1 00:00:02,580 --> 00:00:08,420 - Good morning, Springhouse, 2 00:00:08,420 --> 00:00:10,180 as you're coming and bringing your dollars 3 00:00:10,180 --> 00:00:11,320 for those in need. 4 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:15,820 We appreciate you guys being here this morning. 5 00:00:15,820 --> 00:00:17,820 Those who are joining us on live stream, 6 00:00:17,820 --> 00:00:20,560 thank you for being with us today. 7 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:26,560 It's a good day to be in the house of the Lord. 8 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:31,000 And I just love, 9 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:37,440 I just love the opportunity to witness baptism. 10 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:38,340 Do you? 11 00:00:38,340 --> 00:00:39,180 Is that true? 12 00:00:39,180 --> 00:00:42,840 When people give their life to the Lord 13 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:44,740 and they make that public proclamation 14 00:00:44,740 --> 00:00:46,740 that they are dead to the world, 15 00:00:46,740 --> 00:00:50,560 everybody say dead to the world, alive in Christ. 16 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:54,080 We baptize, we baptize dead to the world, 17 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:56,620 alive in Jesus Christ. 18 00:00:56,620 --> 00:00:58,860 And I can't think of a better way to be alive 19 00:00:58,860 --> 00:01:00,520 than in Christ Jesus, 20 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:02,800 because when you're not alive in Christ Jesus, 21 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:04,000 you're only alive in the world, 22 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,000 which means that you're actually dead in the world. 23 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:06,840 Does that make sense? 24 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:08,100 Yes? 25 00:01:08,100 --> 00:01:09,340 But we are alive in Christ. 26 00:01:09,340 --> 00:01:14,140 Hey guys, tonight at 5.30, everybody say 5.30. 27 00:01:14,140 --> 00:01:16,340 Look at your neighbor and say chili time. 28 00:01:16,340 --> 00:01:21,120 Tonight is a chili cook-off tonight at 5.30, 29 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:23,360 and we want this room to be filled. 30 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,520 Listen, if you call Springhouse your home, 31 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:27,960 if Springhouse is your family, 32 00:01:27,960 --> 00:01:30,820 tonight is a very important special night, 33 00:01:30,820 --> 00:01:32,200 a special gathering. 34 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:33,360 We're gonna eat chili together, 35 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:36,300 and then at 6.30, we're gonna gather for a time of worship, 36 00:01:36,300 --> 00:01:39,260 and we are going to be sharing some wonderful things 37 00:01:39,260 --> 00:01:40,400 about 2025. 38 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:42,440 We have some transitions happening. 39 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:44,840 We have some staff members we need to recognize. 40 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:47,040 We have some new staff, new positions, 41 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:48,400 some things coming on the horizon. 42 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:51,180 We want to share with you exciting things, 43 00:01:51,180 --> 00:01:53,080 because everything in the kingdom is exciting. 44 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:55,240 What God does is exciting. 45 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:57,920 And so we want you to be here to be a part of it, 46 00:01:57,920 --> 00:01:59,560 'cause we need that connective tissue, 47 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:02,920 because it's not just about me or the staff or the team. 48 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:05,000 Guys, we're a part of this together, okay? 49 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:08,100 And so come and be a part of that gathering tonight. 50 00:02:08,100 --> 00:02:09,320 5.30, we're gonna feed you. 51 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:11,960 Children's ministry will be open this evening. 52 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:14,940 6.30 to eight o'clock, we're at Vision Casting. 53 00:02:14,940 --> 00:02:17,200 Make a plan to be here this evening. 54 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:22,200 And God is always saving the very best for right now. 55 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:23,040 Is that true? 56 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:26,800 We are continuing the journey of looking 57 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:28,960 at the greatest stories ever told. 58 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:31,120 And I got the privilege of sitting through this 59 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:32,440 during the first gathering, 60 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,720 and get ready to leave with a heart change. 61 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:36,660 Are you ready? 62 00:02:36,660 --> 00:02:38,520 Joshua McCloud's gonna come share with us. 63 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:39,500 Welcome, Josh. 64 00:02:39,500 --> 00:02:43,100 - I love you, thank you. 65 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:53,400 It's pretty easy to preach when you get set up like that. 66 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:56,480 If you haven't met with God, 67 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:59,760 I probably won't be able to help you at all. 68 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:03,320 Jonathan and worship team does so good every single week. 69 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:05,420 Yeah, come on. 70 00:03:05,420 --> 00:03:13,280 You know, this year we started out with some doozy messages. 71 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:17,400 These greatest stories ever told started with Adam and Eve 72 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:19,760 talking about the fall. 73 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:24,080 And then Pastor Ronnie shared last week about Cain and Abel. 74 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:27,640 And today I'm talking about Noah and a catastrophic flood 75 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:29,560 that covered the whole world. 76 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:34,040 So it seems like that we missed maybe the mark 77 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:36,500 of the feel-good sermons, 78 00:03:36,500 --> 00:03:40,640 but we may be landing in the faith-good sermons. 79 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:43,820 And I'm talking today about Noah, who is a man of faith. 80 00:03:43,820 --> 00:03:48,780 And I pray that I will be faithful in this message. 81 00:03:48,780 --> 00:03:51,680 You know, let me say just a couple of things about Noah 82 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:52,760 even before I start. 83 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:56,820 Noah, he had certain faith. 84 00:03:56,820 --> 00:04:00,020 A hundred percent bet your life on God kind of faith. 85 00:04:00,020 --> 00:04:03,040 Noah followed God's instructions 86 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:06,720 like his life depended on it, and incidentally it did. 87 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:10,720 And Noah's faith helped rescue countless people. 88 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:13,640 So let's compare our faith this morning 89 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:15,760 to the faith of Noah. 90 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:16,820 If you're able to stand, 91 00:04:16,820 --> 00:04:19,140 I'd like to read this passage of Scripture. 92 00:04:19,140 --> 00:04:22,500 And let's see if we can read this passage of Scripture 93 00:04:22,500 --> 00:04:24,520 with Kevin level gusto. 94 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:30,600 So faith is the assurance of things hoped for, 95 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:34,280 the evidence of things not seen. 96 00:04:34,280 --> 00:04:39,140 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 97 00:04:39,140 --> 00:04:43,320 By faith we understand that the universe was created 98 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:46,840 by the word of God so that what is seen 99 00:04:46,840 --> 00:04:50,560 was not made out of things that are visible. 100 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:53,200 By faith Abel offered to God 101 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:56,460 a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, 102 00:04:56,460 --> 00:04:59,300 through which he was commended as righteous, 103 00:04:59,300 --> 00:05:02,360 God commending him by accepting his gifts. 