Thursday Night Bible Study

Genesis 8
"Now What!?" • 12.17.09 • Thursday Night Bible Study

Intro

- The last time we were together, Noah stepped into the ark and God closed the door behind him. After that, we aren't privy to anything that Noah said or that God said to Noah. It's eerily quiet.
- The ship was built with stability in mind but this was no pleasure cruise. 40 days and nights, the rain fell, the fountains exploded and the water canopy eroded.
- The Love Boat never had to face any of these conditions!
- This was a cataclysmic event unlike any the world has ever seen.
- It's quite possible that Noah's family existed in a state of shock, knowing that just outside of their 450 foot barge lie the floating remains of billions of wicked, godless people.
- They also represented anybody that they had ever known or were related to. In that ark, they came to realize emotionally that they were all that was left.
- Noah had gotten into the ark, but there were no details about how long this trip would last. Noah climbed in, but had no real exit strategy.
- Imagine that as this family came to question how long this journey would last.
- Imagine what it would feel like to be "rained in" for 40 days and nights with no relief, no way of escape, and most importantly, no end in sight.
- Imagine what it must have been like to calculate how much food would be needed, wondering if rations would be needed to preserve the food.
- At some point, did Noah or one of the boys turn and say in exasperation, "This is deliverance!?"
- As Christians, we have no other choice but to walk by faith. God calls us to do things one step at a time. He rarely, if ever, shows us the next step, much less the full picture.
- If He did show us, we would either not believe what He shows or be inclined not to obey!
- As much as this was a deliverance and a blessing to the family, the time between promise and fulfillment is always the true test of the steadfastness of our faith.
- Tonight, we return to Noah and his family, the sole survivors of the flood judgment. How Noah handles their faith journey might just inform us a bit more about our own.

