Summary: 3 of 4. All on the ark escaped the destruction of the Flood. Divinely designed destruction can be escaped/avoided. But how? Escaping God’s designed destruction requires...

Series:

SUPPLANTING The LEGACY Of WICKEDNESS—Genesis 6:9—10:32

A—GOD’s REMOVAL STRATEGY—Genesis 6:9-22

Toward Removing the Legacy of Wickedness

B—GOD’s DESIGNED DESTRUCTION-III—Genesis 7:1-24

C—SALVATION(Waiting for Normal)—Genesis 8:1-19

D—EXPERIENCING The VICTORY/Response—Genesis 8:20-22

E—POTENTIAL For RESTORATION—Genesis 9:1-19

F—SAME Ol’ SAME Ol’—Genesis 9:20-29

G—The NATIONS—Genesis 10:1-32

We’ve found previously that ‘Escaping God’s designed destruction’ requires Appropriate...

1. MOTION(:1, 5)

2. LIVING(:1b)

All on the ark escaped the destruction of the Flood.

All on the ark escaped God’s removal strategy(designed destruction).

Divinely designed destruction can be escaped/avoided.

How can we escape such an ordained destruction/removal?

*4 keys/requirements to escape God’s designed destruction.

3—Escaping God’s designed destruction requires...

Appropriate DIRECTION(:2-16a)

Explanation: (:2-16a) Submission/Application/Obedience

:2—“You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male & his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male & his female;

:3—“also seven each of birds of the air, male & female, to keep the species[“seed”] alive on the face of all the earth.”

The pairing of animals is reiterated to Noah with further designations & explanations as to that purpose of keeping them alive(6:19).

This time Noah was told that he was to differentiate between “clean” & “unclean” animals. This is an important designation as this will be determinative of their number which are included on the ark. Noah was to take all the “clean” animals by pairs of seven(:14).(NICOT)

Read Lev. 11:1-26ff.—

Lev. 11:44-47—‘For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, & you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. This is the law of the animals & the birds & every living creature that moves in the waters, & of every creature that creeps on the earth, ‘to distinguish between the unclean & the clean, & between the animal that may be eaten & the animal that may not be eaten.’”

Lev. 20:25-26—“‘You shall therefore distinguish between clean animals & unclean, between unclean birds & clean, & you shall not make yourselves abominable by beast or by bird, or by any kind of living thing that creeps on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean. ‘And you shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy, & have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.”

Noah knew the difference between clean & unclean. Noah knew how to properly worship YaHWeH prior to the Law. “The entire OT places a prohibition on eating what is unclean”...“Yet these unclean animals are spared form drowning” as well.—NICOT

Unqualified “birds of the air” were to be taken by sevens also(seven pairs), as with the clean animals(:2). I do not know why all “birds” were taken by sevens rather than by twos. It is not specified whether these birds were clean or unclean—as the Law distinguishes certain birds as either one or the other(Lev. 20:25-26). Noah’s knowledge of this is assumed here.

“Clean animals” would be used by the people of God for appropriate worship & consumption.

All the animals whether “clean” or “unclean” are taken with the express purpose of keeping their “seed”/offspring alive thru the destruction of the imminent flood.

:4—“For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days & forty nights, & I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.”

Noah was told that he had a period of 7 days before the flood would begin(:10).

Noah is told that it would “rain” for 40 days & nights(See :12—Mvg gheh'-shem). Torrential or not, it rained steadily for 40 days & nights!

The “rain” would cause all land-dwelling animal life as well as birds to perish(all in which was the breath of life—:15). These were things which God Himself had created from nothing.

During these 7 days, is when Noah finalized the work of providing for himself, his family & the animals. He was in the closing moments before the initiation of God’s reckoning day against man’s wickedness.

“Rain”(See :12—Mvg gheh'-shem)—rjm maw-tar’—Hiphil("causative" of Qal) Participle(an action or condition in its unbroken continuity)—1) To rain—1b) (Hiphil)—1b1) To rain, send rain, 1b2) To rain hail, send hail.