104 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:05,520 And then he moved the clicker. 105 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:08,520 (audience laughing) 106 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:12,900 I guess that's my job. 107 00:05:13,420 --> 00:05:16,220 (audience laughing) 108 00:05:16,220 --> 00:05:20,140 And through his faith, though he died, 109 00:05:20,140 --> 00:05:22,540 he still speaks. 110 00:05:22,540 --> 00:05:27,540 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death 111 00:05:27,540 --> 00:05:32,660 and he was not found because God had taken him. 112 00:05:32,660 --> 00:05:38,820 For he was commended as having pleased God 113 00:05:39,020 --> 00:05:43,300 and without faith it is impossible to please him 114 00:05:43,300 --> 00:05:47,380 for whoever would draw near to God must believe 115 00:05:47,380 --> 00:05:52,380 that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 116 00:05:52,380 --> 00:05:57,820 By faith Noah being warned by God concerning events 117 00:05:57,820 --> 00:06:03,100 as yet unseen in reverent fear constructed an ark 118 00:06:03,100 --> 00:06:05,960 for the saving of his household. 119 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:08,540 By this he condemned the world 120 00:06:08,540 --> 00:06:13,420 and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. 121 00:06:13,420 --> 00:06:15,300 This is the word of the Lord. 122 00:06:15,300 --> 00:06:16,300 Thanks be to God. 123 00:06:16,300 --> 00:06:19,000 You can tell who came from some Anglican background 124 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:20,360 or something like that when you say, 125 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:22,120 this is the word of the Lord and you see what happens. 126 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:23,840 You may please be seated. 127 00:06:23,840 --> 00:06:29,080 Now I'm sure that all of us have heard the story of Noah. 128 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:32,500 God was gonna destroy the world because of wickedness, 129 00:06:32,500 --> 00:06:36,540 but he had grace upon Noah and his family and saved mankind 130 00:06:36,540 --> 00:06:38,580 and all the animal kinds in a big boat. 131 00:06:38,580 --> 00:06:42,980 So when you're looking at the story of Noah, 132 00:06:42,980 --> 00:06:45,480 I guess the first question that we should ask is, 133 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:48,260 did this really happen? 134 00:06:48,260 --> 00:06:49,300 Was there really a Noah? 135 00:06:49,300 --> 00:06:50,220 Was there really a boat? 136 00:06:50,220 --> 00:06:51,500 Was there really a flood? 137 00:06:51,500 --> 00:06:56,400 I was looking on YouTube and I watched this debate 138 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:59,340 between Ken Ham, who's a creation scientist 139 00:06:59,340 --> 00:07:02,700 and Bill Nye the Science Guy, who's a scientist. 140 00:07:02,700 --> 00:07:05,580 And I listened to Ken Ham's arguments and I was like, 141 00:07:05,580 --> 00:07:07,100 wow, it really happened. 142 00:07:07,100 --> 00:07:08,620 This is incredible. 143 00:07:08,620 --> 00:07:10,420 And then I listened to Bill Nye the Science Guy 144 00:07:10,420 --> 00:07:12,500 and I was like, wow, wait, maybe it didn't happen. 145 00:07:12,500 --> 00:07:13,680 What are we gonna do? 146 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:19,020 And so, you know, there's some people out here today 147 00:07:19,020 --> 00:07:21,540 that I'm sure that you think that the story 148 00:07:21,540 --> 00:07:22,860 of Noah totally happened. 149 00:07:22,860 --> 00:07:24,220 And then there's some people out here 150 00:07:24,220 --> 00:07:25,480 that I'm sure that you think 151 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:27,380 that it was just a biblical allegory. 152 00:07:27,380 --> 00:07:30,340 So in light of that, 153 00:07:30,340 --> 00:07:32,300 I should probably tell you right up front, 154 00:07:32,300 --> 00:07:33,660 and I may be in the minority, 155 00:07:33,660 --> 00:07:36,940 but I absolutely believe the story of Noah. 156 00:07:36,940 --> 00:07:38,380 I believe that it actually happened. 157 00:07:38,380 --> 00:07:41,260 I believe that there was a boat and an ark and a flood 158 00:07:41,260 --> 00:07:42,420 and animals on the boat, 159 00:07:42,420 --> 00:07:45,300 and that it rained for 40 days and 40 nights, I believe it. 160 00:07:45,300 --> 00:07:48,380 And so some of you might dismiss my sermon today 161 00:07:48,380 --> 00:07:51,960 because I believe in that story of Noah. 162 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:54,760 But while I'm at it, I might as well tell you 163 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:56,500 some other crazy things that I believe. 164 00:07:56,500 --> 00:08:01,060 See, I believe that we are living on a big circle 165 00:08:01,060 --> 00:08:03,060 that moves at a thousand miles per hour, 166 00:08:03,060 --> 00:08:04,160 but it feels flat. 167 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:08,700 And I also believe that there's a huge exploding ball 168 00:08:08,700 --> 00:08:13,180 of fire out in the sky that keeps our world alive. 169 00:08:13,180 --> 00:08:15,180 And there are nuclear explosions happening 170 00:08:15,180 --> 00:08:17,580 in this big ball of fire continuously, 171 00:08:17,580 --> 00:08:19,040 but it never burns up. 172 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:22,860 I also believe that if this ball of fire 173 00:08:22,860 --> 00:08:25,340 was 5% farther away, we would all freeze. 174 00:08:25,340 --> 00:08:28,460 And if it was 5% closer, we would all melt. 175 00:08:28,460 --> 00:08:31,580 So honestly, believing in a catastrophic flood 176 00:08:31,580 --> 00:08:33,460 that covered the entire world, 177 00:08:33,460 --> 00:08:35,720 when 70% of the world is water, 178 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:39,880 and every major culture in the ancient world 179 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:41,020 talks about a major flood, 180 00:08:41,020 --> 00:08:44,180 I don't have a problem believing the story of Noah. 181 00:08:44,180 --> 00:08:46,860 But if we're honest, I think the problem that we have 182 00:08:46,860 --> 00:08:49,560 with the story of Noah is not the flood. 183 00:08:49,560 --> 00:08:51,380 I think the problem we have with the story of Noah 184 00:08:51,380 --> 00:08:52,620 is who caused the flood. 185 00:08:52,620 --> 00:08:56,140 See, we have a problem believing anything about God 186 00:08:56,140 --> 00:08:57,860 that doesn't align with our view 187 00:08:57,860 --> 00:08:59,480 of what we think God should do. 188 00:09:00,460 --> 00:09:03,420 The story of Noah reminds us that God can do anything 189 00:09:03,420 --> 00:09:05,740 that he wants to with his world, 190 00:09:05,740 --> 00:09:08,940 and he doesn't have to ask our permission. 191 00:09:08,940 --> 00:09:12,300 If you didn't know that the world is God's sandbox, 192 00:09:12,300 --> 00:09:13,140 not yours. 193 00:09:13,140 --> 00:09:16,540 My son John says, "Dad, you gotta warn people 194 00:09:16,540 --> 00:09:17,900 "to put on some boots when you preach 195 00:09:17,900 --> 00:09:19,700 "'cause sometimes you step on toes." 196 00:09:19,700 --> 00:09:22,980 Sorry, John. 197 00:09:22,980 --> 00:09:28,340 The story of Noah is very challenging to a modern world 198 00:09:28,340 --> 00:09:31,180 because we only want a God who ever brings blessing 199 00:09:31,180 --> 00:09:32,900 and never brings judgment. 200 00:09:32,900 --> 00:09:35,180 We want a faith in God that doesn't require 201 00:09:35,180 --> 00:09:36,520 any fear of God. 202 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:41,740 I was listening to a sermon recently by Adrian Rogers. 203 00:09:41,740 --> 00:09:43,480 Adrian Rogers was a great man of God, 204 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:45,140 he was a great speaker. 205 00:09:45,140 --> 00:09:48,980 And he said that the mark of a society on its last legs 206 00:09:48,980 --> 00:09:51,740 is when there is no fear of God. 207 00:09:51,740 --> 00:09:55,900 He said in his sermon, many of us talk about faith, 208 00:09:55,900 --> 00:09:59,440 and we talk about God's kindness and his grace and his mercy. 209 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:04,100 But the fear of God includes God's power, 210 00:10:04,100 --> 00:10:06,500 his holiness and his justice. 211 00:10:06,500 --> 00:10:09,820 In the passage that we read earlier, 212 00:10:09,820 --> 00:10:12,740 or maybe I read depending on whether or not 213 00:10:12,740 --> 00:10:14,320 I've advanced the slide, 214 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:20,260 it says that Noah in reverent fear constructed an ark 215 00:10:20,260 --> 00:10:22,240 for the saving of his household. 216 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:25,440 Adrian Rogers went on to say in that sermon 217 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:28,820 that the fear of God is a core foundation of faith. 218 00:10:28,820 --> 00:10:33,000 Now I know that reverent fear of God is very different 219 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:34,620 than craven fear of God. 220 00:10:34,620 --> 00:10:38,300 And God doesn't want us to live in any fear 221 00:10:38,300 --> 00:10:40,660 because he has already demonstrated on the cross 222 00:10:40,660 --> 00:10:42,380 that he loves us entirely. 