Text

• Genesis 8:1-5 : "Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen." - This sounds pretty funny to our ears. Here is Noah, just floating along, when God finally remembers that they are there!
- This first phrase in Genesis 8:1 has caused many to become confused. Can God forget? Of course, we know that the answer is no. God is omniscient, meaning that He knows everything.
- God can never learn, nor can He forget what He knows. However, it troubles us that Moses uses the word "remembered."
- This is what's called an "anthropomorphism." Moses is ascribing a human characteristic to God. It's not the first one that we've seen. Earlier in chapter 6, God "repented" for making man.
- This is Moses' way of describing God's actions in terms that we can understand. What Moses is communicating is that God now turns His active attention back toward those inside the boat.
- In doing that, God starts to address that which kept them in the boat, namely the water.
- In the same way that God caused the flood, He now prescribes the method by which the floodwaters would subside.
- God made a wind to pass over the earth. Literally, the wind crossed back and forth over the sea. He stopped up the fountains and window of heaven. The rain was restrained.
- God is able to stop anything when it's the right time. Note that God notes the time.
- At the end of 150 days, 7 months and 17 days into their journey, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.
- The ark was no longer floating around, but there was not a place for the life aboard the ark to inhabit. The waters were still decreasing.
- A little over 3 months later, the waters decreased further and now the tops of the mountains were seen, but still no habitable region.
- In considering these statements, I want us to understand that God knows exactly how long our journeys in deep water are to last. They will last as long as He decrees, but never shorter and never longer.
- In that time, we are to wait on Him to guide and direct, but as we see with Noah, that doesn't mean that we sit and do nothing.
• Genesis 8:6-12 : "So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore." - This is pointing to another 40 day period after the mountains became visible and the ark stopped moving.
- Noah is waiting on the Lord. He is seeing progress. He sees the tops of the mountains. At this point, like most of us, he quite literally decides to test the waters!
- First, a raven is sent out. It perpetually went out and came back.
- The raven or crow, never seemed to find a place to land. It just kept circling around and returning to the ark.
- At the same time, Noah sent out a dove. The same thing happened with the dove. Noah then waited another 7 day period and sent out the dove again.
- This time his flying fleece returned with some fruit, a freshly plucked olive leaf! Still being cautious, Noah sent the dove out again 7 days later. The dove finally escaped for good!
- This process is a great illustration of the way that we wait upon the Lord. Noah was investigating. He was looking out for something that would give him an indication of leading.
- Some people think that this idea is for the birds, but I think that the scripture is informing us of Noah's wisdom and faith. He did not do anything ahead of the Lord, but investigated what he could.
- This led him to understand that the ground was not dry, therefore, a little more ark life was necessary. He understood God's answer: The answer was "wait some more!"
- Waiting is not some sedentary experience where you sit dormant without any activity. Waiting involves actively watching and pursuing, yet maintaining a posture of seeking God's permission to fully pursue any avenue.
- Sometimes there is peace in pursuing a course. Other times, that peace is illusive. Until it's clear, we wait in anticipation and submission to God's timing and will.
• Genesis 8:13-19 : "And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry. And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dried. Then God spoke to Noah, saying, 'Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.' So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark." - Note again the time in verse 13: the six hundred and first year. This is corresponding to Noah's life.
- Remember that the floodwaters were on the earth in Noah's 600th year. It took a year for all of this to take place, from the moment the water was turned on, until the water had dried up.
- Noah took off the covering and saw that the ground was dry. Finally, we see God speaking to Noah. All signs have pointed to habitable planet. Everything is lining up.
- But Noah does not make the move off of the ark until God gives the word.
- Very poignant point. Everything makes sense. The ground is dry. The earth has again become habitable. There is even a dove's nest out there.
- I wonder if the family was pressuring Noah: "Certainly we can open the door now can't we!?"
- Noah did not take it upon Himself to autonomously move ahead of the direct command of the Lord. God had invited Him in to the ark, now God must send Him out of the ark.
- Noah patiently waited for God to open the door. Maybe that's all that needs to be said.
- Opportunities come our way, but God is the one who opens the doors and calls us into our out of any given thing.
- All are evacuated out and given the same command that God gave to Adam and Eve. Be fruitful and multiply on the earth.
- Interesting. Their faith has been tested and stretched for over a year. Now, God, having done a transformative, powerful work within the ark, sends them out to be fruitful.
- There is a deep lesson here for us. We want to be fruitful as Christians, but we never want our faith to be tested. Fruit is borne as a result of testing!
- Turn with me to James 1. We cannot resist this oft quoted passage from James because it says it so well.
• James 1:2-4 : "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
- God has tested Noah's family. Now, it's time for them to fruitfully produce.
• Genesis 8:20-22 : "Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, 'I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.'" : Noah's first act after being tested by the Lord was to worship.
- When God allows testing, and the stress rises, the worship is so much sweeter when the release comes.
- There is no doubt that Noah worship God during his time on the ark. But how much more sweet is that worship that comes when we see fulfillment!
- This was the only thing that Noah wanted to do. To offer thanksgiving to God.
- All of the clean animals that had come along were now burnt before the Lord as offerings to Him. I always pause on the word "offering" when it comes to the context of worship.
- When we worship, we are offering something up to the Lord. Our hearts adoration. Our devotion. Our love. All of it is an offering to God.
- It might make us feel good, but that is a by-product, not the intended goal. The intended goal is what happens when God smells what we're cooking!
- Look at those words: The Lord smelled a soothing aroma. It was pleasing to Him.
- I have been reading the book of Leviticus with my kids. It's been an interesting exercise to go through that with them. As I have, I have noticed one phrase that just pops out over and over.
- As an example, turn with me to Leviticus 1:17.
• Leviticus 1:17 : "Then he shall split it at its wings, but shall not divide it completely; and the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord."
- This phrase, "a sweet aroma to the Lord" is used 16 times in the book of Leviticus. It's always connected with the prescribed sacrifices of worship.
- When the Lord smells Noah's barbecue, He made a promise to Himself. He commits to never curse the ground for man's sake.
- "But this is Noah and his godly children? We've started over right?" Sadly, the eyes of God see the truth that cannot be denied.
- It does not matter what godliness inhabits the earth. Man's heart will continually be wicked and evil from youth. The moment we are able to taste it, we'll long for it.
- But God in His mercy and grace, will forever sustain the good things that He generously provides.

Conclusion

- A few final words about tests of our faith that we observe from the text. There are 6 general lessons that inform us about how to deal with the testing of our faith. 3 from God, and 3 for us!
- First, God orders the test. He invites us into Christ and from there seeks to shape our character to conform with His.
- Second, God ordains the time. From beginning to end, the Lord is in control of the time that it takes to accomplish His purposes. The good news is that every test has a beginning and an end!
- Third, God only acts for our benefit. All that God did was for Noah and His family. Sometimes it feels different, but the truth is that God is acting on our behalf.
- How about our side of the equation? First, we need to to agree with James when tested, that this is to be considered a joy. Not because it feels good, but because God is at work in our lives.
- Second, we should not sit still. Investigating, discovering where the Lord is leading is a major part. Don't stop turning over stones, checking into opportunities or looking at the improbable.
- Finally, whatever you do, don't move until He has made your path clear. Seek His voice, listen intently, confirm it through wise, caring counsel and walk carefully forward.

Thursday Night Bible Study

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Genesis 6:14-7

"Arky Types!" • 12.10.09 • Thursday Night Bible Study

Intro

- Last week we covered the first portion of Genesis chapter 6, where we learned of the conditions that led to the drastic measures that we examine tonight.

- There was a population explosion, resulting in billions of people. The text points either to godly men intermarrying with godless women, or women seeking to fullfill their wickedness by engaging themselves with fallen angels or demons.