“Destroy”(See :23)—hxm maw-khaw'—Qal Perfect(completed action)—1) To wipe, wipe out; 1a) (Qal)--1a1) To wipe, 1a2) To blot out, obliterate, 1a3) To blot out, exterminate; 2) (Qal) To strike. Strong—a primitive root; properly, To stroke or rub; by implication, To erase; also To smooth(as if with oil), i.e. Grease or make fat; also To touch, i.e. Reach to.

:5—“And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him.”

In all these preparatory matters Noah was blameless in obeying his God, YaHWeH. Literally it reads, ‘Noah did all YaHWeH commanded him.’

This had been stated in 6:22.

Can we say the same in regard to what God calls us to undertake. Do we obey Him explicitly as true servants?

“Did”(See :4—“Made”)—hse aw-saw'—Qal Imperfect—1) To do, fashion, accomplish, make. Strong—a primitive root; To do or make, in the broadest sense & widest application.

“All”(See :14, 21)—lk kol—Noun Masc.—1) All, the whole—1a) All, the whole of, 1b) Any, each, every, anything, 1c) Totality, everything. Strong—properly, The whole; hence, All, any or every(in the singular only, but often in a plural sense).

“Commanded”(See :9, 16)—hwu tsaw-vaw’—Piel(intensive/intentional) Perfect(completed action)—1) To command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order—1a) (Piel)--1a1) To lay charge upon, 1a2) To give charge to, give command to, 1a3) To give charge unto, 1a4) To give charge over, appoint, 1a5) To give charge, command, 1a6) To charge, command, 1a7) To charge, commission, 1a8) To command, appoint, ordain(of divine act). Strong—a primitive root; intensively--To constitute, enjoin.

:6—“Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth.”

Noah was 600 yrs. old at the flood’s initiation. Noah celebrated his 601st birthday on the ark by the end of the flood(8:13).

Noah’s three sons were born to him after he had reached 500 yrs. of age(5:32). Thus Shem, Ham & Japheth were potentially 100 yrs. old & younger by the time of the flood’s initiation. No doubt they helped their father in all the preparations.

:7—“So Noah, with his sons, his wife, & his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood.”

Noah & his immediate extended family entered the ark “because of the waters of the flood.” Seemingly, the flood’s arrival initiated their entrance to the ark as God Himself called them inside(:1). They had been notified, thru Noah by God, that there would be one week within which to complete their final preparations(:4).

Noah & his family did in fact, enter the ark when or as the flood began. They were the last ones in(:15) as they were ultimately responsible for the safety of the animals & the integrity of the ark itself.

“Went into”(See :1—“Come into”, :7, 15)—awb bow’—Qal Imperfect(an action, process or condition which is incomplete)—1) To go in, enter, come, go, come in. 1a) (Qal)--1a1) To enter, come in, 1a2) To come—1a2a) To come with, 1a2b) To come upon, fall or light upon, attack(enemy), 1a2c) To come to pass, 1a3) To attain to, 1a4) To be enumerated, 1a5) To go. Strong—To go or come(in a wide variety of applications).

:8—“Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, & of everything that creeps on the earth,

:9—“two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male & female, as God had commanded Noah.”

The animals, both clean & unclean, from “birds” to “creeping things” & all between, entered “the ark” coming to Noah. Both “male” & “female” came “to Noah” & entered the ark.

This is possibly to ensure the reader or listener grasps that the ‘saved‘ creatures would themselves repopulate rather than God’s recreating them. They had indeed been created & finalized in such creation as “very good”(1:31)

These animals were possibly escorted to their designated nesting(6:14—“rooms”) areas, hence the term “to Noah” is used. However this term could have a broader employment as stating the animals came to the same ark of which Noah was the chosen & recognized head.

Isa. 1:3—“The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master’s crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider.”

Try to imagine the miracle of this whole affair...

Noah did his part to prepare the enormous ark by God’s design(6:14-16)...A standing physical testimony to all of Noah’s faith in YHWH!

Then try to envision the testimony which such a miraculous parade of paired animals entering the ark would bring to a lost world!

