"Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks." -Genesis 6.14-16
God is going to send a flood to destroy the wickedness that has so aggressively corrupted His creation. Of all life on earth, only Noah is found to be righteous, and so Noah, along with his family will be saved. God tells Noah to build an ark so that he and his family, along with the animals and plant life may survive the flood. Then God tells Noah exactly how to build the ark.
God is a god of details. He gives Noah the exact dimensions of the ark. He tells him the type of wood to build it out of, and to cover it with pitch. He tells him where to put the window and the door, and how many levels to build. God doesn't leave Noah to figure it out for himself, He tells Him exactly what to do. When it's a matter of life and death, salvation and destruction, God doesn't mess around, leaving it up to us to figure out the specifics. God spells out the details so that there is no doubt about what needs to be done.
God is a god of details. He doesn't leave the question of salvation up in the air, He is very clear on what needs to be done and how to do it. God gave Noah the exact details of how to build the ark and find the salvation that it offers. Centuries later He gives the same details for how eternal salvation is possible, "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved". Salvation is not a complicated thing. Yes, there was a lot of work involved with Noah's task, but all he had to do was build it, God provided the details. Our task of salvation is much less complicated, because God has already done the building. The details of salvation are simple, confess Jesus as Lord, believe that God raised Him from the dead.
The details matter, and God is very clear on what they are.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Showing posts with label Genesis 6. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Genesis 6. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Savior of the Righteous
"But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.... 'Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark — you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.'" -Genesis 6.8-9, 17-18
God's patients has reached its limit. The wickedness of humanity has broken His heart for the final time, and God has had enough. He is sending a flood to destroy the world. However, not everyone is evil, there is Noah, a righteous man who walks with God and finds favor with God. Because of his relationship with God, Noah, and his family will be saved from the destruction that is going to consume the wicked.
God is just, He punishes sin, but He saves the righteous. When we walk with God we have His protection. That does not mean that our lives will be problem free and without risk, but it means that we are safe from ultimate and eternal destruction. God is the savior of the righteous because the righteous walk with God. Wickedness is the result of selfish disobedience, and the result is destruction. Righteousness is the result of humble obedience, and the reward is life.
God who is just will destroy wickedness, but the righteous will be saved.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
God's patients has reached its limit. The wickedness of humanity has broken His heart for the final time, and God has had enough. He is sending a flood to destroy the world. However, not everyone is evil, there is Noah, a righteous man who walks with God and finds favor with God. Because of his relationship with God, Noah, and his family will be saved from the destruction that is going to consume the wicked.
God is just, He punishes sin, but He saves the righteous. When we walk with God we have His protection. That does not mean that our lives will be problem free and without risk, but it means that we are safe from ultimate and eternal destruction. God is the savior of the righteous because the righteous walk with God. Wickedness is the result of selfish disobedience, and the result is destruction. Righteousness is the result of humble obedience, and the reward is life.
God who is just will destroy wickedness, but the righteous will be saved.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Monday, November 7, 2016
Grieves Evil
"Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The Lord said, 'I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them." -Genesis 6.5-7
God's patience is running out. The wickedness of man is so great that every intention man has is evil. God is grieved that He ever made man. The creation that was made in God's own image has caused Him so much pain and sadness because of the wickedness of their thoughts and actions that He regrets ever making them. The disobedience of Adam and Eve has spread so far that God is done putting up with it, and humanity as well as the rest of creation is going to be wiped off the face of the earth.
God grieves evil. When His image bearers reject Him, choosing to live destructive and self-serving lives, the heart of God is broken. God hates evil, and He grieves when His creation chooses to engage in it, leading to their destruction. When God looks at our wickedness I don't believe He is angered, these verses don't convey that idea at all, and as a loving father, I feel that God is saddened when His children willfully choose to engage in behaviors that pull them farther away from Him. The path of wickedness leads to destruction, and because His most precious creation chooses to engage in these behaviors, God is grieved.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
God's patience is running out. The wickedness of man is so great that every intention man has is evil. God is grieved that He ever made man. The creation that was made in God's own image has caused Him so much pain and sadness because of the wickedness of their thoughts and actions that He regrets ever making them. The disobedience of Adam and Eve has spread so far that God is done putting up with it, and humanity as well as the rest of creation is going to be wiped off the face of the earth.
