Sunday Service

All right. Well, if you have your bibles if you would open to Genesis chapter 8 this morning as where we're going to spend our time as we continue in our study of the Book of Genesis. And as we look at the story of Noah and the Ark now over the past few weeks. We've talked a lot about Good Old Noah and the story and what God has been doing in this act of judgment upon the Earth than flooding the Earth and wiping out all of mankind not just men, but also the the other creatures that have the Breath of Life in them that God has essentially resetting things because of the wickedness that it was so pervasive in the Earth because man was looking not to the interests of others and not to be glorifying to God but rather was looking to do what was right in his own eyes and so as asthma Find continue to fill the Earth with violence and Rebellion against their Creator God look down upon this and he said I am going to judge this sin. I'm going to judge this creation because of the wickedness that is pervasive there, but I will save because God is a promise keeping God God Saves the family of Noah, Noah his wife and his three sons and their wives he saves them by commanding Noah to build an ark because the floods were going to take over the Earth. And so Noah build this Ark and God saved this family because he had promised back in Genesis chapter 3 that from the womb of woman would come the one who would crush the head of the serpent the one who would crush the head of sin and death and would save us from the curse that existed because of man's sin till we have God now having rescued Noah and his family and now Noah and his family are secure in the archives we talk. Last week they are secure they're not because Noah is such a good Carpenter and not because of anything. Other than that God preserved him that saved him got rescued him. Shut Hitman in God being a promise keeping God and commanding to Noah to build the ark in his Noah follow through with obedience and building his ark and Gathering the animals. God was faithful to his promise to save Noah and to sustain him. And so now we find Noah in the ark with his family in Genesis chapter 8 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark and God made a wind to blow over the earth and the waters subsided The Fountains of the deep in the windows of the heavens were closed the rain from the heavens was restrained of the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated and in the seventh month on the 17th day of the month. The ark came to rest on the Mountains of Ararat and the waters continue to do a bait until the tenth month in the tenth month on the first day of the month the tops of the mountains Racine. At the end of 40 days no open the window of the ark that he had made and sent for the Raven and went to and fro until the waters with dried up from the earth. Then he sent forth a duck from him to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. What's a dove sound no place to set up foot has returned to him to the arc for the waters were still on the face of the whole Earth. We put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. He wait another seven days. And again, he sent forth a dub out of the Ark and the Dove came back to him in the evening and behold and her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So no one knew that the waters had subsided from the earth and he waited another seven days and send forth the dub and she did not return to him anymore. The 600 first year in the first month the first day of the month the waters with dried from off the Earth and Noah removed the covering of the Ark and look and behold the face of the ground was dry the second month on the 27th day of the month the Earth had dried out. Then God said to Noah go out from the ark you and your wife and your sons and your son's wife wives with you bring out with you. Every living thing that is with you of All Flesh birds and animals in every creeping thing that creeps on the earth that they met swarm on the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth. So no one went out and two sons his wife and his son's wife wives with him every Beast every creeping thing that every bird everything that moves on the earth went out by families from the ark something that it is important for us as we read the scriptures as we engage with them is that we begin to look at things that we may not look at before I've been in education for a little while and that each generally English and literature and things like that. And what are the things that I find it that often is is bad and how we teach reading and then how we do reading in school especially is that we do that Is reading comprehension is we want to look for facts in our reading to try and prove that somehow we understand what we're reading and where this can be a bad thing for how we read is when we're engaging with a story. That is human. When we remove from the story The Human elemented what what may be felt in the story if you think about stories that that you engage with that the generally what's you're going to find the stories that we engage with our stories that have Humanity in them. Stories that move us that allow us to feel things that we may not have felt in our normal everyday lives is why we escaped the things like superhero movies in and fantasy than a different things that ain't even the stories we have that are more true to realize like historical fiction or even history at stealth we go to those things not because of the fax it exists there because of the humanity that we find there. So as we read the scriptures, we must remember that we are not simply reading stories so that we can have facts that we might believe but rather we are entering into a story of humanity.

And not just of humanity, but of the one who has created Humanity. As we read the story that is a vital for us that we don't just check off the list. We'll just answer our our our factual questions to make sure that we've retained the vital importance of the story is not the order which Noah sent out the Raven and the Dove and how they came back and how long it took. rather Humanity that exist and Noah's experience on the ark No, I don't know if most of hard math people if you do the math. on Noah's time on the ark we got to take the number of days. It is given to us in and it would talk about a year that Noah is stuck on this boat. According to God specifications. This boat did not have any steering mechanism that we know of. Result was a massive boat to try and steer. This thing would have been incredibly difficult. Right to know what is adrift for over a year with his family and with animals and according to the account. We don't have God interacting with Noah during that year.

Noah is simply waiting.