“Clean”(See :2)—rwhj tahowr'—1) Pure, clean, 1a) Clean(of animals), 1b) Pure(physically), 1c) Pure, clean(morally, ethically). Strong—Pure (in a physical sense--Clean, chemical--Pure, ceremonial or moral sense--Fair).

“Unclean/Not clean”(See :8)—‘Not clean’

“Went into”(See :1—“Come into”, :7, 15)—awb bow’—Qal Imperfect(an action, process or condition which is incomplete)—1) To go in, enter, come, go, come in.

“Commanded”(See :5)—hwu tsaw-vaw’—Verb—Piel(intensive/intentional) Perfect(completed action)—1) To command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order—1a) (Piel)--1a1) To lay charge upon, 1a2) To give charge to, give command to, 1a3) To give charge unto, 1a4) To give charge over, appoint, 1a5) To give charge, command, 1a6) To charge, command, 1a7) To charge, commission, 1a8) To command, appoint, ordain(of divine act). Strong—a primitive root; intensively--To constitute, enjoin.

:10—“And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth.”

After the 7 day grace period(:4), the water came.

If we are alive & reading/hearing this, there is currently a grace period warning us to respond to prior to reckoning day(Heb. 4:7-11).

Heb. 4:7-11—“again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.”

“It came to pass”—hyh haw-yaw—Verb—1) To be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out. Strong—To exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass(always emphatic, & not a mere copula or auxiliary).

“Flood”(See :6—“Floodwaters”; 7, 17)—lwbm mabbuwl’—1) Flood, deluge. Strong—from lby yaw-bal' in the sense of flowing; A deluge Used 13X.?Descriptive of the purpose &/or action of the waters & vice-versa.

“On”(See :12, 17, 18, 19; & :17—“High above”)—le al—Prep.—1) Upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against. Strong—properly, the same as [le al; properly, the top; specifically, the highest (i.e. God); also (adverb) aloft, to Jehovah] used as a preposition(in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); Above, over, upon, or against(yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications.

“Earth”(See :3, 6, 12; & :3, 4—hmda ad-aw-maw’)—Noun Fem.—Ura eh'-rets—1) Land, earth—1a) the Earth. Strong—from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; The earth (at large, or partitively a land).

: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, & the windows of heaven were opened.”

The deluge began on the 17th day of the 2nd month of Noah’s 600th year of life...

And the earth became dried enough for Noah & the animals to exit the ark on the 27th day of the 2nd month of Noah’s 601st year(8:14).

*Thus the total time Noah & the animals spent safely on the ark was 1 year & 10 days by our reckoning or 375 days!

Both “the fountains of the great deep”(ocean rifts) & the rain(“windows of heaven”) were the agents by which God brought the flooding necessary for the proper destruction of mankind with the earth.

Evidently there were/are huge natural “fountains” which were responsible for propelling unbelievably voluminous amounts of water upon the earth. It is assumed by some scientists that areas such as the Atlantic Ocean’s Mid-Atlantic Ridge(separating Europe-Africa from N-S America) are the remaining evidences of such “fountain”-like activity.

These “fountains” were “broken up” so that they were no longer mere fountains but a continuous flow could occur simultaneously.

Note that when the “the windows of heaven” are “opened” they can pour out blessing as well as cursing(Cf.-Mal. 3:10; Gen. 8:2). This phrase notes the ability of the air to be seen through, yet it also has the ability to hold enough free water that it can be released to fall to the earth in the form of “rain”...AMAZING!

“Fountains”—Nyem mah-yawn’—Noun Masc.—1) Spring. Strong—A fountain(also collectively), figuratively, A source(of satisfaction). Used 23X.?From—Nye ah'-yin; probably a primitive word; an eye(literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain(as the eye of the landscape).

“Great”—br rab—Adj.—1) Much, many, great. Strong—Abundant(in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality).

“The deep”—Mwht teh-home’—Noun Fem./Masc.—1) Deep, depths, deep places, abyss, the deep, sea. Strong—from Mwh huwm; An abyss(as a surging mass of water), especially--The deep(the main sea or the subterranean water-supply). Used 36X.

