Genesis 7:1-10 (TLB)
1 Finally the day came when the Lord said to Noah, "Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I consider you alone to be righteous.
2 Bring in the animals, too—a pair of each, except those kinds I have chosen for eating and for sacrifice: take seven pairs of each of them,
3 and seven pairs of every kind of bird. Thus there will be every kind of life reproducing again after the flood has ended.
4 One week from today I will begin forty days and nights of rain; and all the animals and birds and reptiles I have made will die."
5 So Noah did everything the Lord commanded him.
6 He was 600 years old when the flood came.
7 He boarded the boat with his wife and sons and their wives, to escape the flood.
8 With him were all the various kinds of animals—those for eating and sacrifice, and those that were not, and the birds and reptiles.
9 They came into the boat in pairs, male and female, just as God commanded Noah.
10 One week later, when Noah was 600 years, two months, and seventeen days old, the rain came down in mighty torrents from the sky,
VERY BRIEFLY WITH THE HELP OF THE LORD AND THE GUIDIANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS
I WANT TO REASON WITH YOU ON THE THOUGHT
(HOW TO STAY AFLOAT IN TIMES LIKE THESE)
MY BROTHER AND SISTERS
WE ARE LIVING IN A DAY AND TIME WHERE STRONG UNDERCURRENTS WILL TRY THERE BEST TO DRAG A CHILD OF GOD UNDER THE WAVES OF DESPAIR
FOR EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK……..THERE ARE SOCIAL PLOTS ----AND PRESSURE---FINANICAL FRENZIES AND FRUSTRATIONS
THERE ARE SECERTIVE ASSOCIATIONS---CORRUPT BUSSINESSES AND INSTITUTIONS
AND RACIAL STRIFE AND BITTERNESS IS AT A ALL TIME HIGH
AN IF YOU WOULD JUST PAUSE FOR A MOMENT AND TAKE A LOOK AT THIS OLD SINFUL WORLD
YOU WOULD SEE THAT
LYING AND CHEATING IS IN ABUNDANCE
IMMORAL HAVE TAKEN A COMMON PLACE
JEALOUSY AND ENVY CONTROLS MULTITUDES
SLOTHFULLNESS AND LAZINESSIS ON THE INCREASE
AND THE LIST COULD GO ON AND ON
BUT IN THE TEXT BEFORE US
THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT NOAH FOUND GRACE IN THE EYES OF THE LORD
BUT NOT ONLY DID HE FIND GRACE
BUT THE BIBLE ALSO TELLS US THAT HE WAS A JUST MAN AND PERFECT IN HIS GENERATION
NOW THE WORD PERFECT –DOES NOT MEAN THAT NOAH DID`NT SIN
BUT IT MEAN THAT HE WHOLEHEARTLY LOVED AND OBEYED GOD
AND WE ARE LIVING IN A TIME WHERE EVIL IS ALL AROUND US
AND IF WE ARE GOING TO STAY AFLOAT IN TIMES LIKE THESE WE NEED TO WHOLEHEARTLY LOVE AND OBEY GOD
BUT AS I STUDIED THE TEXT I DISCOVERED THAT THERE WAS SOME SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS THAT NOAH FOLLOWED TO STAY AFLOAT IN HIS GENERATION
AND WE MUST FOLLOW THE SAME INSTRUCTION IF WE WANT TO STAY AFLOAT IN OURS
WELL THE FRIST THING THE TEXT REVEAL TO US IS THAT
(NOAH LISTEN TO GOD)
AND WE TO NEED TO LISTEN TO GOD
BUT IN ORDER FOR US TO LISTEN TO GOD THERE ARE 3 THINGS WE MUST DO
1.WE MUST BECOME ACQUAINTED WITH GOD`S VOICE AND GIVE HIM OUR COMPLETE ATTENTION
WELL THE 2ND THING WE MUST DO IS
ACKNOWLEDGE HIS RIGHTEOUS AUTHORITY AND QUESTION HIS KNOWLEDGE AND JUDGEMENT
3RD WE MUST LISTEN TO GOD WITH OUR HEART AND TRUST HIS EPTIOME OF WISDOM IN ALL SITUATIONS AND CIRCUMSTANCES
WE ARE LIVING IN A TIME WHERE WE WILL LISTEN TO EVERYBODY EXCEPT GOD
AND IF THE TRUTH BE TOLD WE ALL NEED TO TAKE THE COTTON OUT OF OUR EARS AND PUT IN OUR MOUTH AN LISTEN TO WHAT GOD IS TRYING TO TELL US
NOAH LISTEN TO GOD
WELL NOT ONLY DID NOAH LISTEN TO GOD ---BUT THE RECORD ALSO REVEALS IN VERSE 5 OF THE TEXT THAT NOAH OBEYED GOD
AND IN ORDER TO OBEY GOD
WE MUST BE WILLING TO FOLLOW DIVINE LEADERSHIP
AS WELL SUBMIT TO GOD PURPOSE FOR OUR LIVES
BY FULFILLING OUR GOD GIVEN RESPONSIBILITY