There's not any new revelation does not God coming to comfort know and make sure that he's okay according to the text.

We simply have Noah.

on a boat after the destruction of the world

No, here we ought to do some work. I'm not saying that in every text we ought to try to read into it and it finally see but consider for a moment. the condition of Noah and his family year They are floating on top of water. What's a bunch of animals? With no instruction to how they're going to get off this thing.

With no end date and set it to win. It's finally going to drive this thing up. It's been really how long does it take to drown a bunch of people?

I'm sorry, that's really cold. right We are going to take him a year. I mean, how long can you really tread water? I mean, right?

It was on this boat for a year with no further word from the Lord.

No, this is where we should enter in. I begin to feel for Noah.

Cuz if you've walked with the Lord for any amount of time. You know this season.

God has put you in a place.

He's provided for you, even in miraculous ways and then all of a sudden. You feel like your left, right?

All this great provision all this great security to have I didn't hear you feel like you really connecting with the Lord and he's really moving you and then all of a sudden it feels like he's not there anymore.

We should feel that in the story.

We should connect with Noah and probably some of the anxiety this kind of certainty people like how much longer is this boat get a hold together? I had no idea what I was doing when I built it.

How long does it take for a worldwide flood to finally go down?

How long can our food hold out?

I don't know if you've ever been locked in a confined space with your family, but I can imagine that they were probably some some high-tension moments.

right

Lord sent me an exile to Houston for a little while two years. I was blessed to live with my in-laws.

I'll tell you there were some high-tension moments there. And I could leave.

And yet know what was there waiting? on the Lord

and all he could do. What's weight?

Brothers and sisters we ought not to fool ourselves. That in our walk with him. There will not be moments that God prepares for you to wait.

When his word that he has given is to be sufficient for you through those seasons.

No is not left with without anything to hold onto he is he is left with the promise that God is going to see him through no matter how long it takes.

He had followed the commands of the Lord in building the ark and a providing the animals on the ark and the food for them and the food for his family. And the promise was that if you obey this then you will survive. He's not giving a time frame. And he's given no further instruction that we have recorded. Is simply given the promise? That God will save him.

in for a year That is the promise that Noah must continually recite to himself and to his family. I know this seems long. I know this seems hard. I know we're ready to walk on dry land again, but the Lord has promised.

brothers and sisters

we are often too forgetful. Of what the Lord has promised to us?

And instead of holding on to his nearness to us and even speaking to us.

We too quickly disregard what he has already spoken and demand that he come and meet us now and give us a new word a different word a word that changes our situation so we don't have to wait anymore.

brothers and sisters We must learn. Through the testimony of scriptures how to wait on the Lord. The psalmist over and over and over and over and over again is going to give that commits wait on him. Trust him.

We see over and over and over again and in the stories of the scriptures as we see these men and women seeking to follow the lord and be obedient to what he's done. We see God Carrie as we would view it.

In fulfilling what he has promised to do. We see David having the run from Saul for years before he's even given the kingdom and then he's still have to fight with his son for it.

BC Moses

being exiled from each of the Back to Eden that have to wait for 40 years even to be able to see the Promised Land. 40 years

Abraham

On the way to a hundred years before he even has the Sun from us.

This is how impatient are we?

When it comes to the things of God.

How often do we take our eyes off of the Lord and the promises that he has made to be with us and to sustain us and instead focus on the things that we believe are going to bring us down. That we believe are going to cause God's promises to no longer come to fruition for the rather going to disrupt everything as if those things have the power to do so.

And this is again putting ourselves a little bit in this world. How many times do you think Noah before even starting to release? The birds went out to look out on that water?

I love you ever been on a cruise or out in the ocean where you can't see land.

What is a daunting thing to just look out at every direction? All you see is water?

The cruise, you know that there's land out there somewhere. No didn't have that.

how many days do you think he went out there was just like Something's Gotta pop up somehow sometime. right

As we look at the story we we have to remember.

The God does not forget his children.

this chapter begins Saying but God remembered Noah. No, this is not to suggest in any way shape or form that. God had somehow forgot, right? Love you too have kids, you know this probably better time or you forgot that your kids still in the bath and go in there all wrinkly and uprooting and all that stuff. But you forgot they were in there. He had to come back and let the water out. This is not what is happening in Genesis chapter 8. I didn't forget to let the drain out. He didn't forget Noah.

Rose's word in the Hebrew as it's used throughout the Old Testament marks when God moves on behalf of his children to fulfill his promise after a time of waiting.

After a time where it seems like he has somehow forgotten.

Not that he has. No not that he ever could but rather. But there has been a time of waiting and God in his remembrance moves to change the situation for his children.

God remembers And all throughout the scriptures he is going to command for his children to remember.

