Source SM Recap: Volume #44

Series: Old SchoolTitle: “Noah's Ark” The Word: Genesis 6:8-22, Genesis 7:1-16, Genesis 8:20-22 Main Thought: Obedience to God pays off

Message Explanation: So far, we've covered the basics: God created everything, and our sin messed up God’s perfect plan in the Garden of Eden. Ever since Adam and Eve first ate the forbidden fruit, life went downhill. Noah pleased God and found favor because he loved and obeyed God with his whole heart. As a result, Noah's life was an example to his entire generation.

Why was God’s heart broken?

- God sees the wickedness of man on the earth (v.5) - Their actions and thoughts were evil

How big was the ark?

- 450 feet long, 45 feet high, and 75 feet wide. Volume of space was 1.4 million cubic feet.

Researchers have shown that this is the equivalent volume of 522 standard railroad stock cars (US), each of which can hold 240 sheep. By the way, only 11% of all land animals are larger than a sheep.

Noah spend 120 years building the ark. How much patience and obedience does it take to build a boat this big?!

Noah lived a lot longer than we do (950 years). People Lived HOW Long? You may remember from the first week that people were not designed to die; rather death was a result of sin. Today, the average life expectancy in the United States is estimated to be 78.11 years.

How did Noah respond to God?

1.    Noah was favored by God (v.8)

  “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” 

 2. Noah walked with God (v.9)

  “…Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.”

- Righteous: Good relationships with his neighbors - Blameless: Jesus called this “pure in heart.” (Matthew 5) - Noah had an intimate relationship with God

 A covenant relationship with God (v.18)

   “But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your son’s wives with you.”

3. Noah was committed to obeying God (v.22)

 Key verses:

 “Noah did this; he did all that God had commanded him.” Genesis 6:22

“So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him.” Genesis 7:5

 Obedience to God pays off. What areas of life can you begin to obey with relentless passion? 

Element of Fun: The high school students played the game, "Lamentations or Taylor Swift Lyric." It was funny to see if they knew the difference between the two!

Music: Sweetness of Freedom, Holy Spirit Oceans, Oh God (closing).

Favorite Moment: Talking to two students who received Christ! In the past week and a half, we have seen 9 students come to Christ!

What’s Next: We are continuing the series, "Old School" as we talk about the big stories of the Old Testament!

To watch any of the series messages, check out the vimeo page

3 Minute Devotional: 1 John 3:17-19

17 "If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? 18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God" 1 John 3:17-19.

(3:17). John swings from theological truths to application in this verse. He presents a rhetorical question that follows the same thought as the previous verses. The word for “good” means the means and way of life. John says that if a believer who has ample provisions and sees another believer in need and does not help him out, it is not possible for them to have God's love. The Greek phrase is “shutteth up his bowels." Bowels are descriptive of the inner heart or feelings. In other words, those who reject and those who are in genuine need of the physical necessities of life are strangers to God.

(3:18). John addresses the readers as “little children." This is an expression of either fatherly love or a statement of their spiritual condition. Apparently John’s readers had a problem with lip service without actual service. The word for “deed” means work or performance. This verse uses the previous verse as a springboard. After telling the readers that if they do not provide for fellow believers, they do not have eternal life, he adds to the command by telling them to show their love rather than talk about it.

(3:19). John reaches a conclusion for the test of providing for fellow believers. It was a test for genuineness, not an act of earning salvation. The word for “know” means to be acquainted with a person, to know or understand. Our actions give us enlightenment as to whether or not we know God. The word for “assure” means to make confident, free from fear or doubt, to depend upon, or have confidence in. John uses two words to express that the results of this test are absolute, leaving no room for doubt.

Who can you help in need today?  How can you show your love by action to others today? 

Waiting, Watching and Listening

We all face waiting. I for one am not fond of waiting. I heard this statement the other day and it stirred my thinking, "Life is consists a lot of hurrying up and waiting." I have waited: - For my driver's license and graduating high school. - To finish high school and college. - To marry wife, Cassidy. - To complete seminary. - To hold my son Micah in my arms on September 4th, 2012.

Life consists a lot of waiting. Could it be that this is all part of God's plan? He is more interested in who we are becoming through life than arriving at all of our preconceived plans.

When you feel like there are more questions than answers, join me in becoming more dependent upon the One who knows. Seek His face. When we come to the end of our independent, self-sustaining, American ingenuity, we find that we all NEED someone outside of ourselves. Thankfully, Jesus is patient. He is long-suffering. He is slow to anger, quick to forgive and completely faithful.

When you and I are waiting, watching and listening, turn your eyes to the Planner of our future. Look around and take it in. Glimpses of pain lead to growth that God's grace sustains.

Wait. Pray. Seek. But at the end of the day, rest in the arms of Jesus who is never too far out of reach.