One of the dirtiest, most damaging lies that the devil ever told you was when he said, you aren't important. You don't ever have to believe that.
You are important! Every born again member in the church has a part to play in God's plan. God has something for you to do that no one else can do just like you and you can. If you don't take your place and do your part, things won't be quite right. You are probably thinking, I am just one person what could I possibly do that could be so significant? Gen 6
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.” 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.
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. 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. 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. 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. 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
All we need to do is to look in Genesis 6, and you will see the answer to that question there you'll see that people on earth had became so wicked that God had regretted that he had made them.
He was ready to wipe out the whole population – but he didn't. Why? Because of one man Noah! One obedient man saved the human race.
Think about that what if Noah had said "This is just too much pressure for me. I can't live upright before God in the middle of this ungodly generation. I mean, everybody around me is living the other way. Every man round me imagines only evil in his heart. I can't make any difference in this dark world anyway I am just one man."
Praise God, Noah didn't say that he hadn't pictured himself as an insignificant man whose life didn't matter. According to Hebrews he saw himself as a man to whom God had spoken by faith he obeyed God and because of that he ended up being the only thing that stood between mankind and total destruction.
Next time you're tempted to shrug off the instructions of God and be disobedient, next time you catch yourself thinking it doesn't matter what I do, remember Noah, consider the fact that whether you understand it or not God is counting on you to carry out your part of his plan. Live like
you're someone important in the kingdom of God and sooner or later you realise you are.
Genesis 6 1-5 Teaches us we must understand that as a creature we are ultimately accountable to the creator, & to understand we can reproduce what we are. Therefore, we are to pursue Christ's likeness. God is creator, and only he has self-existence. We are created beings. God created all living things to reproduce after their own kind.
Verses1-2 Says Sons of God saw the daughters of men were beautiful; & they took wives for themselves... sons of God may mean godly men of the line of Seth. As opposed to Canes godless, descendants, superior men such as kings, or angels who rebelliously left haven to take women as wives. This latter view has imperative difficulties but that seems the most likely it also serves to reinforce the pre flood evil in the world for God abhors interbreeding of unlike species.
We see in verse 3 the Holy Spirit in his role as the life-sustaining breadth given to man at creation. God has now determined to reduce a man's life expectancy, seen in the symbolic number 120 years, bringing to an end the preceding period of remarkable longevity.
We see in verses 4 & 5 that the sons of God and their wives produced children who were giants; the mighty men who were of old, were later
wiped out by the flood. That degeneration of human race was proceeding rapidly, in spite of a few godly men such as Enosh, Enoch& Noah.
Gen 6:7-8
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.
Verse 18 is the first mention of a Biblical covenant God's protection surrounds the impending flood is His first instalment of the covenant promise.
Verses 19 – 22 we see the gathering of every living thing and all food as well as everyone survival inside the inside the ark, were obvious
miracles and records of sovereign control. Noah's obedience is a patriarchal model of God's working tandem with man for the establishing of His kingdom purposes on earth.
We received grace by faith. And to obtain the grace of God we need to continue to seek God's will for our lives and determine by God's grace is sufficient for us. Without God's grace we are lost.
Acts. 4:29-33 tells us that "Great grace equated to miracles, signs, & wonders in the early Church. The grace of God was upon them all. This means that they all experienced the presence of the Lord & therefore the power of the Holy Spirit was manifest in their lives.
Isa 1:19 If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; We see from this that willingness must be matched with obedience, willingness is not enough we must be obedient to God's will for our lives. If you are still wondering what God's will is for your life, Be at peace the Lord is preparing you for His will. Anyone who is willing to do God's will, is in the will of God.
We see in Genesis 12:1-3 that Abraham was obedient do to as the Lord told him, & He blessed him financially. In 2 Cor 9:8 shows us that God is willing to make all grace abound towards you, that you always having in all sufficiently in all things, may have abundance for every good work.
All, always, & every are the emphases in this verse. God can meet our needs- financially, spiritually so on & to meet the various needs of others. Grace is available to all that abandon themselves to the perfect will of God.
Mark 10:29-31 teaches that Jesus will be a debtor to no one. The blessings He gives will far outweigh material loss & persecution incurred in service to Him.
Paul had a good grip on what it meant to be saved by grace he wrote in Ephesians 2: 8
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
Grace describes the undeserved kindness by which salvation is given, but it is also the power-word describing the Holy Spirit operational means. Grace is a force as well as a favour, a verb as well as a noun. 2 Corinthians 12:9
... My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.
Paul knew that though he persecuted the Christians – the grace of God saved him.
Ephesians 3:7
of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.
Paul knew that the grace of God was an enablement for service. Galatians 5:4
You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
Paul knew that if they kept the law then they fell from grace. This teaches us to cherish the grace of God, & not to attempt to earn what can only be received as a gift. Love others freely as an act of faith.
Godliness results from Jesus Christ living through you by the Holy Spirit. It is not achieved by observing some external code. Any attempt to achieve righteousness through a list of external dos & don’t s is fruitless. God calls us to love & serve others as Jesus did, by the power of the same Holy Spirit & in the same gracious
freedom. 1 Corinthians 15:10
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
The grace that was was upon Paul enabled him to labour more abundantly. 2 Timothy 1:6
Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
Paul encouraged Timothy to stir up the gift in him through the laying on of hands. This principal applies to all believers. While Paul does not specify the gift the Greek word charisma suggests a distinct manifestation of the Holy spirit through the prayers of Paul & others (1Tim 1:18)
1 Peter 4:11
If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen
This ability is the grace of God for us to minister. Through the grace given to us, Rom 12:3 speaks
of the measure of faith which is not saving faith but the faith to receive & to exercise the gifts God gives to us. The measure of faith He gives corresponds to the role He assigns as Creator & Redeemer.
As you come to the table to partake in the elements remember to cherish the
grace of God & don't attempt to earn what can only be received as a gift, love others freely as an act of faith.
Acknowledgements Gloria Copeland.
No comments:
Post a Comment