- We don't want to be dogmatic with either view. The early church adopted the demonic view, while the Sethite/Cainite view took precedence later. Either way, God is thoroughly displeased.

- The Bible also reports that the Nephilim were on the earth at that time. That word generically refers to giants bent on destruction, mighty men whose claim to fame was death and domination.

- Throughout this time, God warned them through His Spirit to turn back to Him. He contended, literally begged men, to no avail.

- In His mercy, God gave them 120 years to repent from their godlessness. They would not.

- God looks down and proclaims that judgment has come because the thoughts and intents of their hearts were only wicked continually.

- God decrees that judgment be full and final, but not before recognizing His promise. There was a seed that needed to be carried through judgment onto the other side.

- Enter Noah, the single representative person who found favor in God's eyes. God communicates with Noah and gives Him the blueprint for how his life will be spared.

- The beauty of this story is that God found one and chose to rebuild with Him. God still desires relationship and He will have it through Noah's descendants.

- Let's look at Genesis 6:14.

Text

• Genesis 6:14-17 : "Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks." - Here is God's idea. He decrees simply what Noah is to do.

- He's to make a vessel. A hallow chest. A large box with waterproof rooms. The word for rooms is literally "nests," appropriate given the cargo.

- Interesting, the word gopherwood comes from the same root term for "atonement." Literally, it's the wood of covering.

- The dimensions are fairly impressive. Most scholars believe that a cubit was measured by the length between your elbow and the top of your middle finger. Or about 18 inches.

- Using that as our rule, the length of the ark would be 450 feet. It would be 75 feet wide. It would 45 feet tall.

- How big is that? Let me try to give us some sort of idea as to the scope of this project. The length would be about 1 and a half football fields.

- I thought of it like this: a railroad stock car is 44 feet long. You could fit 569 railroad stock cars in the ark. [i]

(EXPLANATORY NOTE: I misread the quote and thus misrepresented the facts about the length of the ark when I spoke. Math is not my strong suit! The length of the ark would not be 569 cars end to end. The quote should be that you could fit 569 cars within the ark on all of the decks. End to end, you could only fit 10 cars to equal the length of the ark. Sorry...I'll be sure to double check my math from now on!)

- You could fit 21 standard college basketball courts in the ark.[ii] Or if you are into tennis, you could put 36 lawn tennis courts on the deck area![iii]

- About 18 inches from the top, Noah was to construct a window. It's presumed that this window went along the top of the ark for the sake of ventilation.

- With a bunch of animals on board, this little provision was likely Noah's favorite!

- The door was to be on it's side and there were to be 3 decks.

- This must have been quite an impressive sight to see for 120 years!

• Genesis 6:18,19 : "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. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark--you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you." : This floodwater judgement would impact all flesh, and everything that is on the Earth.

- Turn with me to Hebrews 11. The writer of Hebrews shares some insight into this verse.

• Hebrews 11:7 : "By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith."

- Noah had not seen rain, never seen or heard of a flood and had not seen a boat before. Noah however, believed in God and moved with godly fear to complete this ark.

- Was this a universal flood? Was this world-wide? What we need to believe and understand is that God says here plainly, that everything on earth would die.

- Wherever life extended to on the planet, that area would now become a desolate graveyard.

- God's judgment would extend to every human life on the inhabited earth.

- As for Noah, He and His family would be the recipients of God's covenant. This is the first time we see the word "covenant" in the Bible, though, the concept has been seen before.

- There is an implicit covenant with Adam as He takes on the responsibility of the garden.

- Here we see the actual word. It means "to make a promise" or contract. God will establish His covenant. It's not Noah's covenant. It's God's covenant, His alliance with Noah and his family.

- God is making a commitment to Noah and his family.

- Of the untold billions, we are looking at 8 people total that God is making a covenant with.

• Genesis 6:19-22 : "And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.' Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did." : God has chosen an entire family who are responsible for the restart of God's redemptive program.

- They were to bring male and female land animals along with them to fill the earth once again.

- Note that God tells them that these animals will come to them. God put the homing mechanism into them and when the time was right, they started coming by.

- "Look here comes Mr. and Mrs. Giraffe." Mr. and Mrs. Lion. "Don't step on it: That's Mr. and Mrs. Cockroach! They're our guests!" Really, we have to take along Mr. and Mrs. Rattlesnake!?

- The barge was now going to be a floating zoo!

- How much room would such a zoo take up in the ark? One study I read this week put it in this kind of perspective. Most animals are roughly the size of a large sheep.

- There are some that are bigger of course, but the majority will not be larger than that.