223 00:10:42,380 --> 00:10:45,640 But I think sometimes in the church, 224 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:49,060 we've been running away so far from the craven fear of God 225 00:10:49,060 --> 00:10:52,200 that we've completely left out the reverent fear of God. 226 00:10:53,220 --> 00:10:57,360 See now, a human fears something that they can't control. 227 00:10:57,360 --> 00:11:00,440 We can't control God. 228 00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:03,320 It is only right and good for us to fear God 229 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:07,080 because he is large and in charge, and we are not. 230 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:10,980 There's a passage from C.S. Lewis's 231 00:11:10,980 --> 00:11:13,000 The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, 232 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:15,360 where Lucy asked a question about Aslan, 233 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:17,640 who is a type of Christ. 234 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:20,800 And she says, "Well, is he safe?" 235 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:25,800 And Mr. Beaver says to Lucy, he says, "Safe? 236 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:27,400 "Who said anything about being safe? 237 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:30,900 "Of course he isn't safe, but he's good." 238 00:11:30,900 --> 00:11:36,360 So I wanna ask you, when you compare your faith 239 00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:37,860 to the faith of Noah, 240 00:11:37,860 --> 00:11:43,460 is your faith in God anchored in a reverent fear of God, 241 00:11:43,460 --> 00:11:45,060 or are you taking him lightly? 242 00:11:45,060 --> 00:11:49,480 Do you base your beliefs on your thoughts, 243 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:52,020 or do you base your beliefs on his word? 244 00:11:52,020 --> 00:11:57,680 Noah was 500 years old when he started building the ark. 245 00:11:57,680 --> 00:12:02,100 Now I was working on a construction project yesterday, 246 00:12:02,100 --> 00:12:04,040 and I'm 47 years old, 247 00:12:04,040 --> 00:12:06,840 and I have like 47-year-old arthritis. 248 00:12:06,840 --> 00:12:08,600 So I woke up this morning feeling like, 249 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:11,860 oh, can't believe that 500-year-old dude 250 00:12:11,860 --> 00:12:14,200 worked on an ark for 100 years. 251 00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:18,140 I can't even imagine what 500-year-old arthritis feels like. 252 00:12:18,140 --> 00:12:19,880 (audience laughing) 253 00:12:19,880 --> 00:12:24,460 And so Noah came 10 generations after Adam and Eve. 254 00:12:24,460 --> 00:12:28,720 So this is roughly 1,000 years after Cain killed Abel. 255 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:32,140 And mankind had multiplied all over the earth. 256 00:12:32,140 --> 00:12:33,580 And there was some crazy stuff going on. 257 00:12:33,580 --> 00:12:35,760 There were these things called the Nephilim. 258 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:37,180 I'm gonna tell you right now, 259 00:12:37,180 --> 00:12:38,920 I have no idea about the Nephilim. 260 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:42,200 But apparently somebody over here does. 261 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:43,620 You could go check there. 262 00:12:43,620 --> 00:12:47,900 Now, the reason why I don't know a lot about the Nephilim 263 00:12:47,900 --> 00:12:50,260 is the Bible doesn't say a lot about the Nephilim. 264 00:12:50,260 --> 00:12:51,980 But it does say a lot about Noah. 265 00:12:51,980 --> 00:12:53,780 So I can preach on that pretty easy. 266 00:12:53,780 --> 00:12:57,960 I do, however, know that there were complex cities 267 00:12:57,960 --> 00:12:59,060 and civilizations. 268 00:12:59,060 --> 00:13:01,860 Genesis 4 says that there were farmers and ranchers 269 00:13:01,860 --> 00:13:04,520 and artisans that were making music and craftsmen 270 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:06,520 that worked in bronze and iron. 271 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:09,220 But the thing is, after Cain and Abel, 272 00:13:09,220 --> 00:13:12,400 the world kept getting darker and darker and darker. 273 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:16,500 The Scripture says that God rescued the animals, 274 00:13:16,500 --> 00:13:21,500 two of each kind, so that he could preserve life. 275 00:13:21,500 --> 00:13:24,840 That word kindness is one of my favorite words, 276 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:26,900 just in general. 277 00:13:26,900 --> 00:13:30,680 Because the word kindness is the same 278 00:13:30,680 --> 00:13:34,300 that we get this idea of each by their kind. 279 00:13:34,300 --> 00:13:36,300 So there were two giraffes and they were the same kind. 280 00:13:36,300 --> 00:13:38,420 There were two elephants and they were the same kind. 281 00:13:38,420 --> 00:13:39,260 Let me tell you something. 282 00:13:39,260 --> 00:13:42,060 If you're in this building, you're humankind. 283 00:13:42,060 --> 00:13:44,540 There is no difference between you and somebody else. 284 00:13:44,540 --> 00:13:47,100 The idea of racism or thinking you're better 285 00:13:47,100 --> 00:13:49,700 than someone else is just craziness. 286 00:13:49,700 --> 00:13:51,720 We're the same kind. 287 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:55,980 So when I show someone kindness, I represent to them 288 00:13:55,980 --> 00:13:59,900 that they are a beautiful person made in the image of God. 289 00:13:59,900 --> 00:14:02,780 See, in the days of Noah, there were lots of kinds, 290 00:14:02,780 --> 00:14:04,300 but there was no kindness. 291 00:14:04,300 --> 00:14:10,320 It says in Genesis 6, verse 5, 292 00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:12,620 "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man 293 00:14:12,620 --> 00:14:13,900 "was great in the earth, 294 00:14:13,900 --> 00:14:16,460 "and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart 295 00:14:16,460 --> 00:14:19,200 "was only evil continually. 296 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:22,260 "And the Lord regretted that he made man on earth 297 00:14:22,260 --> 00:14:24,980 "and it grieved him to his heart." 298 00:14:24,980 --> 00:14:27,920 Now this is an incredible passage of Scripture. 299 00:14:27,920 --> 00:14:33,980 Did you know that you, as a human, can break God's heart? 300 00:14:33,980 --> 00:14:38,760 God is not indifferent to the man that he created. 301 00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:43,540 The actions of man can grieve the heart of God. 302 00:14:43,540 --> 00:14:45,480 There's a New Testament passage that says, 303 00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:47,740 "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God 304 00:14:47,740 --> 00:14:51,040 "by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 305 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:53,900 "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and slimmer 306 00:14:53,900 --> 00:14:57,500 "and clamor be put away from you, along with all malice." 307 00:14:57,500 --> 00:15:03,220 God was grieved, not because he created a beautiful world, 308 00:15:03,220 --> 00:15:05,680 not because he created humankind, 309 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:09,580 but he was grieved because man chose to reject him. 310 00:15:09,580 --> 00:15:13,220 Now we know from several passages of Scripture 311 00:15:13,220 --> 00:15:16,300 that God does not delight in wiping people out, 312 00:15:16,300 --> 00:15:18,020 even wicked people. 313 00:15:18,020 --> 00:15:20,000 In Ezekiel 33, 11, it says, 314 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:23,040 "Say to them, 'As I live,' declares the Lord God, 315 00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:26,380 "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, 316 00:15:26,380 --> 00:15:29,260 "but that the wicked would turn from his way and live, 317 00:15:29,260 --> 00:15:31,920 "turn back, turn back from your evil ways, 318 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:35,180 "for why will you die, O house of Israel?" 319 00:15:35,180 --> 00:15:36,980 1 Timothy 2, 3 through 4 says, 320 00:15:36,980 --> 00:15:39,260 "This is good, and it is pleasing 321 00:15:39,260 --> 00:15:41,300 "in the sight of God our Savior, 322 00:15:41,300 --> 00:15:43,860 "who desires all people to be saved 323 00:15:43,860 --> 00:15:47,060 "and to come to the knowledge of the truth." 324 00:15:47,060 --> 00:15:49,440 Finally, in 2 Peter 3, 9, it says, 325 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:52,980 "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, 326 00:15:52,980 --> 00:15:56,880 "as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, 327 00:15:56,880 --> 00:15:59,300 "not wishing that any should perish, 328 00:15:59,300 --> 00:16:02,180 "but that all should reach repentance." 