To remember the mighty works of God. And in that and remembering what God has done gives us. Hope for what we are enduring now.

If you think about that for hundreds of years thousands of years, really. God commanded his people to remember that he was the god's that brought them out of Egypt.

I need a more than that God often commands his people to remember he is the god who created the heavens and the Earth 3 goes further back Beyond The Exodus.

God commands us to remember his mighty works that while we are waiting on him. We can trust him because he will fulfill his promise.

And that while you wait. He is not idle.

while you are trusting your face is not in vain.

And while you may feel like he is distant. is not

God was moving and Waze app. Noah probably didn't even see. It was not looking to the the the floodgates that had been open that are now being closed.

It will probably is not even considering the weather patterns and all of these. He's just worried about surviving. He's not going to do meteorology.

You not seeing how God is reforming the world after this flood.

He's not seeing God's hand in the wind that is now moving the waters to where they need to be.

He's not hearing the voice that commands the oceans and says this far are you now shall come even though I let you come further before now here is your boundary come no further.

Brothers and sisters we serve a God who by his word moves on behalf of his children. Often those words go unheard by his children.

Which is why he is giving us the scriptures that we may remember.

And that we can trust that what he has promised. He will fulfill. But even when we cannot see what he is doing or how he is moving we can trust that he is. Because that's who he is by the testimony that he has given throughout history.

When we read these stories brothers and sisters, we ought not to just pass over the human element that enters in because many of us have experienced very similar Seasons to what Noah and his family had to endure but some of us and maybe has been longer than a year.

Some of us we have things that continue to come in our lives.

depression anxiety

I think that we constantly and daily have to deal with and wrestle with in our lives and what we really really want it so got to just come down and thunder something and then make things better.

Eddie feels silent sometimes Us in those moments.

We feel like we're at the end of our rope and we don't know what else to do and it feels like he's distant and the word is going to tell us no, he's not but Austin brothers and sisters if we could really be honest with ourselves. The reason why we feel the emptiness in those dark moments is because we have moved from him not him from us.

The darkest moments that the child of God filled in their lives are not the moments that we are closed this with him. And engaging with him and what he has given us in his body. The darkest moments is when we moved from the things that God has provided for us for our good to keep us close to him.

The darkest moments are when we're alone and isolated and left with our own reasoning of how we think God should be moving instead of trusting that he is.

And brothers and sisters. There is no greater reminder for the children of God that he is moving than the body that he has given to us.

This is why what we allowed to be on our lips and be expressed by Our Lives must be informed by the word of God. Not what we think is a good idea.

Because if the body if all we have to give to one another are some nice sayings and some half-truths. We are going to feel empty in the darkest moments.

We have God's faithfulness to give to one another. We have the promises that God gives to his children when we have the truth of who he is and that he is moving and present and near and we have. To give to one another. the darkness

from our hearts

And the struggle may continue.

The situation may not change immediately.

But struggles are a lot easier to endure in the light. And they are in the Darkness.

Difficulties and trials in the light of who God is and how he uses those moments in the lives of his children. Are far easier to endure for us together?

Then when we isolate ourselves in the dark.

We don't know the whole story of what Noah process while he's a year on the ark. We don't know what they wrestled with. We don't we don't know any of those things, but we do know.

Is that Noah? eventually Came out of the Ark. Self know what goes through a process he begins to see that the things are changing on the earth. He started to see mountaintops, be starting to see dry land doesn't know whether or not it's safe to go out. So he begins to do work. He sent out first a raven, which is a carrion bird with two probably survive in a lot of places that other birds especially can survive. So you need vegetation and if things have kind of started to settle in their thing for him to be kind of pick out and he can survive the Raven does not return.

Which is a good sign because Raven as we now know or I rather intelligent bird and so he knows it a listen if if I'm not going to find something to survive on. I'm heading back to that boat cuz there's something for me to survive on there.

Raven does not return that's a clue to know it. Okay, things are starting to go down and just starting their we getting closer to the end. And so it begins to send out looking for a nice looking for a place to Nest a place that it can receive sustenance vegetation and plant life and always everything.

Dub's can't really survive and don't often dwell up in the mountain top sites wellmore in the valley.

The first time the dog comes back without anything because they couldn't find a place because they hadn't been dry enough yet. So he waits a little bit. He sent it out again, and it comes back with an olive branch.

We must be guarded because I've heard several sermons in my lifetime and I've seen others on YouTube and things like that work for people want to make the Olive Branch as being a symbol of something. What am I getting a metaphor? And allegory of how God. Peace is not landing on north guys. Be careful with that kind of stuff. Okay. It's a branch.

God does not often speak in code and when he does he gives us the answers later.

Not saying we can never do those kind of things but brothers and sisters be careful because you will be led into a lot of false teaching by people who went to symbolize the things of scripture.

