Inspiring message

On Sunday PB started a series looking at the life of Noah and inspired me! Here's my take on the sermon, and what I have read elsewhere.

PB started out with the background that we rarely look at next to the cutesie pictures of the Ark and the animals. It's really key to why Noah even did what he did!

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." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. Genesis 6:5-8

So there it is, God was going to wipe out everything and everyone on the face of the planet. But one man (and because of him, his family) were spared because of his heart for God.

Now even though God chose to spare him, it was not that simple. There was one condition – Noah had to build an Ark! Okay, well that may not have been that big a deal right? I mean the Bible says he “walked with God” so he knew his faith was well-founded.

However, as I understand it, Noah, who lived in a land-locked place and had never seen rain (the earth was watered from the ground up until this point) had to build a giant boat. Thankfully he was not required to round-up the animals – the Bible says the animals came to him (after all, this was God’s plan and He can direct the animals!).

But Noah wasn’t a ship-builder, so taking this huge step of faith, spending many years building a boat for a flood that The Weather Channel had not confirmed. And all the while, he’s surrounded by people who don’t give a hoot about God! The people around him are living life doing as they please, doing things that I’m sure they knew were contradictory to God’s commandments. Even if they are “good” people, they are not living for God’s purposes, and that put’s them at odds with God.

Amongst all of this, it’s easy to imagine that Noah took some abuse for his wild and crazy theory on the flood that was coming. Even if he didn’t run around like Chicken Little, shouting “the end is nigh”, his very occupation of building this boat was like a siren saying he believed judgement was coming and he was determined to be saved even if it meant standing alone amongst the non-believers. His actions were in effect condemning their lives.

This account is so much bigger than just a boat to save some animals! It’s about having Ark-sized faith in what God says, if you have personally experienced his power in your life. And maybe it’s about seeing those who have had that experience and in some way changed their life as a result and thinking that it may be time to decide what you’ll do when the flood comes.

The last part of this account is the rainbow:

I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." Genesis 9:13-16

The flood won’t return, but Jesus will.

I wanted to share this with you because it’s such a great example of faith that I can only dream of, but aspire to. I’m never going to be perfect and I can’t even say for sure I’d have the courage to give it all up to build an Ark, but if you ever think I’m nuts and standing on my soapbox too long, just call me Noah!