuts the door behind you… But listen, what God has shut, let no man open!
- Because after that moment of revelation, there will be days and weeks and months and maybe even YEARS where there is no revelation… where there is no spoken word of God over your life.
- Periods of time where your faith must continue on because you have a relationship of Trust with God.
- That you trust that even in those times after the word is spoken, after the step of faith, after the door is shut… that you trust that God has not forgotten about you, He has not forsaken you, His plan is still perfect…
- You must have a relationship with God that is not dependent on momentary revelation.
- The momentary revelation is important, and you must obey it in faith, but it is the relationship of trust that you have that carries your faith on in times where it seems like nothing is happening.
- What if Noah gave up when the rain stopped?
- What if he gave up when the Ark ran aground?
- What if we gave up after being kicked out of the office building… when the landlord wanted to raise our rent by 6 thousand dollars a month?
- Or when we got kicked out of the Library because of Covid?
- Or when the owner of the building we thought we were buying just up and abandons our contract and kicked us to the curb?
- There was moments when I was hurt, and I was angry, and I did not understand… BUT I HAVE BEEN A CHRISTIAN FOR 20 YEARS AND GOD HAS NEVER FAILED ME! My relationship of trust with God has kept me from giving up, and I hope it keeps you from giving up too!
- So faith is a Response to Revelation and built on a Relationship of Trust.
- Next, Faith is Demonstrated through a Readiness to Obey.
Point Three – Faith is Demonstrated Through a Readiness to Obey
Genesis 7:2-5 NKJV You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; (3) also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth. (4) For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.” (5) And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him.
- Someone say “All”!
- And Noah did according to SOME of what the Lord commanded?
- NO! Noah dis according to ALL that the Lord commanded.
- Let’s do it again… someone say “All”.
- God did not ask a small thing of Noah.
- Not only did Noah have to build a colossal ark, but then he had to gather animals…
- And it was not TWO of every animal… some animals it was two of… the unclean animals it was two of…
- But it was FOURTEEN of all the kinds of clean animals. That’s 14 sheep, and 14 deer, and 14 pigeons, and 14 of so many other kinds of clean animals from around the world.
- You see Noah’s response to Revelation was not just GET ON THE ARK… yes there is a time when God tells you to God and you just need to make a decision, will I listen to God or will or not… will I step out onto the waters, as Peter did when commanded, or will I cower and ignore God’s command.
- But many times it is not just an initial step of faith, it is a readiness to obey ALL that God commands us.
- Gather gopher wood!
- Ok, I am ready to obey.
- Build a giant boat.
- Ok, I am ready to obey.
- Gather pairs of unclean animals.
- Ok, I am ready to obey.
- Gather 14 pairs of each clean animal.
- Ok, I am ready to obey.
- This work took decades an Noah was ready to obey through it all.
- Then on the boat…
- Feed the animals.
- Ok, I am ready to obey.
- Clean the poop of all the animals.
- Ok, I am ready to obey.
- Make sure your family has food.
- Ok, I am ready to obey.
- Make sure to worship and sacrifice unto the Lord.
- Ok, I am ready to obey.
- Keep track of the days so you can honor every Sabath.
- Ok, I am ready to obey.
- The work presented to Noah was monumental… and Noah was ready to obey it all.
- Remember what James taught us…
James 2:17 NKJV Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
- Faith without works is dead… not faith without “A WORK” but faith without many works is dead!
- Is your faith strong enough… are you ready to obey ALL the works God has for you?
- Christianity is not about living a life that started with A WORK of faith… but it is about a life that is full of works of faith.
- Do you have a faith that is ready to obey them all?
- If you do, then blessing will be released… that is the conclusion of todays message.
Conclusion – Faith Releases Blessing
Genesis 7:23 NKJV So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.
- Because of Noah’s faith, he was blessed. In a very real and literal sense, Noah’s faith saved him.
- Well, God saved him, but it was because of his faith.
- Listen church, when you live a life of faith, blessings are sure to follow.
- Sure there will be times of hardship, times where you feel like you are not hearing from God…
- Times were the work is laborious, and relief seems far off.
- But I promise you, no matter how tired Noah was on the ark, after hundreds of days of tending for those animals…
- He was still better off than those outside the ark.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 NKJV “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. (8) For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
- God told Amanda and I to go to Singapore…
- It was one of the hardest times of our life… but look at the blessings it produced.
- God sent us to Iowa… and one of our team members almost RAPED another one of our team members…
- Dealing with that was one of the hardest times of our life… but we didn’t give up… look at the blessings it produced.
- God brought us to the Library… where we had SO MANY security issues… we had to set up and tear down every Sunday and every other Sunday there was an ambulance or police response to something at our church… that’s not an exaggeration… it was one of the hardest times of our lives… but look at the blessings it brought.
- WE THOUGHT FOR SURE WE WERE BUYING THE BUILDING ON EDGEWOOD. We had been pre-approved for loans, we had raised the down payment… And we got kicked to the curb… We had to raise more money, find a new bank (our old bank pulled out) and find a new building… IT WAS ONE OF THE HARDEST TIMES OF OUR LIVES…
- But look at the substance of what we hopped for, you are sitting in it, look at the evidence of the unseen. The result of our faith, church, yours included if you were with us through that… the result of our faith was blessing!
- Persevere, church, respond to revelation, build a relationship of trust with God, always be ready to obey, and watch as God release blessings!
- Gospel Call – Here is the revelation that you must respond to right now…
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