“Broken up”—eqb baw-kah’—Niphal(passive/reflexive) Perfect—1) To split, cleave, break open, divide, break through, rip up, break up, tear. Strong—a primitive root; To cleave; generally, To rend, break, rip or open.

“Windows”—hbra ar-oob-baw'—1) Lattice, window, sluice; 2) (CLBL)—Chimney(lattice opening where smoke escapes). Strong—feminine participle passive of bra aw-rab'; a primitive root; to lurk (as if for lurking); A lattice; by implication--A window, Dove-cot(because of the pigeon-holes), Chimney(with its apertures for smoke), Sluice(with openings for water) Used 9X.

“Heaven”(See :20; & 23—“Air”)—Mymv shaw-mah'-yim—1) Heaven, heavens, sky—1a) Visible heavens, sky—1a1) As abode of the stars, 1a2) As the visible universe, the sky, atmosphere, etc, 1b) Heaven (as the abode of God). Strong—The sky(as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to The higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve).

“Opened”—xtp paw-thakh'—Niphal(passive/reflexive) Perfect—1) To open—1b) (Niphal)--To be opened, be let loose, be thrown open; 2) To carve, engrave. Strong—a primitive root; To open wide(literally or figuratively); specifically, To loosen, begin, plough, carve.

:12—“And the rain was on the earth forty days & forty nights.”

This “rain” fell continuously for 40 days & 40 nights—as God had stated earlier(:4) it would do.

This jumps ahead to tell us, in answer to :4, that it did in fact “rain” for 40 days & nights. It rained steadily, not intermittently, for 40 days & 40 nights!

Mat. 24:37-39—““But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating & drinking, marrying & giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, & did not know until the flood came & took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

Lk. 17:26-30—““And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, & the flood came & destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire & brimstone from heaven & destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.”

“Rain”(See :4—rjm maw-tar')—Mvg gheh'-shem—1) Rain, shower. NICOT(V. Hamilton)—‘Designates a heavy or torrential rain.

“On”(See :10, 17, 18, 19)—le al—Prep.—1) Upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against. Strong—properly, the same as [le al; properly, the top; specifically, the highest (i.e. God); also (adverb) aloft, to Jehovah] used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); Above, over, upon, or against(yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications.

:13—“On the very same day Noah & Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, & Japheth, & Noah’s wife & the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark--

:14—“they & every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, & every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort.”

On the very same day that the fountains were broken up & the rain began to fall, Noah & his wife, his three sons & their wives entered the ark with the animals.

“Very same”—Mue eh'tsem—1) Bone, essence, substance. Strong—A bone (as strong); by extension, The body; figuratively, The substance, i.e. (as pron.) Selfsame.?From—Mue aw-tsam'— a primitive root; To bind fast, i.e. Close(the eyes); intransitively, To be(causatively--make) powerful or numerous; denominatively--To crunch the bones.

“Entered”(See :16)—(See :1—“Come into”, :7— “Went into”, 9)—awb bow’—Qal Perfect(completed action)—1) To go in, enter, come, go, come in. 1a) (Qal)--1a1) To enter, come in, 1a2) To come—1a2a) To come with, 1a2b) To come upon, fall or light upon, attack(enemy), 1a2c) To come to pass, 1a3) To attain to, 1a4) To be enumerated, 1a5) To go. Strong—To go or come(in a wide variety of applications).

“Every”6X(See :5, 15—“All”)—lk kol—1) All, the whole—1a) All, the whole of, 1b) Any, each, every, anything, 1c) Totality, everything. Strong—properly, The whole; hence, All, any or every(in the singular only, but often in a plural sense).

“Beast”(See :15—“Life”)—yx khah'-ee—Adj.—1) Living, alive—?N. f.?—4) Living thing, animal. Strong—Alive; hence, Raw(flesh); Fresh(plant, water, year), Strong; also(as noun, especially in the feminine singular & masculine plural) Life(or living thing), whether literally or figuratively.

