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? 

3 Minute Devotional: 1 John 3:14-16

"If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. 15 Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them. 16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters." 1 John 3:14-16

(3:14). In this first verse John lays out the first test for a follower of Christ. This test is if we love “the brethren.” These people are fellow believers. I must add that by referring to believers, John is not saying that it is permissible to hate unbelievers. John uses a statement that reveals a total contrast for being saved. The phrase is, “passing from death to life.” The perfect tense is used here to signify that we remain in life once we have passed from death. In other words, there is not a constant movement from one to the other. John goes on further to say that he who loves not his brother still abides in death. This verse and passage deals with salvation, not sanctification.

(3:15). John further elaborates on what the neglect of the command in verse one actually is. He equates hate with murder. Why is this? The scriptures tell us that God desires truth in the inward parts. At the time of the writing of this letter, there were those who taught that one could live in sin and still be a believer. Others taught that one only had to keep the letter of the law and not the spirit. In other words, it was wrong for you to kill someone but hating that person within your own heart and mind was permissible. This is why John says that one who hates and one who kills are equally guilty in the eyes of God.

(3:16). This verse lays out the perfect example by what love is to be measured. John states that we know the love of God because of his demonstration of that love on the cross. How do we know that God loved us? His action on the cross is proof of His love. The word for love is “agape” which is the highest form of love. The Greek language has different forms of the word love, each with different meanings and levels of importance.

In this verse he simply says in order for us to follow in Christ’s example of love we must follow His actions: lay down our lives for one another.