329 00:16:02,180 --> 00:16:08,600 So we know that God does not delight in wiping people out, 330 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:12,480 but at the same time, we see in the sixth chapter 331 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:14,600 of the Bible, in Genesis 6, 332 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:17,620 that sometimes God will make a point, 333 00:16:17,620 --> 00:16:21,260 and he has a point where he says, "Enough," 334 00:16:21,260 --> 00:16:22,580 and he wraps things up. 335 00:16:22,580 --> 00:16:29,240 I mean, think about this, we're still reading about Noah 336 00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:31,780 and learning about Noah and talking about this now, 337 00:16:31,780 --> 00:16:33,720 thousands and thousands of years later. 338 00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:38,200 God holds people accountable for want and sinfulness 339 00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:40,320 and sometimes he takes drastic measures 340 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:42,140 to protect his future plans. 341 00:16:42,140 --> 00:16:47,120 In Luke 17, Jesus compares the day before the flood 342 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:49,160 to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. 343 00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:52,620 And Sodom and Gomorrah, throughout the Bible, 344 00:16:52,620 --> 00:16:55,540 are cities that are described as places 345 00:16:55,540 --> 00:17:00,540 with pride and arrogance, greed and neglect for the poor, 346 00:17:00,540 --> 00:17:06,200 sexual immorality, abuse of power, and violence. 347 00:17:08,080 --> 00:17:10,160 Now, did you hear what I just said? 348 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:16,620 Before the flood, what did society look like? 349 00:17:16,620 --> 00:17:23,000 Pride and arrogance, greed, neglect for the poor, 350 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:28,280 sexual immorality, abuse of power, and violence. 351 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:31,240 The Sodom and Gomorrah are all throughout the Bible, 352 00:17:31,240 --> 00:17:34,280 but those descriptions come from Ezekiel 16 353 00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:36,440 and Genesis 19 and Jude 1. 354 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:39,800 But even in Sodom and Gomorrah, 355 00:17:39,800 --> 00:17:42,320 God wasn't quick to destroy them. 356 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:46,360 In fact, he told Abraham that if there were 10 righteous 357 00:17:46,360 --> 00:17:48,680 people in the two cities combined, 358 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:50,440 that he would not destroy the city. 359 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:54,560 So can you imagine an entire world 360 00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:56,320 without 10 righteous people? 361 00:17:56,320 --> 00:17:58,040 It's pretty incredible. 362 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:00,540 Noah and his family were eight people on the boat. 363 00:18:00,540 --> 00:18:05,900 We learn from 2 Peter 2, 5 that while Noah was building 364 00:18:05,900 --> 00:18:07,420 the ark, he was preaching. 365 00:18:07,420 --> 00:18:11,580 God was giving people the chance to repent 366 00:18:11,580 --> 00:18:14,300 by witnessing both the words and the works 367 00:18:14,300 --> 00:18:16,700 that were accomplished by Noah and his family. 368 00:18:16,700 --> 00:18:19,920 I've read through this book several times. 369 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:22,440 I hope you've read through this book several times. 370 00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:25,780 I've never seen in this book a place where God forces people 371 00:18:25,780 --> 00:18:27,240 to repent and turn for him. 372 00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:30,920 That's another thing we don't like about God. 373 00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:34,120 See, we don't like that God allows things to play out 374 00:18:34,120 --> 00:18:36,300 and he allows people to do wicked things 375 00:18:36,300 --> 00:18:38,120 and allows wicked things to happen. 376 00:18:38,120 --> 00:18:44,720 We get this idea in our modern culture 377 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:48,060 that if we just imagine a better future, 378 00:18:48,060 --> 00:18:49,860 that the things are gonna get better. 379 00:18:49,860 --> 00:18:53,980 Like this sentiment is encapsulated perfectly in the song, 380 00:18:53,980 --> 00:18:56,220 "Imagine" by John Lennon. 381 00:18:56,220 --> 00:18:59,100 And philosophers throughout history 382 00:18:59,100 --> 00:19:00,800 have been singing that song. 383 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:03,620 They started things like the Renaissance 384 00:19:03,620 --> 00:19:06,800 and the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening 385 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:09,360 and modernism and now postmodernism. 386 00:19:09,360 --> 00:19:14,940 And I'm not sure if John Lennon was a history buff or not, 387 00:19:14,940 --> 00:19:17,340 but he may have forgotten that Cain killed Abel. 388 00:19:17,340 --> 00:19:20,820 And I don't know if you're a history buff or not, 389 00:19:20,820 --> 00:19:23,700 but you may have forgotten that within 100 years, 390 00:19:23,700 --> 00:19:25,620 that within the past 100 years, 391 00:19:25,620 --> 00:19:28,860 Hitler and Stalin were killing millions of people 392 00:19:28,860 --> 00:19:32,760 on this same planet 100 years ago. 393 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:37,760 One of the things that we forget about sin 394 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:41,280 is that sin will always grow unless it's stopped. 395 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:44,940 There is no harmless sin. 396 00:19:44,940 --> 00:19:49,540 Even a white lie leads to darkness and death. 397 00:19:49,540 --> 00:19:51,880 We don't take sin seriously. 398 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:53,240 Sin is real. 399 00:19:53,240 --> 00:19:55,280 It's not a philosophy. 400 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:57,160 It's a deadly growing cancer. 401 00:19:57,160 --> 00:20:00,920 I've seen firsthand the effects of sin 402 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:04,720 in places like Darfur, Sudan, and in the Kibera slums, 403 00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:06,520 and in the Khaelishe slums, 404 00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:08,500 and in Haiti after an earthquake. 405 00:20:08,500 --> 00:20:12,500 And we wanna ask God, "Where are you?" 406 00:20:12,500 --> 00:20:18,540 Now, I can't give you the answers for God 407 00:20:18,540 --> 00:20:19,920 because I'm not God. 408 00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:23,540 But I do know something about this word. 409 00:20:23,540 --> 00:20:26,040 There's not a place in this word 410 00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:28,660 where the devastation and sin and horror 411 00:20:28,660 --> 00:20:31,700 of the atrocities and the earthquakes and the sickness 412 00:20:31,700 --> 00:20:33,140 and all of the things in this world, 413 00:20:33,140 --> 00:20:35,100 they're all in this book. 414 00:20:35,100 --> 00:20:38,240 So God didn't just replace all those things. 415 00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:39,680 You know what he did? 416 00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:40,840 He joined in. 417 00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:45,300 Jesus came and joined the suffering. 418 00:20:45,300 --> 00:20:50,080 I can't tell you that I understand everything that God does 419 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:52,680 because God is eternal and I am temporary. 420 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:56,920 Or maybe God says I'm eternal. 421 00:20:58,460 --> 00:20:59,680 In Him. 422 00:20:59,680 --> 00:21:01,400 I know that God allows what He hates 423 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:02,880 to accomplish what He loves. 424 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:06,800 From the creation of the world, 425 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:09,400 God had a plan for the redeemer 426 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:12,280 of this broken, sin-sick, horrible world. 427 00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:17,880 We learned last week that in Revelation it says, 428 00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:22,280 "The Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the earth." 429 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:25,220 God always had a plan to send a redeemer. 430 00:21:26,460 --> 00:21:29,180 But in the days of Noah, it was the worst case scenario 431 00:21:29,180 --> 00:21:33,360 because there wasn't even anyone left to redeem but God. 432 00:21:33,360 --> 00:21:37,660 Genesis 6-8 says, 433 00:21:37,660 --> 00:21:41,440 "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." 