- Based on those figures, zoologists presume that there were 40,000 animals that represent the various animal families. Based on those figures, it's figured that the animals would only take up 1/3 of the space of the ark.[iv]

- Figure also that many of these animals may not have been full grown animals. Perhaps they were all young versions of themselves. This would further diminish the amount of room needed.

- The rest of the ark could be used for the food that they had gathered, as well as the food that was needed for the animals. Even then, there woul be plenty of space available.

- Noah, showing his great faith, did all that God commanded him. We read this and just skip over what that means.

- That means he worked hard everyday to complete his task. He shunned other activities. He stayed focused despite circumstances around him.

- He fought through discouragements and distractions. He kept moving and working based on the call that he had. Think about this: He did this for 120 years! That's a long time to wait on God!

- Have we done the same? Have we been attentive to what God is calling us to do? Have we given ourselves totally over to that which we know?

- This is a heavy statement. Will God be able to write over our lives that we did all that God commanded us to do?

• Genesis 7:1-5 : "Then the Lord said to Noah, 'Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth. For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.' And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him. Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth." : God decreed the beginning of the project and here he declares when it ends. It was time for Noah to come into the ark. This is an invitation from the Lord. God is in the ark already.

- The picture is wonderful. The storms are all around, but the righteous are in Christ and God is with them in the boat as well!

- Why did he get to go? Notice the phrase: I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation!

- Let's break that one down a bit. God has seen. He has observed. He has made a declaration about this man.

- It makes me want to say to us: Who are we living in front of? Who is our audience? Who do we need to impress? We might look good on the outside, but are we equally concerned with what God sees about our lives?

- What did He see in Noah's life? He was righteous. He was just, right, both in conduct and in character. This gave him passage onto the one boat that existed!

- God commands now that he take on seven each of every clean animal, two each of unclean animals, and seven of each of the birds of the air. What's happening here?

- These animals are marked out for sacrifice. He notes the time. This is one week before God was going to bring calamity to pass.

- I am continually amazed at God's mercy. When we look back at the markers that led to His judgment, we can see Methuselah, whose name points to judgment.

- He lived the longest among all other men, clocking in at 969 years old.

- Then looking back into chapter 6, God announced that in 120 years, He would bring judgment upon the earth. In those 120 years, there is a large boat being constructed for all to see.

- II Peter 2:5 calls Noah, "a preacher of righteousness." You can bet that with every hammer stroke, Noah proclaimed God's love and mercy for 120 years.

- Now we come to Genesis 7:4 and God again announces that there is one week left! At this point, Methuselah has gone critical. These are his last days on earth.

- All the signs are pointing toward impending doom and God still gives a 7 day warning!

- For those who would point the finger at God and speak erringly about His lack of mercy, PLEASE show them this passage! How much more merciful can God possibly be!?

• Genesis 7:7-9 : "So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth, two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah." : God ordered this family in 7 days before the flood started.

- They went in orderly, quietly. Imagine the somber attitude that must have prevailed over them. Yes, they were escaping judgment. Yes, they were chosen for salvation.

- However, as they walked into the ark, the amount of space was overwhelming. With the ark only a little more than half full, there was a spacious reminder that humans had rejected God's mercy.

- Their neighbors. Their extended family. Their friends. None would be alive in just a short time. For all the preaching and convincing, Noah's ministry will have garnered the fruit of just 8 souls!

- Turn with me to Matthew 7. Jesus is talking about the realities of this concept.

• Matthew 7:13,14 : "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

- We wish that the majority of the world would know Christ and come to life. Jesus indicates that what Noah experiences might be more like it really is!

• Genesis 7:10-15 : "And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth. 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, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. On the very same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark— they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the Lord shut him in." : I wonder if this was the exact day of Methuselah's death.

- This was no ordinary California rain shower. This was an instant deluge! The faucet was turned onto high immediately!

- Notice the time stamps. Verse 11 has the year, the month and the day! This is God's way of showing us that this was a measured response. This was not the capricious act of a spoiled deity!

- "On that day..." Such ominous words. Every day prior to that day was an occasion to mock God. Every day prior was a day of questioning whether God would ever do anything!

- Then "that day" came and men fell into the hands of the judge.

- The waters came from every direction. The fountains of the great deep and the windows of heaven, likely the water canopy that was over the earth, combined to inundate the known world.

- The Spirit of God repeats for us over and over again that they went into the ark. There is the real faith. They went in, showing that their confession bred real action.

- And then the Lord shut them in. The door that had been their salvation, now marked the doom of every person within sight.

- This judgment was now final. Noah could not get out and nobody additionally could get in.

- There is a time in everyone's life when the door is shut. We don't know when that day is, but when God shuts the door, there is no other hope.

• Genesis 7:17-21 : "Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered." : The deluge was continuous for forty days. Non-stop, no break. The ark however rose above it all!