God grieves evil. When His image bearers reject Him, choosing to live destructive and self-serving lives, the heart of God is broken. God hates evil, and He grieves when His creation chooses to engage in it, leading to their destruction. When God looks at our wickedness I don't believe He is angered, these verses don't convey that idea at all, and as a loving father, I feel that God is saddened when His children willfully choose to engage in behaviors that pull them farther away from Him. The path of wickedness leads to destruction, and because His most precious creation chooses to engage in these behaviors, God is grieved.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Friday, November 4, 2016
Patient
"Then the Lord said, 'My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.'" -Genesis 6.3
Humanity is fulfilling the command of God to fill the earth, but the humanity that exists is fallen. Mankind is sinful, and is not acting as God intended them to. God says that He will not strive with man forever. He is not going to tolerate their ever increasing wickedness indefinitely. Man is mortal because of his disobedience in Eden. God is just, so He will deal with wickedness, but He is also merciful, and so He provides the opportunity for repentance. God says that He will not strive with man forever, and has given one hundred and twenty years for man to repent.
Many people take this verse to mean that no one will live past the age of 120, but this isn't the case. Following the flood there are several people who pass this age. Genesis 11 lists eight people, born after the flood, by name and gives their ages, all exceeding the age of 120. Abraham and Issac lived to 175 and 180 respectively. God is not setting a cap on the lifespan, but saying that in one hundred and twenty years, if things have not changed, His patience will have reached its limit.
God is patient, but there is only so much sin and wickedness that He will tolerate before He steps in and enforces justice. His mercy is great, and it is limitless to those who genuinely seek it, but the opportunity for His mercy is not eternal. When creation was cursed, God began His plan of restoration, and every day that passes, that plan gets closer to complete fulfillment. Until time runs out, there is the opportunity for mercy. God knows we are fallen humans, He knows we are flesh. Psalm 103.13-14 says, "Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust." God knows who we are and what we're made of. He knows that we are fallen and prone to wander. He shows His patience by extending mercy, but let us not abuse His grace.
God is patient, but because He is just, His patience will one day run out. In Genesis 6 the people are given 120 years, right now the average life expectancy in the United States is just under 79 years. When time runs out, God's patients has reached its limit, and His justice must be enforced. If we accept His mercy now, that justice is satisfied in the sacrifice of Jesus, but if not, we will receive the consequences of our sin. God is patient, but He is also just.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Humanity is fulfilling the command of God to fill the earth, but the humanity that exists is fallen. Mankind is sinful, and is not acting as God intended them to. God says that He will not strive with man forever. He is not going to tolerate their ever increasing wickedness indefinitely. Man is mortal because of his disobedience in Eden. God is just, so He will deal with wickedness, but He is also merciful, and so He provides the opportunity for repentance. God says that He will not strive with man forever, and has given one hundred and twenty years for man to repent.
Many people take this verse to mean that no one will live past the age of 120, but this isn't the case. Following the flood there are several people who pass this age. Genesis 11 lists eight people, born after the flood, by name and gives their ages, all exceeding the age of 120. Abraham and Issac lived to 175 and 180 respectively. God is not setting a cap on the lifespan, but saying that in one hundred and twenty years, if things have not changed, His patience will have reached its limit.
God is patient, but there is only so much sin and wickedness that He will tolerate before He steps in and enforces justice. His mercy is great, and it is limitless to those who genuinely seek it, but the opportunity for His mercy is not eternal. When creation was cursed, God began His plan of restoration, and every day that passes, that plan gets closer to complete fulfillment. Until time runs out, there is the opportunity for mercy. God knows we are fallen humans, He knows we are flesh. Psalm 103.13-14 says, "Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust." God knows who we are and what we're made of. He knows that we are fallen and prone to wander. He shows His patience by extending mercy, but let us not abuse His grace.
God is patient, but because He is just, His patience will one day run out. In Genesis 6 the people are given 120 years, right now the average life expectancy in the United States is just under 79 years. When time runs out, God's patients has reached its limit, and His justice must be enforced. If we accept His mercy now, that justice is satisfied in the sacrifice of Jesus, but if not, we will receive the consequences of our sin. God is patient, but He is also just.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Monday, January 13, 2014
Unquestioned Obedience
"Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did." -Genesis 6.22
God said to Noah, "Build an ark, fill it with animals and food, take your family in, because it's going to rain. I'm sending a flood." And it's important to keep in mind that it hadn't rained yet (Genesis 2.5). Think about the faith it took Noah. Build an ark, fill it, it's going to rain. But Noah does it exactly as God commands.
Noah was already different from everyone else. He's righteous and blameless, he walks with God. And because of that, he is able to have a trust and obedience to God that most people can't even imagine. He spends decades working on the ark, gathering food, and collecting animals, because God said a flood is coming. Building the ark was an act of worship. Worship is a trusting, obedient response to the word of God. Noah trusted and obeyed God, and therefore, Noah worshiped.
What is God asking you to do? What "ark" has He asked you to build? How crazy does it sound? What is your response to God? Have you tried to negotiate, and talk your way out of it, hoping to change God's mind? Or have you done according to all that God has commanded? Are you trusting and obeying? Are you worshiping?