BY OBEYING GOD PRECIOUS WORD
AND LIVING A GODLY LIFESTYLE
BY PLEASING THE LORD IN ALL THINGS
NOAH OBEYED GOD
EVEN THOUGH HE HAD NEVER SEEN IT RAIN –BUT HE PREPARED FOR IT LIKE GOD TOLD HIM TO
EVEN THOUGH HE HAD NEVER SEEN AND ARK
HE BUILT THE ARK LIKE GOD COMMANDED HIM TO
EVEN THOUGH THE TASK BEFORE HIM WAS TREMDOUS
NOAH DID IT WITHOUT COMPLAINING
EVEN THOUGH PEOPLE WAS PROABLY TALKING ABOUT NOAH
AND CRITIZING HIM FOR BUILDING THE ARK AND THINKING IT WAS GOING TO RAIN
BUT NOAH DID`NT ALLOW ANYBODY TO HINDER OR DISTRACT HIM FROM DOING WHAT GOD TOLD HIM TO DO
AND WE ALL NEED TO FOLLOW NOAH`S EXAMPLE
AND DON`T LET BACK BITING AND GOSSIP KEEP US FROM DOING WHAT GOD WANT US TO DO
WELL NOT ONLY DID NOAH LISTEN AND OBEY GOD
BUT THE TEXT ALSO REVEALS THAT NOAH DID`NT COMPROMISE
GOD TOLD NOAH TO BUILD THE ARK OUT OF GOPHER WOOD
NOAH DID`NT COMPROMISE
EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A LOT OF WORK FOR ONE MAN
HE DID`NT COMPORMISE WHAT GOD TOLD HIM TO DO
HE DID`NT COMPROMISE
ON THE SIZE AND THE SHAPE OF THE ARK
ON THE MATERIAL GOD TOLD HIM TO USE
THE WORK SCHEDULE GOD REQUIRED HIM TO FOLLOW
BUT NOAH LABORED TO THE BEST OF HIS ABILITY
AND FOLLOWED GOD INSTRUCTION AND NEVER ASK GOD WHY
AND THAT’S MANY OF OUR PROBLEM TODAY –WE ALWAYS WANT TO COMPROMISE AND ASK GOD WHY
WE DO EVERYTHING THEY ASK US TO DO AT OUR JOB
BUT QWHEM GOD COMMANDSUS TO DO SOMRTHING THE FRIST THING COME OUT OF OUR MOUTH IS WHY
WELL AS I PREPARE TO TAKE MY SEAT
THERES ONE MORE SIMPLE INSTRUCTION WE MUST FOLLOW
IF WE GOING TO STAY AFLOAT IN TIMES LIKE THESES
AND IF YOU DESIRE TO STAY AFLOAT
THEN YOU MUST STAY ON BOARD THE SHIP
YOU SEE MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS
NOAH HAD SOME OF EVERYTHING ON THE ARK
HAD SOME
SNAKES
LIONS
WOLVES
BEARS
GOATS
AS WELL THERE WAS SOME SHEEPS ON THE SHIP
AND IF YOU ALLOW ME TO USE MY SANTIFIED IMAGATION
I CAN IMAGINE ----THE SNAKE CRITIZING THE LION
AND THE LIONS GOSSIPING ABOUT THE WOLVES
AND THE WOLVES BEING MAD AT THE BEARS
AND THE BEARS MAKING FUN OF THE GOATS
AND ALL OF THEM TRYING TO MAKE THE SHEEPS JUMP OVER BOARD
BUT I NEED TO ENCOURAGE YOU –TO STAY ON BOARD THE SHIP AND THE REASON YOU NEED TO STAY ON BOARD IS BECAUSE KING JESUS IS THE CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP
BECAUSE THERE IS A LIFE TO BE LIVED
AND A WORK TO BE DONE
A FIGHT TO BE FOUGHT AND A VICTORY TO BE WON
A TESTIMONY TO BE TOLD AND A GOSPEL MESSAGE TO BE SHARED
A DEVIL TO BE DEFEATED AND A FAITH TO BE KEPT
A STORM TO BE FACE AND A STAND THAT HAS TO BE MADE
PRAYERS TO BE PRAYED AND A PROMISE TO BE CLAIMED
A CROSS TO BE CARRIED AND A COST TO BE CONSIDERED A HABIT TO BE CONQUERED AND A TEMPTATION TO BE OVERCOMED
A COMMAND TO BE OBEYED AND A DUTY TO BE PERFORMED
AIN`T GOD ALRIGHT
BECAUSE JESUS BUILT THIS SHIP 2 THOUSANDS YEARS AGO
HE LEFT HEAVEN GLORY AND ENTERED EARTH SHAME
HE WAS LIED ON AND TALK ABOUT -BUT HE STAYED ON THE SHIP
LEAD FROM JUDGEMENT HALL TO JUDGEMENT HALL
BUT HE STATED ON THE SHIP
LEAD UP A HILL CALL CALVARY NAIL TO AN OLD RUGGED CROSS BUT HE STAYED ON THE SHIP
DIED ON THAT CROSS FOR YOUR SINS AND MINES
PLACE IN A BORROWED TOMB
BUT EARLY SUNDAY MORNING
WHY DON`T YOU GIVE YOUR NEIGHBOR A HIGH 5 AND TELL THEM
SUNDAY MORNING – HE GOT UP
HE GOT UP WITH ALL POWER IN HIS HANDS
HEALING POWER –DELIVERANCE POWER-SAVING POWER
YOKE BREAKING POWER
AND BECAUSE HE GOT UP
I`M GOING TO LISTEN TO GOD –AND OBEY GOD –AND NOT COMPROMISE WHAT GOD TELL ME TO DO
BUT MOST OF ALL I`M GONNA STAY ON THE SHIP
AIN`T GOD ALRIGHT
WANT HE MAKE AWAY FOR YOU
ANYBODY KNOW HIM AS A BURDEN BEARER –HEAVY LOAD CARRIER –A HEART FIXER AND A MIND REGULATOR- A COMPANY KEEPER IN YOUR LONELY HOUR