- This is really a beautiful picture. The waters of judgment all around, but the ark rose high above the earth. The waters prevailed, but the ark moved about on the surface.

- God did not allow His people to even once drop beneath. He carried them safely along.

- You will again want to note that God's judgment was severe and all encompassing. Notice, that high hills and the mountains were covered. There was no safe place to escape.

• Genesis 7:22-24 : "And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days."

- The key word in these last few verses: All. All flesh died. All in whose nostrils are the breath of life, died. All living things: Destroyed. Only Noah and those who remained in the ark were alive.

- The flooding had stopped actively, but the waters remained on the earth. Specifically, the waters remained on the earth for almost 6 months. According to scripture, this planet was one large ocean.

Conclusion

- As we close tonight, we are stunned with the reality of God's judgment. It's difficult for us to bear the thought that there will come a time when God says, "No More Mercy!"

- As a group of believers, we assume responsibility to preach as Noah preached, that God would rather be merciful. He would rather be known for His grace.

- And what is the sign of that grace? The ark, which is a picture of Jesus Christ. He is waterpoof, a vessel that will withstand the storm of God's judgment.

- Like the ark, He is the only vehicle that is given to man that provides sure passage.

- Like the ark, the believer in Christ is safe inside.

- Like the ark, God stands at the door and invites people to come in.

- May we be wise and bold and faithful to make this our life's message.

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[i] http://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/sizeark.html

[ii] ibid

[iii] http://www.creationtips.com/arksize.html

[iv] http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1594557/posts

Session #10

Luke 11:1

"Teach Us To Pray" • 12.8.09 • Jesus Christ: The Man Of God, Session #10

Intro

- We have been looking at the life of Jesus Christ this fall and we have noted His interactions with His disciples, as well as with certain Gentiles.

- We've learned more about His character and prayerfully, become more enamored with Jesus along the way.

- For the last several weeks of this year, I wanted to delve into what is easily seen as the foundation of Christ's ministry, namely His relationship with His Father.

- A quick survey of a few select verses helps us to paint the picture of Christ's priorities.

- After the feeding of the 5,000, Matthew 14:23 tells us that He went up to the mountain by Himself to pray.

- After healing the man with the withered hand, Luke 6:12 reports that Jesus again went to the mountain to pray, and "continued all night in prayer to God."

- Having performed several healings in Capernaum, Mark 1:35 records that Jesus "having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed."

- Finally, and perhaps most telling, the night before Christ's death, we find Him praying in the garden of Gethsemane. Luke 22:44 says, "And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly."

- Whether it was late at night, early in the morning, prior to ministry or just after, Jesus was often seen praying by His disciples.

- This prompted them to come to Jesus and ask Him to pass along His secret.

• Luke 11:1 : "Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.'"

- Of all the things that the disciples could have asked for, the one thing that they DID ask for was instruction on how to pray.

- Notice that one of His disciples asked just after Jesus had completed a prayer session. What did they see on His face? What caused them to yearn for what Jesus had?

- Perhaps it was a peaceful disposition or a contented spirit. Something attracted them to seek to learn this art of prayer.

- It was something that John had taught his disciples to do as well. Remember that Jesus had inherited at least two disciples from John, one of which was Andrew.

- Perhaps Andrew and the other disciple bragged about how John had taken the time to train them in the things of prayer. It's possible that there is some "One-Up-Manship" going on here!

- Whatever the case, the Lord was more than willing to accomodate them in this matter.

- The instruction that follows has long been called "The Lord's Prayer." That is a huge misnomer, as it is definitely not the Lord's prayer, but the "Disciple's Prayer."

- You can find it twice in the Gospels. Here in Luke 11:2-4 and in Matthew 6:9-13. For our purposes, we look at Luke 11 to find the initiation of the disciples in asking for prayer instruction.

- Matthew has the more full transcript of this prayer. For our benefit, let's listen to the prayer as recorded by Matthew.

• Matthew 6:9-13 : "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."

- There are four sections to this prayer. We'll cover one per week. Today, in section one, we'll cover the person of prayer.

- We'll note three items about the person of prayer and the relationship that is unveiled through the first tones of this prayer.

I. Intimacy "Our Father..."

II. Transcendancy "In heaven..."

III. Sanctity "Hallowed be Your name..."

Text

I. Intimacy "Our Father..."

• Matthew 6:9 : "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father..." : Immediately we understand that Jesus never intended this to be a form prayer.

- There is nothing wrong with memorization, nor is there anything wrong with repitition. Jesus however, is informing our prayer context.

- The disciples prayer is not an exercise in what can be memorized and simply repeated. If that were so, He would have used the word "pattern." "With this pattern..."

- He says instead, "in this manner" or with this as your tone. He begins the prayer focused on the person of God, the person that they are addressing.