“Cattle”—hmhb be-hay-maw'—1) Beast, cattle, animal—1a) Beasts(collective of all animals), 1b) Cattle, livestock(of domestic animals), 1c) Wild beasts. Strong—from an unused root(probably meaning to be mute); properly--A dumb beast; especially--Any large quadruped or animal(often collective).

“Creeping thing”—smr reh'-mes—1) Creeping things, moving things, creeping organism. Strong—A reptile or any other rapidly moving animal.

“Creeps”(See :21—“Moved”)—smr raw-mas'—Verb—Qal Participle Active—1) To creep, move lightly, move about, walk on all fours. Strong—a primitive root; properly--To glide swiftly, i.e. To crawl or move with short steps; by analogy--To swarm.

“Kind”3X—Nym miyn—1) Kind, sometimes a species(usually of animals). Strong—from an unused root meaning to portion out; A sort, i.e. Species. Used 31X.

“Sort”—Pnk kaw-nawf'—1) Wing, extremity, edge, winged, border, corner, shirt. Strong—an edge or extremity; specifically (of a bird or army)--A wing; of a garment or bed-clothing--A flap; of the earth--A quarter; of a building--A pinnacle.

:15—“And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life.”

Explained previously in 6:17 but put into practice here—“And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.”

Those “beasts,” “cattle,” “creeping things,” & birds destined for salvation entered the ark 2 by 2(male & female—6:19; 7:9) with Noah & company. All the animals in the ark were regarded as having “the breath of life.”

“Went into”(See :1—“Come into”, :7, 9, 16)—awb bow’—Qal Imperfect(an action, process or condition which is incomplete)—1) To go in, enter, come, go, come in. 1a) (Qal)—1a1) To enter, come in, 1a2) To come—1a2a) To come with, 1a2b) To come upon, fall or light upon, attack (enemy), 1a2c) To come to pass, 1a3) To attain to, 1a4) To be enumerated, 1a5) To go. Strong—To go or come (in a wide variety of applications).

“All”—(See :5, 16; & :14—“Every”)—lk kol—1) All, the whole—1a) All, the whole of, 1b) Any, each, every, anything, 1c) Totality, everything. Strong—properly, The whole; hence, All, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense).

“Flesh”(See :16, 21)—rsb baw-sawr'—1) Flesh—1a) Of the body—1a1) Of humans, 1a2) Of animals, 1b) The body itself, 1c) Male organ of generation(euphemism), 1d) Kindred, blood-relations, 1e) Flesh as frail or erring(man against God), 1f) All living things, 1g) Animals, 1h) Mankind. Strong—Flesh(from its freshness); by extension, Body, person; also by euphemism--The pudenda of a man.

“Breath”(See :22)—xwr roo'-akh—1) Wind, breath, mind, spirit. Strong—Wind; by resemblance Breath, i.e. A sensible(or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, Life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, A region of the sky; by resemblance Spirit, but only of a rational being(including its expression & functions).

“Life”(See :14—“Beast”)—yx khah'-ee—Adj.—1) Living, alive—?N. f.?—4) Living thing, animal. Strong—Alive; hence, Raw(flesh); Fresh (plant, water, year), Strong; also(as noun, especially in the feminine singular & masculine plural) Life(or living thing), whether literally or figuratively.

:16—“So those that entered, male & female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; & the LORD shut him in.”

All this menagerie came to Noah at God’s “command.” The animals all came to Noah “as God had commanded” Noah. Noah was involved in the process by God’s command.

YaHWeH “shut” the door in the side(6:16) of the ark so that all were safely sealed inside. In fact, it states that YaHWeH shut Noah in. With Noah expressly taken care of everyone & everything was thereby properly taken care of.

“Entered”...“Went In”(See :7, 9, 13 & :15—“Went into”; & :1—“Come into” )—awb bow’—Qal Imperfect(an action, process or condition which is incomplete)—1) To go in, enter, come, go, come in; 1a) (Qal)--1a1) To enter, come in, 1a2) To come—1a2a) To come with, 1a2b) To come upon, fall or light upon, attack(enemy), 1a2c) To come to pass, 1a3) To attain to, 1a4) To be enumerated, 1a5) To go. Strong—To go or come(in a wide variety of applications).