The branch absolutely symbolized that the water is receding because all of trees don't Thrive at high altitude.

Sonoma weights a little bit longer he sends it. Out again, that does not return. Cuz she found a place to stay.

In the text Noah even then does not leave the ark.

Even though he be most likely in his logical reasoning mind would have had perfect justification takes if a dove can survive will be okay.

What is he wait for?

He waits for the word from God.

Brothers and sisters no matter where you are. No matter what you're going through. The thing that will see you through and that will move you from where you are. It's his word.

There is nothing else. That brings so much comfort to the child of God than what he has given testimony to in his word.

Those this this word is guided in our hearts in the hearts of the children by the work of the Holy Spirit. And yes, and amen brothers and sisters the Holy Spirit lives in you.

And that spirit will move in you and will speak to you. Yes, and amen.

but if we decide to trade God's spoken word to his people

isolate ourselves and just trust that his spirits going to speak to us. We will often found her in the moments that were waiting on him.

Because I don't know if you've noticed for those of you that that that you walk with the Lord for a certain amount of time the holy spirit's voice in your head and in your heart often sounds a lot like your own.

and many of us can testify that there was a time in our lives that we went after something. After time of prayer and meditation and really felt them moving at the spirit in our hearts to go chase something and then not being not what he wanted us to Chase.

End up being the wrong direction because it wasn't the Holy Spirit.

That we were hearing.

rather our desires

brothers and sisters the word of God is illumined for us by the spirit of God. They work hand-in-hand. Not separately.

And working hand-in-hand they show us Jesus.

V

promise of God to his people

the peace of God

that is to dwell in US.

The all in all that should satisfy the deepest yearnings of our hearts.

The spirit and the word together are going to point us to Christ.

And if we tried to pit them against one another or neglect one for the sake of the other we will be lost.

Will be left to our own reason and our own understanding.

What sustains the child of God is the spirits working in the heart of that child? You and me. As the word is remembered.

Noah waited for the word to go out to leave the ark to re-enter Humanity to re-enter the the Earth as God had now recreated it through the flood.

Brothers and sisters. What is it that you're waiting on?

What are you waiting on to finally feel the piece of God's presence?

Cuz if we could truly be honest with ourselves whether this is you right now or whether it has been you in the past or myself in the past with her sisters are so many moments that we're waiting for something other than him to really feel a piece.

We're waiting on that new job, too, We're going to get that one because that's the best one, right? Waiting on our kids to grow out of whatever crazy there in right now.

Waiting on that person to finally love us like we deserve to be loved.

We're waiting on the voices in her head to stop telling us things that aren't true. We're waiting for all these things and we're holding on to those things instead of turning to the word of God.

the promises of God the truth of God that exists in the person of Jesus Christ as he has come to bring his children peace that we cannot understand.

Noah and his family must have been do ordered some rough days on the ark.

How old is sustaining them would have been the promise the word of God?

And then what brought them out? of that place of waiting but again password

story of Noah is saturated with God's promise. Saturated with his word and we would do well to pay attention to it.

I put too many Christians floundering in their walk with the Lord because they're isolating themselves from the scriptures and they're hiding in their closet. Just asking God to give them a word.

Frozen sisters he has plenty of them.

So many testimonies of his faithfulness to his people. His love for his children of his working on their behalf to accomplish for them. What they could never do on their own brothers and sisters pay attention.

Stop being so easily distracted. by the things of this life

and focus on him where he has spoken and where he still speaks to us now.

May it be that like Noah.

We as we wait. We'll remember his word.

Trust that when it is time for this season, whatever you may be in to be over. He will move you out by his word.

Are the dishes pay attention? He has not left you to just figure it out.

You Are Not Alone

And he is not silent.

May it be that we his people pay attention to him as he speaks.

How's it going to be? Thank you.

For the truths that we see in your word.

We thank you that you are a God who has spoken.

Thank you that. As often as we may feel differently you have done so much.

You have come to us you have spoken and it has not been in in response to our goodness or our righteousness or our effort that you have done. So.

father

We want in our lives. to be content and doing what the psalmist commands is to be still and know that you are God.

father forgive us where we have turned from you and turn from your word and seek sought out other things to satisfy. the deepest longings of our soul

forgive us what we have looked for. Peace.

and other places

we have looks to quench our thirst and sisters that are broken and hold no water.

For the helpless once again to turn the spring of Living Water. Turn to you and be satisfied.

Father we need your help.

We ask that you would still our affections for you and for your word and father where we feel like we're in a time of waiting or father where we feel like you are distance from Boston, and we desperately want to hear from you may return to your word and by your spirit that you speak to our hearts. as we wash ourselves and the beauty of your word to us.

Help us Lord. In the name of Jesus that we pray. amen Houston