434 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:45,400 Now I know we've all had hard times and challenges 435 00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:46,940 and sin and problems. 436 00:21:46,940 --> 00:21:50,140 Noah's hard time was that the entire world 437 00:21:50,140 --> 00:21:52,780 was going bonkers and everyone only thought 438 00:21:52,780 --> 00:21:54,220 of evil continually. 439 00:21:56,020 --> 00:21:59,400 But it doesn't matter how dark this world gets, 440 00:21:59,400 --> 00:22:03,480 there is hope and God's favor is available 441 00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:05,600 for people who turn to God. 442 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:08,840 I'm fascinated with this word favor. 443 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:11,620 I love in the Bible, you can look up like the first time 444 00:22:11,620 --> 00:22:13,600 that a word is used in the Bible. 445 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:17,000 The first time the word Spirit of God is used in the Bible 446 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:20,400 is with Bezalel, a construction superintendent 447 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:22,680 who built the tabernacle for God. 448 00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:25,520 And it says Bezalel was filled with the Spirit of God 449 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:27,780 and wisdom and understanding and knowledge 450 00:22:27,780 --> 00:22:29,020 and craftsmanship. 451 00:22:29,020 --> 00:22:30,480 And we should pay attention to that. 452 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:33,100 Like the first time the word filled with the Spirit, 453 00:22:33,100 --> 00:22:36,460 it didn't just come like this, it wasn't just a feeling 454 00:22:36,460 --> 00:22:40,540 but it was a creative power, excellence, wisdom, 455 00:22:40,540 --> 00:22:42,540 understanding, knowledge. 456 00:22:42,540 --> 00:22:45,340 The first time that Noah is mentioned 457 00:22:45,340 --> 00:22:49,400 or the first time that favor is mentioned is with Noah. 458 00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:52,620 The word favor means grace. 459 00:22:53,540 --> 00:22:57,120 And the word grace means to bend and stoop in kindness 460 00:22:57,120 --> 00:22:58,600 and deal mercifully. 461 00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:02,920 If God didn't have grace on Noah, 462 00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:04,680 then none of us would be here today. 463 00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:09,120 God knew that there were going to be more people than Noah 464 00:23:09,120 --> 00:23:10,540 that would want to get in the ark 465 00:23:10,540 --> 00:23:12,560 and remember their creator. 466 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:15,500 The gospel message is a message of grace. 467 00:23:15,500 --> 00:23:21,640 I've had the luxury of traveling in more than 30 countries 468 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:26,080 and I have deep dive studied in other religions 469 00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:27,740 because I wanted to know if they were true. 470 00:23:27,740 --> 00:23:28,820 But maybe they're true. 471 00:23:28,820 --> 00:23:29,660 How do I know? 472 00:23:29,660 --> 00:23:30,980 I want to test this. 473 00:23:30,980 --> 00:23:33,740 And I saw this common theme in every religion. 474 00:23:33,740 --> 00:23:35,720 And some people put this same theme on Christianity, 475 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:37,560 but it's not in Christianity. 476 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:42,100 And the theme is this, to get to God, you need to do X 477 00:23:42,100 --> 00:23:43,500 and then they fill in X. 478 00:23:43,500 --> 00:23:45,820 You might need to give more, you might need to give less. 479 00:23:45,820 --> 00:23:47,700 You know, in Islam, you've got these five pillars. 480 00:23:47,700 --> 00:23:49,600 You got to do this and this and this and this. 481 00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:52,380 In Hinduism, you got to withdraw from this and this and this. 482 00:23:52,380 --> 00:23:55,160 In modernism, you need to, whatever you do, 483 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:56,720 you need to believe in nothing. 484 00:23:56,720 --> 00:24:03,180 But in Christianity, God said, 485 00:24:03,180 --> 00:24:06,080 "There's a chasm between us because of separation 486 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:07,840 and there's nothing you can do." 487 00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:13,120 Sit in that for a second. 488 00:24:13,120 --> 00:24:17,080 There is a chasm, there is sin and death and brokenness, 489 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:19,460 and there is nothing you can do. 490 00:24:19,460 --> 00:24:21,660 And so Jesus invented grace. 491 00:24:21,660 --> 00:24:26,780 Grace is when he comes down and lifts you out of a flood 492 00:24:26,780 --> 00:24:29,500 or a fire or a terrible circumstance, 493 00:24:29,500 --> 00:24:33,340 and he gives you eternity with him because of his grace. 494 00:24:33,340 --> 00:24:37,340 Genesis 6 with the Noah story 495 00:24:37,340 --> 00:24:39,720 is the first message of grace in the Bible. 496 00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:43,600 Now here's something interesting about Noah. 497 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:45,900 How did Noah respond to grace? 498 00:24:47,320 --> 00:24:51,360 It's curious to me that Noah responded, 499 00:24:51,360 --> 00:24:53,300 he had reverent fear for God, 500 00:24:53,300 --> 00:24:58,480 and then he received grace, and so he went to work. 501 00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:02,620 So God gave Noah grace, and then he gave him work. 502 00:25:02,620 --> 00:25:04,600 Now the moment that I talk about work in a church, 503 00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:08,120 we're in trouble because, no, it's not work, 504 00:25:08,120 --> 00:25:09,820 there's no works-based salvation 505 00:25:09,820 --> 00:25:11,520 and there's grace-based salvation. 506 00:25:11,520 --> 00:25:17,280 There's a fantastic passage that talks about this subject. 507 00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:18,920 Ephesians 2, eight and nine. 508 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:22,000 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, 509 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:26,000 "and it is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, 510 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:30,200 "not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." 511 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:32,440 Okay, if you have not read that verse, 512 00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:34,760 it just validates what I said about Christianity. 513 00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:37,560 You can do it, it's not about you. 514 00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:39,000 It's about what Jesus did. 515 00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:42,560 You can either accept it or reject it, but you can't do it. 516 00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:46,840 But have you ever read the next verse? 517 00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:48,760 The very next verse says, 518 00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:52,840 "For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus 519 00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:56,040 "for good works, which God prepared beforehand 520 00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:58,000 "that we should walk in them." 521 00:25:58,000 --> 00:25:59,760 A lot of us are focused on the grace of God, 522 00:25:59,760 --> 00:26:03,400 but we're not focused on any work, right? 523 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:07,440 Noah had a family that needed saved. 524 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:11,800 When God gave Noah grace, he also gave him an assignment. 525 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:14,560 I don't wanna get sidetracked, 526 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:17,320 this is a whole sermon on itself, 527 00:26:17,320 --> 00:26:20,040 but if you have grace, you have work to do. 528 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:24,160 It doesn't mean, the grace of God does not mean 529 00:26:24,160 --> 00:26:25,720 that you are allowed to sit on your hands 530 00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:30,040 and watch a lost and broken world get lost and die. 531 00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:32,560 If you have received the grace of God, 532 00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:35,360 you are assigned to a rescue mission. 533 00:26:35,360 --> 00:26:40,840 With no fear of God in our modern culture, 534 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:43,920 we don't feel the need to rescue anyone. 535 00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:45,280 Nobody wants to build a boat 536 00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:47,760 because nobody believes that there will be a flood. 