“God”—Myhla elohiym—Strong—Gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used(in the plural thus, especially with the article) Of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to Magistrates; & sometimes As a superlative.

“All”—(See :5, 15; & :14—“Every”)—lk kol—1) All, the whole—1a) All, the whole of, 1b) Any, each, every, anything, 1c) Totality, everything. Strong—properly, The whole; hence, All, any or every(in the singular only, but often in a plural sense).

“Flesh”(See :15)—rsb baw-sawr'—1) Flesh—1a) Of the body—1a1) Of humans, 1a2) Of animals, 1b) The body itself, 1c) Male organ of generation (euphemism), 1d) Kindred, blood-relations, 1e) Flesh as frail or erring(man against God), 1f) All living things, 1g) Animals, 1h) Mankind. Strong—Flesh(from its freshness); by extension--Body, person; also by euphemism--The pudenda of a man.

“Commanded”(See :5, 9)—hwu tsaw-vaw'—Piel("intensive" or "intentional" action) Perfect(completed action)—1) To command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order; 1a) (Piel)--1a1) To lay charge upon, 1a2) To give charge to, give command to, 1a3) To give charge unto, 1a4) To give charge over, appoint, 1a5) To give charge, command, 1a6) To charge, command, 1a7) To charge, commission, 1a8) To command, appoint, ordain (of divine act). Strong—a primitive root; intensively--To constitute, enjoin.

“Shut...in”—rgo saw-gar'—Qal Imperfect(expresses an action, process or condition which is incomplete)—1) To shut, close; 1a) (Qal)--1a1) To shut, 1a2) To close, close up, 1a3) Closed up, closely joined, shut up. Strong—To shut up; figuratively--To surrender.

Argumentation:

If you don’t have God’s direction, you cannot please God because your faith is too small(Heb. 11:6). You have not sought relationship with Him.

Example: Like you’ve gotten married but your spouse remains locked outside as a stranger!

Col. 2:1-10—“For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you & those in Laodicea, & for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, & attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father & of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom & knowledge. Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order & the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted & built up in Him & established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy & empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, & not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; & you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality & power.”

1Cor. 2:9-14—“But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

Php. 4:6-9—“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer & supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; & the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts & minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue & if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things. The things which you learned & received & heard & saw in me, these do, & the God of peace will be with you.”

Rev. 2:17—““He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, & on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”’”

Rev. 2:7—“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’

Rev. 2:11—“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.”’

Rev. 3:5-6—““He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, & I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father & before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’”

Rev. 3:12-13—““He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, & he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God & the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’”

Rev. 3:21-22—““To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame & sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’”

Mt 7:13-14—““Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate & broad is the way that leads to destruction, & there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate & difficult is the way which leads to life, & there are few who find it.”

Illustration:

My Over The Road flatbed work for Coastal Transport/I was assigned to a trainer/We slept in a double bunk/Together we Fueled, Washed truck, Rode, Ate, Delivered & Picked up, Swapped trailers/Appropriate DIRECTION

Row crops/To get the most out of your land you must plow it a certain direction/Getting the first furrow right is vital/Appropriate DIRECTION

Tommy L's funeral/With him missing, no one knew how to properly operate the air.

New Job/Attempting to learn to operate a particular machine/A mentor is assigned to you who can give you Appropriate DIRECTION

Application:

?Has Appropriate DIRECTION sealed your Escape?

?Will you Escape God’s designed destruction?

CONCLUSION:

Action:

Escaping God’s designed destruction requires Appropriate...

3. DIRECTION(:2-16a)

1. MOTION(:1, 5)

2. LIVING(:1b)

Pt.#3 only! Presented 02/25/2018pm to:

FBC C’belle

206 Storrs Ave. SW(SE Ave. A)

Carrabelle, FL 32322

Presented 03/11/2012pm to:

Needmore Baptist Church

1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.

Woodleaf, NC 27054