To be righteous and blameless, to walk with God, we must worship. In order to worship, we must trust and obey the word of God.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
God said to Noah, "Build an ark, fill it with animals and food, take your family in, because it's going to rain. I'm sending a flood." And it's important to keep in mind that it hadn't rained yet (Genesis 2.5). Think about the faith it took Noah. Build an ark, fill it, it's going to rain. But Noah does it exactly as God commands.
Noah was already different from everyone else. He's righteous and blameless, he walks with God. And because of that, he is able to have a trust and obedience to God that most people can't even imagine. He spends decades working on the ark, gathering food, and collecting animals, because God said a flood is coming. Building the ark was an act of worship. Worship is a trusting, obedient response to the word of God. Noah trusted and obeyed God, and therefore, Noah worshiped.
What is God asking you to do? What "ark" has He asked you to build? How crazy does it sound? What is your response to God? Have you tried to negotiate, and talk your way out of it, hoping to change God's mind? Or have you done according to all that God has commanded? Are you trusting and obeying? Are you worshiping?
To be righteous and blameless, to walk with God, we must worship. In order to worship, we must trust and obey the word of God.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Righteous and Blameless
"But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God." -Genesis 6.8-9
Ten generations have passed since the fall and sin and wickedness has grown. It is so bad that God is sorry that He made man. At one point the crown of creation, man made in the image of God, but now they have become so wicked, every intent of their hears being evil, that God is grieved that He made them. He decides to blot them out, and destroy the world. All but one.
We find Noah, who has found favor in the eyes of the Lord, because he was a righteous man, who was blameless, and again we see the phrase, "walked with God." And Noah is going to spared from the wrath that is coming.
Noah was righteous. He had a right standing relationship with God. There was nothing separating him from God. They had intimacy and fellowship together because Noah lived in a way that pleased God and submitted to His sovereign holiness. Noah was also blameless. He was guiltless and innocent. No one could pin anything on his integrity or honor. His character was without blemish among all the men of the world. And both of these are possible because he walked with God.
Are righteous and blameless words that can be used to describe you? Righteousness is simply being forgiven of sin and living in new life from God. If you have received the forgiveness of God and are striving to live like Christ than you are righteous. This one has to come first. You cannot be blameless if you are not righteous. What is said of your character?
I have a friend, a young man who has become like a brother to me, who has felt God calling him into something very big. I've been able to be one of several people to affirm this calling on his life, and I'm very excited to see how God works all of this out. And I'm very excited for the future if all of this unfolds. But this week we had the chance to talk for the first time in months, and I gave him counsel as he prepares for the future.
I told him to live in a way where nothing negative can be said about him. To live so purely, and with so much integrity that nothing can be pinned on him. It is the guidance to be blameless. And both of these are only possible if we walk with God.
We cannot be righteous without God. We live in a fallen world corrupted by sin, so we cannot have a right standing relationship with God if we don't walk with Him. We cannot be blameless and innocent without God cleansing us and giving us new life, and the strength to live like Christ.
Would you be righteous? Walk with God. Would you be blameless? Walk with God.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Ten generations have passed since the fall and sin and wickedness has grown. It is so bad that God is sorry that He made man. At one point the crown of creation, man made in the image of God, but now they have become so wicked, every intent of their hears being evil, that God is grieved that He made them. He decides to blot them out, and destroy the world. All but one.
We find Noah, who has found favor in the eyes of the Lord, because he was a righteous man, who was blameless, and again we see the phrase, "walked with God." And Noah is going to spared from the wrath that is coming.
Noah was righteous. He had a right standing relationship with God. There was nothing separating him from God. They had intimacy and fellowship together because Noah lived in a way that pleased God and submitted to His sovereign holiness. Noah was also blameless. He was guiltless and innocent. No one could pin anything on his integrity or honor. His character was without blemish among all the men of the world. And both of these are possible because he walked with God.
Are righteous and blameless words that can be used to describe you? Righteousness is simply being forgiven of sin and living in new life from God. If you have received the forgiveness of God and are striving to live like Christ than you are righteous. This one has to come first. You cannot be blameless if you are not righteous. What is said of your character?
I have a friend, a young man who has become like a brother to me, who has felt God calling him into something very big. I've been able to be one of several people to affirm this calling on his life, and I'm very excited to see how God works all of this out. And I'm very excited for the future if all of this unfolds. But this week we had the chance to talk for the first time in months, and I gave him counsel as he prepares for the future.
I told him to live in a way where nothing negative can be said about him. To live so purely, and with so much integrity that nothing can be pinned on him. It is the guidance to be blameless. And both of these are only possible if we walk with God.
We cannot be righteous without God. We live in a fallen world corrupted by sin, so we cannot have a right standing relationship with God if we don't walk with Him. We cannot be blameless and innocent without God cleansing us and giving us new life, and the strength to live like Christ.
Would you be righteous? Walk with God. Would you be blameless? Walk with God.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
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