- To someone of their day, this would have been a radical thought. He tells the disciples that they are to call their God, "Father." The Rabbis of that time would have been outraged.

- Nobody called God "Father." It was too intimate a term. It implied a relationship that was too close. If anything, the Rabbis found ways in their prayers to be more distant from God.

- Was this such a foreign concept? Not at all. It's a Biblical concept from even the earliest chapters of Genesis.

- Turn with me to Genesis 5. The concept of God's Fatherhood to man is quickly seen.

• Genesis 5:1,2 : "This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created."

- The Jewish people considered God to be their Father, but in a national way, certainly not personally. Jesus is returning His disciples to their rightful place.

- If their prayer is to be as effective as His, then they are to pray from an intimate place of relationship.

- It might also be noted that they were to understand that God was their Father personally, and at the same time, collectively. We come in to pray, but we are not alone in doing so. He is "Our Father."

- We pray along with other saints, from other denominational lines, who are privileged with the same invitation from God. He is the Father to all who believe in and have received HIs Son.

- John 1:12 informs us of this truth, that to all who have believed on Him, to them He gave the right to be called children of God.

- What might we gather from this information? Several things can be inferred.

- God, as our Father, is intimately aware and concerned about our needs. When we come to Him, we acknowledge that relationship.

- We come with the understanding that we are coming to our Father, who wants to hear from us and wants to respond to His children.

- He wants to speak into our lives. He wants to provide needs. He wants to bless His children.

- When I utter the words "Our Father" these relational truths form the foundation to my petitions.

II. Transcendancy "In heaven..."

• Matthew 6:9 : "in heaven..." To those who have knowledge of their Father, the next piece of information is critical.

- While His role is best defined as Fatherhood to us, in that what we infer from it is loving concern and responsibility, we understand that He is not among us.

- He dwells in Heaven. He lives in a realm that is beyond us, in a place where He rules.

- He is transcendant. He is outside of our realm of our existence. He is in a place unaffected by that which affects us. The rules and conditions there are quite different.

- Turn with me to Psalm 115. David is giving glory to the Lord and explains how He lives.

• Psalm 115:1-3 : "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, Because of Your truth. Why should the Gentiles say, 'So where is their God?' But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases."

- Sometimes, I pray as though God is as stymied by my conditions as I am! But this is very effective in reminding me that my Father dwells outside of it all.

- He looks down into it without ever being effected, save that the one the He is concerned with is being effected by it!

- He does not live within the construct of time and space! He does not live where the rule of riches or the desire for advancement dominate.

- He is not swayed by what sways us. He lives well outside of it all.

- This is why He always comes just in time, and never a minute early!

- On the positive side of this equation, the one that we are speaking with, our Father, lives and rules heaven!

- His decrees are final. His rule is instantaneous. His way is always right, governed strictly by what He designs to have happen.

- Friends, our prayers reach another realm. We pray and the resource that we are dealing with is other-worldly. It is into heaven that we are reaching.

- Turn with me to II Chronicles 7. Upon the occasion of dedicating the temple, Solomon heard these words from the Lord.

• II Chronicles 7:12-14 : "Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

- The point is that heaven hears and heaven responds out of it's resource.

III. Sanctity "Hallowed be Your name..."

• Matthew 6:9 : "Hallowed be Your name." : The Rabbis would cry "foul." Jesus you are advocating a prayer life that makes man too close to God! This is where this last part comes in.

- "Hallowed be Your name!" Hallowed meaning, something that is set apart for only one service. It is not employed in common conversation. It is employed for one purpose.

- The name of God is to be held sacred by His people.

- We are to recogznize the holiness of God's name and that by His name, we come to make our prayers.

- This is not a statement as much as it is a request. The implication is that the one praying knows who and where His Father is.

- To the person of faith, He is known and seen through the eyes of faith. This request then is an outward expression. Let those who know me, come to know You!

- Let those who witness my life see you rightly represented. Let me hold your character in such high regard that your name will be exalted among even the most vile unbeliever.

- Let your name be glorified through my life. Let my life shine with all that your name represents to me.

- Turn with me to Matthew 5. Jesus makes a statement about this being the essential activity of each believer.

• Matthew 5:14-16 : "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

- His name is forever connected with His character. His name signals what it is that He is and what He does.

- Turn with me to Exodus 34. Moses is having a discussion with God about just who He was. Here's God's answer:

• Exodus 34:5-8 : "Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, 'The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation.' So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped."

- Within the name God, we have the short hand, generic term for all that His name as a concept demands that we know. He is Almighty God. He is Redeemer God. He is the Judge God.

- He is known as the God who sees. He is the God who provides. To Moses He says of Himself, "I AM." His name says it all.

Conclusion

- Prayer begins with an intimate relationship with God, predicated on His concern and responsibility toward us.