537 00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:50,920 If we're honest, we are more concerned 538 00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:52,720 with retirement than rescue. 539 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:57,920 We are more about prosperity than people. 540 00:26:57,920 --> 00:26:59,680 We care more about a bonus 541 00:26:59,680 --> 00:27:01,720 than we care about building a boat. 542 00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:06,880 How many of us spent the majority of last week 543 00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:08,560 on a rescue mission? 544 00:27:08,560 --> 00:27:11,120 How many of us are building a boat for our families 545 00:27:11,120 --> 00:27:13,240 and our coworkers and our communities 546 00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:14,440 and our neighbor? 547 00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:17,760 How many of us believe in kindness? 548 00:27:17,760 --> 00:27:22,680 Or are we stuck in pride and power and sexual immorality? 549 00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:29,200 Noah feared God. 550 00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:32,520 Noah got to work. 551 00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:36,240 The boat could have fit a lot more people. 552 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:42,240 The Bible says that the ark was bigger than a stadium. 553 00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:45,120 It was bigger than a football field. 554 00:27:45,120 --> 00:27:46,320 You can fit a lot of people in there. 555 00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:47,800 I've been to the Titans game. 556 00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:50,360 It was a stadium high. 557 00:27:50,360 --> 00:27:51,360 There were three decks. 558 00:27:51,360 --> 00:27:52,560 There were animals. 559 00:27:52,560 --> 00:27:53,760 There was food. 560 00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:57,120 And God miraculously called animals. 561 00:27:57,120 --> 00:28:00,960 And there are so many symbols in the book of Noah. 562 00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:03,640 I could talk about so many different things. 563 00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:06,160 Why did Noah have to wait in the boat seven days 564 00:28:06,160 --> 00:28:07,720 before it started to rain? 565 00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:09,960 Why did it rain for 40 days and 40 nights? 566 00:28:09,960 --> 00:28:11,840 Why was there only one door in the ark? 567 00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:14,120 Why did God himself shut the door? 568 00:28:14,120 --> 00:28:18,840 Why did Noah send out a raven and then he sent out a dove? 569 00:28:18,840 --> 00:28:20,400 Why did the dove go out three times 570 00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:23,480 and why did the dove come back with an olive branch? 571 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:24,520 There's so much story. 572 00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:27,800 There's so much symbolism in the story of Noah. 573 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:29,080 I could be here all day. 574 00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:33,920 But God told me to talk about faith. 575 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:39,960 If you have faith in God, you have a reverend fear of God. 576 00:28:39,960 --> 00:28:44,440 If you have faith in God, you are a rescuer automatically. 577 00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:47,160 But here's the deal. 578 00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:51,960 Satan is a master of attacking your faith. 579 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:54,840 You try putting a message like this together, 580 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:56,040 he's attacking my faith. 581 00:28:56,040 --> 00:28:58,400 You try reading the word of God 582 00:28:58,400 --> 00:28:59,480 and sharing with your coworker, 583 00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:01,880 he's going to be attacking your faith. 584 00:29:01,880 --> 00:29:04,920 And here are three questions that are faith builders 585 00:29:04,920 --> 00:29:06,880 because they are faith challengers. 586 00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:10,920 Now Satan is allowed to tempt, 587 00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:15,280 but he's not allowed to win if you put your faith in God. 588 00:29:15,280 --> 00:29:18,760 Satan tempted Eve. 589 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:20,760 Did God really say? 590 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:21,920 Did God really say? 591 00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:27,000 And now we read this, we're modernists, 592 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:29,520 we read this Bible and we said, "Did God really do that? 593 00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:30,560 Did God really do that?" 594 00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:31,400 I mean, come on. 595 00:29:31,400 --> 00:29:34,200 Like they didn't even have the internet. 596 00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:38,520 Did God, will God really do that again? 597 00:29:39,520 --> 00:29:40,560 It sound familiar? 598 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:49,120 In the chapter, in the script for passage we read, 599 00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:52,520 it says, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, 600 00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:55,800 the conviction of things not seen." 601 00:29:55,800 --> 00:29:58,040 I wanna say something about faith. 602 00:29:58,040 --> 00:30:01,440 Faith means conviction. 603 00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:04,600 Conviction means you actually believe it. 604 00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:06,560 It's evidence, it's proof. 605 00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:10,400 Verse six says, "And without faith, 606 00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:12,280 it is impossible to please Him, 607 00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:15,000 for whoever would draw near to Him, 608 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:16,560 whoever would draw near to God, 609 00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:19,320 must believe that He exists 610 00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:21,760 and that He rewards those who seek Him." 611 00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:24,640 When the Bible talks about faith, 612 00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:28,560 it's talking about a thing in which there is no doubting. 613 00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:31,920 Faith is the point at which your doubts are removed 614 00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:35,560 and you trust in God that He says who He says He is, 615 00:30:35,560 --> 00:30:37,640 that He is who He says He is. 616 00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:39,440 You know, even in James it says, 617 00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:41,640 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God 618 00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:44,960 who gives to all men liberally without reproach, 619 00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:46,000 and it will be given to him." 620 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:49,280 But then it says, "But let him ask in faith," 621 00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:50,960 and then what do the next words say? 622 00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:52,800 "With no doubting." 623 00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:54,960 See, it defines what faith is. 624 00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:58,520 Now I can have a belief 625 00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:03,840 that maybe the chiefs will win the Super Bowl. 626 00:31:03,840 --> 00:31:07,080 But I can't tell you I have faith in that. 627 00:31:07,080 --> 00:31:08,760 I'm not gonna bet my life on that. 628 00:31:08,760 --> 00:31:11,600 But when you're dealing with God, 629 00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:14,240 you don't want belief, you want faith. 630 00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:16,280 You want faith that is the kind of faith 631 00:31:16,280 --> 00:31:17,560 that puts you in action. 632 00:31:17,560 --> 00:31:21,160 Faith does not deal in feelings or philosophy. 633 00:31:21,160 --> 00:31:23,120 Faith deals in certainty. 634 00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:26,760 Now it is so counter-cultural 635 00:31:26,760 --> 00:31:29,800 to believe in anything with certainty these days. 636 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:33,120 Probably most of you are like, "We don't like you, Josh. 637 00:31:33,120 --> 00:31:34,920 What are you talking about? 