- It continues with an understanding that this God is not bound by what we are bound by, but is rather free to act in any way that pleases Him.

- Our first petition then is to hold His name in such high regard that the world around us would be forced to regard God in the greatest light!

Thursday Night Bible Study

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Genesis 6:1-14

"The Coming Of The Judgment" • 12.3.09 • Thursday Night Bible Study

Intro

- It is just about 2010, a year once thought to be a year of exploration and scientific achievement. However, the year 2012 is getting a lot more press these days!

- The movie of the same name was the top grossing film for a few weeks there, and is based loosely on interpretations of archaelogical, numerological Mayan artifacts.

- It's a fun movie for a Friday night and helps to give us a little color for a Thursday night.

- If you've seen one commercial, you've basically seen the movie. Suffice it to say, the Earth makes some significant changes to it's landscape.

- What is lacking in the movie however, is any hint that any of it is God's doing.

- As usual, Hollywood tends to lay the blame in disaster flicks upon our poor stewardship of the Earth or random events in space that are divorced from any meaning related to God.

- In typical humanistic philosophy, we are the masters of our own fate and the world crumbles because humans have been arrogant!

- Add in an eco-friendly reminder to recycle, and you have a redeeming thread to the humanist.

- The Bible speaks very differently about why judgement events take place. They are not random and they are not without cause. This brings us to Genesis chapter 6.

- It's the beginning of the story of God's judgment upon the world at the time.

- We looked last week at a period of history that covered over 1600 years of time. This chapter covers just over a hundred years, but it's distinction is that it's the last of the years that this group of people will face.

- Unlike the disaster movies of our time, we'll see very quickly that God is an active agent in the bringing of judgment upon the planet.

- We will see these principles of judgement laid out for us clearly in the following way. Judgement is a reality but...

I. Not Without Warning (v.1-3)

II. Not Without Provocation (v.4-6)

III. Not Without A Plan For Redemption (v.7-22)

Text

I. Not Without Warning (v.1-3)

• Genesis 6:1-3 : "Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And the Lord said, 'My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.'" : We read the beginning of this passage and are a little underwhelmed at the occasion.

- Multiplied millions of people, perhaps even billions, inhabit the earth. This happened in a relatively short period of time. I heard one person say that there could have been 13 billion people!

- As we noted from the last chapter, men were bearing children, living for centuries of time. Sons were noted, but daughters were also born.

- At first glance, verse 2 seems to lack any cause for concern. "Sons of God...Daughters of men...married?" Most of us just read over this as any other piece of trivia.

- It prompts this response from the Lord: Man has 120 years and then that's it!

- Whoa! What just happened here? There are two major theories.

- The first revolves around the intermarriage between the Sethite line and the Cainite line.

- This is the more conservative of the two theories. God does not want His people intermarrying into wickedness! We can see that later in the Bible, as He calls for us to be separate.

- The second theory is much more involved.

- The first clue comes with the term "sons of God." This is the first time this phrase is mentioned in our Bible.

- As we investigate the terminology throughout the Old Testament, we discover that the phrase refers to angelic beings.

- For your study, you'll want to note Job 1:6, 2:1 and 38:7. Each verse refers to angelic beings, who both have access to the throne of God and are witnesses to God's creative act.

- Most scholars remark that Job was written earlier than the book of Genesis. Those who read Genesis would have that context.

- The angelic beings who are part of the serpent's team took wives for themselves. The issue focuses clearly as you read the text: Sons of God took daughters of men!

- Why would these fallen angels seek such a union? Thankfully, the word seems to shed quite a bit of light upon this.

- Turn with me to II Peter 2. Note the context:

• II Peter 2:1-4 : "But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;"

- These angels were false prophets, likely employing the same lie that the serpent told Eve. Maybe it was an enticement to cheat death, even though sin had been established.

- Turn with me to Jude 6. Jude is remarking to his readers that God has judged on various occasions in their past. His judgment was not limited to humans.

• Jude 6 : "And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;"

- Now, before we get too caught up here, let's remind ourselves what we have come to understand from our journey through Genesis thus far.

- There is a war going. God pronounced that there would be hostility between the serpent's seed and the seed of the woman. This is likely what was meant immediately, though Christ is the ultimate victor.

- The war is underway and disobedient, fallen angels are doing all that they can to thwart God's position and destroy the seed by populating their own seed.

- The fact is that men and women went after this. They cooperated with these unions and continually fought against the Lord.

- The wickedness of man has reached such proportion that they are reaching out to demons!

- In the middle of all this, God divinely warns them through His Spirit. It is said here that "He will not always strive with man." The word means "to plead with" or "contend with."

- In the midst of this rampant rebellion, this society of sin continued to receive a warning call from God the Holy Spirit Himself, but to no avail.