638 00:31:34,920 --> 00:31:36,640 You can't be certain about anything. 639 00:31:36,640 --> 00:31:39,360 Didn't you wake up today in a modern society?" 640 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:44,480 You go into your job, or you go into university, 641 00:31:44,480 --> 00:31:48,040 and you talk about absolute truth and see what happens. 642 00:31:48,040 --> 00:31:51,600 The only truth believed in society with the philosophers 643 00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:52,760 and the teachers of our day 644 00:31:52,760 --> 00:31:54,880 is that there is no absolute truth. 645 00:31:54,880 --> 00:31:58,000 Now I'm gonna give you a little hack, okay? 646 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:01,000 This is important, pay attention. 647 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:03,440 If you ever get in a conversation with somebody that says, 648 00:32:03,440 --> 00:32:05,640 "There is absolutely no truth. 649 00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:08,120 You can't say that there's absolute truth." 650 00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:11,200 Ask them, "Are you absolutely sure about that?" 651 00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:15,040 See, the argument kind of breaks down pretty quick. 652 00:32:15,040 --> 00:32:19,600 Satan challenged Eve's faith in the garden, 653 00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:22,160 and he challenges our faith today. 654 00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:24,360 Did God actually say? 655 00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:27,280 Pastor Ronnie shared some questions 656 00:32:27,280 --> 00:32:29,920 where he was challenged in the scripture 657 00:32:29,920 --> 00:32:32,240 about the goodness of God and His Word. 658 00:32:32,240 --> 00:32:33,680 And he had a faith struggle. 659 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:35,200 And he said in his faith struggle, 660 00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:38,240 he walked away from God for five years 661 00:32:38,240 --> 00:32:40,360 because he read something in the Word of God, 662 00:32:40,360 --> 00:32:42,560 and he couldn't figure it out. 663 00:32:42,560 --> 00:32:47,320 I have also had many a faith struggle. 664 00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:48,240 Let me tell you some of the stuff 665 00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:50,400 that gave me a faith struggle. 666 00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:51,760 Is sin really that bad? 667 00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:52,840 Like really eternal? 668 00:32:52,840 --> 00:32:54,480 Like you're gonna send people to hell because of sin? 669 00:32:54,480 --> 00:32:55,320 Really? 670 00:32:55,320 --> 00:32:58,160 Is there really heaven and hell? 671 00:32:58,160 --> 00:33:02,400 Did God really wipe out the world with a great flood? 672 00:33:02,400 --> 00:33:05,280 Did God really completely obliterate the Canaanites? 673 00:33:05,280 --> 00:33:09,960 Does God, does really following other gods than Jesus 674 00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:12,400 really keep people from heaven? 675 00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:16,520 Do continual habits of immorality, pride, anger, and greed 676 00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:18,640 really keep people from heaven? 677 00:33:18,640 --> 00:33:20,080 See, I wrestle with these things. 678 00:33:20,080 --> 00:33:21,360 I don't know if anybody else out there 679 00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:22,800 ever asked the question of God, 680 00:33:22,800 --> 00:33:25,160 and they're like, "I don't like this, 681 00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:26,520 and I'm reading something, 682 00:33:26,520 --> 00:33:28,880 and you tell me that this book defines me, 683 00:33:28,880 --> 00:33:30,720 but I wanna put you on my own terms." 684 00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:35,720 At our church, we read through the Bible in a year. 685 00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:37,960 One of the best ways to challenge your faith 686 00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:39,160 is to read the Bible. 687 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:44,600 I often put a little note in my Bible studies that say, 688 00:33:44,600 --> 00:33:45,840 "What the heck?" 689 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:51,600 If you've never had a what the heck moment with God, 690 00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:53,600 either you don't take God seriously, 691 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:56,240 or His Word seriously, or yourself seriously. 692 00:33:56,240 --> 00:34:00,440 It's not like you're not gonna be able to read the Bible 693 00:34:00,440 --> 00:34:04,200 it's not okay to not wrestle with God in this day and age. 694 00:34:04,200 --> 00:34:06,960 And it is critically important to teach your children 695 00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:08,760 that wrestling with God is okay. 696 00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:12,000 I mean, they're gonna go out, 697 00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:13,920 and they're going to be made fun of 698 00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:15,880 for anything that looks like faith. 699 00:34:15,880 --> 00:34:19,240 Okay, Noah was mocked his whole life. 700 00:34:19,240 --> 00:34:21,960 But here's the thing, 701 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:26,120 I don't think you're ever gonna have a satisfactory answer 702 00:34:26,120 --> 00:34:29,640 to the challenge of your faith until you meet with Jesus. 703 00:34:29,640 --> 00:34:34,640 I can't logic my way into meeting with God, 704 00:34:34,640 --> 00:34:36,080 but when I meet with God, 705 00:34:36,080 --> 00:34:37,760 I don't have any problems anymore. 706 00:34:37,760 --> 00:34:44,600 When I start conversations now with questions like these, 707 00:34:44,600 --> 00:34:46,600 I always start them with, 708 00:34:46,600 --> 00:34:50,120 "Jesus, I'm gonna look at the cross first. 709 00:34:50,120 --> 00:34:53,960 "I see this pain, I see this horror, I see this thing, 710 00:34:53,960 --> 00:34:55,720 "but I know that you love the world enough 711 00:34:55,720 --> 00:34:57,720 "to die on a cross for my sin 712 00:34:57,720 --> 00:35:00,080 "and the sin of everybody in this world. 713 00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:06,720 "I'm having a hard time with this passage, Jesus. 714 00:35:06,720 --> 00:35:09,600 "What the heck?" 715 00:35:09,600 --> 00:35:16,280 Sometimes God lets me sit for a while, okay? 716 00:35:16,280 --> 00:35:18,840 Sometimes he's not gonna answer me for like a year. 717 00:35:18,840 --> 00:35:21,840 But I can tell you that I have never had a question 718 00:35:21,840 --> 00:35:24,080 about God that God hasn't met with me about. 719 00:35:24,080 --> 00:35:27,600 Where did Noah get his faith with God? 720 00:35:27,600 --> 00:35:29,280 Where did this come from? 721 00:35:29,280 --> 00:35:31,280 This is one of my favorite verses about Noah. 722 00:35:31,280 --> 00:35:33,200 "Noah walked with God." 723 00:35:33,200 --> 00:35:37,440 You know how Noah built his faith 724 00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:40,200 and overcame the attacks of the enemy? 725 00:35:40,200 --> 00:35:41,480 He walks with God. 726 00:35:41,480 --> 00:35:47,240 God will take you seriously if you take God seriously, 727 00:35:47,240 --> 00:35:49,080 and he will not take you seriously 728 00:35:49,080 --> 00:35:51,640 if you do not take him seriously. 729 00:35:51,640 --> 00:35:56,000 If you aren't sure about God, start walking with God. 730 00:35:56,000 --> 00:36:01,000 I think if Noah was alive in our day, 731 00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:04,400 he would look around at our culture, 732 00:36:04,400 --> 00:36:06,480 he would say, "What the heck? 733 00:36:06,480 --> 00:36:10,160 "God, do I need to start building another boat?" 734 00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:15,920 And I think God would say, "I already built one, 735 00:36:15,920 --> 00:36:17,400 "and it's called the church." 736 00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:21,880 If you came in here today, you may not know it, 737 00:36:21,880 --> 00:36:23,280 but you stepped into an ark. 738 00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:26,600 You may not know it, but everybody sitting around you 739 00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:28,640 that has faith is a rescuer, 740 00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:30,920 and they care deeply about your soul, 741 00:36:30,920 --> 00:36:33,720 and they want you to spend eternity with them in heaven. 742 00:36:33,720 --> 00:36:38,240 Every person in this room is on a Jesus rescue mission. 743 00:36:38,240 --> 00:36:41,560 Sin wants to destroy you, 744 00:36:41,560 --> 00:36:44,640 just like it wanted to destroy Eve and Adam. 745 00:36:44,640 --> 00:36:46,880 Sin wanted to destroy Cain, 746 00:36:46,880 --> 00:36:51,040 and God wants you to be rescued by his grace. 