- Man is indeed flesh, meaning, he is frail and thoughtful of only those things which pertain to the flesh. He is dominated by fleshly desires, too weak or too disinterested to fight against them.

- Yet even here, God's mercy is to not act for another 120 years! That was the limit. That was as far as God was going to let it continue and then the flood would annihilate those who refused His mercy.

- Today, the same principle applies. God is warning humanity over and over again to repent from their sins and to surrender their hearts to Him.

- Turn with me to II Peter 3:7. This passage is super important to recall when talking about this subject with people in your life.

• II Peter 3:7-10 : "But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up."

- He is consistently showing mercy, expressing love and granting time for repentance. But there comes a time in each life when the window of opportunity is shut and God allows for men to receive what they have asked for.

- There is no man on Earth who will ever be able to say that God never warned him or that they did not know. God's Spirit still works today.

II. Not Without Provocation (v.4-6)

• Genesis 6:4-6 : "There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart." : The offspring that came from the angelic/human experiment were giants. They were mighty men, men of renown. That sounds so noble, almost like a Tolkien novel!

- Unfortunately, don't think Aragorn. Think Urukai! These mighty men were destructive. Their calling card was for destruction.

- The word here for giants is the Hebrew word that is descriptive of men with exceptional height or strength, and usually are applicable to men of war.

- It's a generic term that we'll run into later in the Old Testament.

- I again want to quote from the book of Enoch. While not inspired there are nuggets of historical value that might prove valuable to understanding what these verses mean.

• Enoch 7:1-6 : "And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants. And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells: Who consumed all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them, the giants turned against them and devoured mankind. And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish, and to devour one another's flesh, and drink the blood. Then the earth laid accusation against the lawless ones."

- This was their mightiness! This was their reputation. The seed of man was more and more corrupted. God saw that every single thought, no matter how deep the warning bell, was thoroughly and completely wicked and perverse. God was sorry to have made man. He is grieved.

- God's judgment does not come without warning and here we see that it does not come without provocation. The people of Noah's time pushed the limits of sin as far as they could go.

- The destruction, the sadness, the injustice, the exploitation of souls, all came up before God who could not stand anymore.

- We note that this continues to be the case throughout biblical history. God patiently waits for a time when people have fully and finally rejected His Spirit's voice and then comes the judgment.

- We are fools if we for a moment believe that the ungodly actions of humanity do not affect the Lord. He is moved and must act out of a sense of justice and righteousness.

- Today, when we see evil, we are only seeing a part of it. We do not see it in it's totality. God sees it from idea to initiation and He will one day move.

III. Not Without A Plan For Redemption (v.7-14)

• Genesis 6:7-9 : "So the Lord said, 'I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.' But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God." : God decrees the extinction of animals as well as humans. In stark contrast, we come to Noah, who in the midst of all other life on Earth, found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

- Mark out that Noah found grace. He did not earn it. He did not merit it. He found grace.

- One man in a world of billions of people found grace. Why? Because He believed God! He took Him at His word.

- Turn with me to Hebrews 11. Note the words about Noah here.

• Hebrews 11:7 : "By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith."

- As much as God is grieved by sin, He is equally joyful at the sight of a man who enters into a right relationship with Him! And what a difference that man can make!

- Noah is marked by three phrases: He was a just man, perfect in his generations and he walked with God.

- He was a just man. He acted in a way that reflected his walk with God. He would literally have a boat load of faith credibility!

- He was perfect. The closest equivalent is that he was whole. He "wholly" belonged to God. From the inside out, from his heart to his hands to his mouth and his feet. Total dedication.

- He walked with God. He is the 2nd of 2 to have this distinction. He communed with God, just as his great-great grandfather Enoch. He was conversant with Him

• Genesis 6:10-14 : "And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, 'The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch." : With sort of a summary statement, God looks over and assesses His view of the earth. It's corrupted by evil. Violence has become the order of the day.

- Men have perverted their way upon the earth and they will be lost forever. But for Noah and indeed for all who have ever believed God, there is a way of escape, an ark that would bring them to safety.

- We'll look more closely at the Ark next week. Suffice it to say tonight that with every judgement call, there is also a call to come aboard to safety.

Conclusion

- God's patience and mercy are unbelieveable. His judgment and wrath are also realities that cannot be denied.

- He never judges without warning. No man will have gone to hell that would not first have to pass over the person of Jesus Christ on the cross! Warning upon warning will be given.

- God never capricously judges. There is always more than enough cause.

- He is genuinely affected by the actions of man. The good news for us is that we can find grace and it can affect God in a wonderful way!

- Finally, with every call to judgement, there is a call to escape. With every flood, there is an Ark. Ultimately, with every flood of sin, there is a Savior, Jesus Christ.