747 00:36:52,480 --> 00:36:55,160 Noah stood out like a sore thumb. 748 00:36:55,160 --> 00:36:57,720 He was mocked by everyone. 749 00:36:57,720 --> 00:37:00,200 And if you're gonna walk in faith, 750 00:37:00,200 --> 00:37:02,360 you better not be seeking popularity. 751 00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:06,760 It's not gonna happen, but you can build a boat 752 00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:10,600 where your friends and your family in this world 753 00:37:10,600 --> 00:37:12,040 will find Jesus. 754 00:37:12,040 --> 00:37:18,240 But if you care more about retirement and relationship, 755 00:37:18,240 --> 00:37:21,880 and you care more about profit than people, 756 00:37:21,880 --> 00:37:25,880 then the lost and dying world will stay exactly like it is. 757 00:37:25,880 --> 00:37:31,720 Jesus said, he was teaching, and he talked about a lady 758 00:37:31,720 --> 00:37:34,040 that was a widow that came before God, 759 00:37:34,040 --> 00:37:36,360 and she was just wearing them out, 760 00:37:36,360 --> 00:37:38,760 like, "Give me justice, give me justice, give me justice." 761 00:37:38,760 --> 00:37:41,800 And Jesus said, "I'll answer a person like that." 762 00:37:41,800 --> 00:37:44,160 But then he said, "Nevertheless, when I return, 763 00:37:44,160 --> 00:37:46,320 "will I find faith on the earth?" 764 00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:49,280 I pray that Springhouse Church 765 00:37:49,280 --> 00:37:51,640 is not a church that cares more about retirement 766 00:37:51,640 --> 00:37:53,000 than relationship. 767 00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:57,560 We are on a rescue mission, people. 768 00:37:57,560 --> 00:37:59,840 And listen, if you're lost, get on the boat. 769 00:37:59,840 --> 00:38:03,120 His name is Jesus. 770 00:38:03,120 --> 00:38:06,600 This church is about building up this place for Jesus. 771 00:38:06,600 --> 00:38:11,960 Now, if you walk with God like Noah, 772 00:38:11,960 --> 00:38:14,880 you get some very specific instructions. 773 00:38:14,880 --> 00:38:17,240 When you read the account of Noah, 774 00:38:17,240 --> 00:38:20,840 he told him exactly how to build a boat, right? 775 00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:22,920 Noah didn't go off on a wing like, "You know what? 776 00:38:22,920 --> 00:38:25,680 "I think I'm gonna put this timber over here." 777 00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:27,280 And this was not artistic enough, 778 00:38:27,280 --> 00:38:29,800 so I'm gonna put a little flourish right here. 779 00:38:29,800 --> 00:38:33,000 No, Noah's like, "Wait, so let's get this straight, God. 780 00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:36,320 "So you're going to wipe out the entire world, 781 00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:40,960 "and these are the instructions for this ark. 782 00:38:40,960 --> 00:38:43,600 "Yeah, I'm gonna do exactly what's in this book." 783 00:38:43,600 --> 00:38:46,160 You know? 784 00:38:46,160 --> 00:38:49,000 Noah followed the instructions. 785 00:38:50,160 --> 00:38:51,640 Have you ever read the book? 786 00:38:51,640 --> 00:38:54,640 Do you know the instructions? 787 00:38:54,640 --> 00:38:58,320 Are you basing your life and your history 788 00:38:58,320 --> 00:39:01,480 on somebody else's interpretation of the instructions? 789 00:39:01,480 --> 00:39:02,560 Look, I mean, look, 790 00:39:02,560 --> 00:39:05,480 I put some stuff together with instructions, 791 00:39:05,480 --> 00:39:07,360 and I do not wanna rely on somebody else telling me 792 00:39:07,360 --> 00:39:09,240 what the instructions say. 793 00:39:09,240 --> 00:39:10,600 That will be crazy. 794 00:39:10,600 --> 00:39:15,440 Noah feared God, he reverently walked with God, 795 00:39:15,440 --> 00:39:20,120 and he obeyed God's Word like his life depended on it. 796 00:39:20,120 --> 00:39:24,840 Perhaps the most destructive movement in Christianity today 797 00:39:24,840 --> 00:39:27,240 is this tendency to think that personal Bible study 798 00:39:27,240 --> 00:39:28,600 is somewhat optional. 799 00:39:28,600 --> 00:39:31,600 Take yourself seriously, please. 800 00:39:31,600 --> 00:39:35,960 Noah knew that building the ark according to God's plan 801 00:39:35,960 --> 00:39:39,880 was critical for being able to rescue his family. 802 00:39:39,880 --> 00:39:42,320 Do we think that we're gonna be able to rescue our family 803 00:39:42,320 --> 00:39:43,840 and ignore the instructions? 804 00:39:44,840 --> 00:39:47,480 Some of us are just watching TV. 805 00:39:47,480 --> 00:39:50,720 You know, that's where all my happiness is gonna be found. 806 00:39:50,720 --> 00:39:53,080 The Word of God says that in the presence of God 807 00:39:53,080 --> 00:39:54,400 is the fullness of joy. 808 00:39:54,400 --> 00:39:57,440 Our worship team, I don't know where you are, 809 00:39:57,440 --> 00:39:59,440 but you better come get me off this stage. 810 00:39:59,440 --> 00:40:02,760 (congregation cheering) 811 00:40:02,760 --> 00:40:05,800 Did God really say? 812 00:40:05,800 --> 00:40:07,800 Did God really do? 813 00:40:07,800 --> 00:40:10,280 Will God really do this again? 814 00:40:10,280 --> 00:40:12,000 Where is your faith? 815 00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:14,560 How does your faith compare to Noah's faith? 816 00:40:14,560 --> 00:40:19,400 I'll tell you why I believe in the story of Noah, 817 00:40:19,400 --> 00:40:20,640 because Jesus did. 818 00:40:20,640 --> 00:40:23,840 I'll tell you why I believe in heaven and hell, 819 00:40:23,840 --> 00:40:25,400 because Jesus preached about it. 820 00:40:25,400 --> 00:40:29,400 I'll tell you why I believe in salvation based on grace, 821 00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:31,960 because I'm a vile sinner. 822 00:40:31,960 --> 00:40:33,960 And God have mercy on my soul. 823 00:40:33,960 --> 00:40:37,800 I'll tell you why the church of God 824 00:40:37,800 --> 00:40:41,360 is full of everyone who believes the same thing. 825 00:40:41,360 --> 00:40:44,080 You don't have judgment in the house of the Lord. 826 00:40:44,080 --> 00:40:46,000 You have a bunch of people like that. 827 00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:47,880 I'm glad I'm on a boat, 828 00:40:47,880 --> 00:40:49,680 and I want everybody else on the boat. 829 00:40:49,680 --> 00:40:55,760 The Bible says that if you are in Christ, 830 00:40:55,760 --> 00:40:57,800 that you have salvation. 831 00:40:57,800 --> 00:41:02,160 If Christ is in you, you will live in eternity with God. 832 00:41:02,160 --> 00:41:06,520 If you were on the boat, you were rescued. 833 00:41:06,520 --> 00:41:08,760 And if you're in Christ, you will be rescued. 834 00:41:08,760 --> 00:41:11,360 (gentle music) 835 00:41:11,360 --> 00:41:14,440 It only takes grace. 836 00:41:14,440 --> 00:41:16,640 You don't have to do anything but repent. 837 00:41:16,640 --> 00:41:17,920 Say, God, I need you. 838 00:41:17,920 --> 00:41:21,240 We're going to open this altar space. 839 00:41:21,240 --> 00:41:25,120 And if you've never wrestled with God, 840 00:41:25,120 --> 00:41:28,320 I want you to come down and wrestle with God and pray, 841 00:41:28,320 --> 00:41:31,800 and repent and ask God to give you faith. 842 00:41:31,800 --> 00:41:34,640 Some of us like me, we wrestle with God every day, 843 00:41:34,640 --> 00:41:37,200 and God's like, "Quit wrestling and start resting." 844 00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:40,600 You might need to come down and rest in God. 845 00:41:40,600 --> 00:41:45,080 If you're living life without a church family, 846 00:41:45,080 --> 00:41:48,120 and you don't have a boat that you're building, 847 00:41:48,120 --> 00:41:49,560 this is your church family. 848 00:41:49,560 --> 00:41:51,000 You're here for a reason. 849 00:41:51,000 --> 00:41:52,080 Come and get in the boat. 850 00:41:52,080 --> 00:41:53,280 We need another hammer. 851 00:41:53,280 --> 00:42:01,760 If your life has not been a rescue mission, 852 00:42:01,760 --> 00:42:05,120 and you have cared more about your prosperity than people, 853 00:42:05,120 --> 00:42:07,720 surrender, Elvin. 854 00:42:07,720 --> 00:42:11,160 Come down here and surrender to follow Christ, 855 00:42:11,160 --> 00:42:13,960 and to use every bit of your heart, mind, soul, and strength 856 00:42:13,960 --> 00:42:16,840 for the worship of God and the rescue of man. 857 00:42:16,840 --> 00:42:23,920 If you need healing or deliverance, freedom, 858 00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:25,760 come down here and receive me. 859 00:42:25,760 --> 00:42:29,160 If I could get the prayer team 860 00:42:29,160 --> 00:42:33,040 and the worshipers to come down, meet with God today. 861 00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:37,960 We live in a world that it's getting darker and darker 862 00:42:37,960 --> 00:42:42,960 and darker, and Jesus only has perfect light. 863 00:42:42,960 --> 00:42:45,760 If you have never experienced light, 864 00:42:45,760 --> 00:42:47,720 you can experience it at the cross. 865 00:42:47,720 --> 00:42:52,600 Don't leave today without getting on the boat. 866 00:42:52,600 --> 00:42:56,120 In Jesus' name, amen. 867 00:42:56,120 --> 00:42:58,120 [music fades out] 868 00:42:58,120 --> 00:43:00,120 [music fades out]