Tag Archives: the flood

A Sure Foundation

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Genesis 1-11; Matthew 7:21-27

I finished Warren Wiersbe’s BE BASIC study today. (Be Basic; David C Cook Publisher; 2010). The first eleven chapters of Genesis are foundational to the Christian faith.

What do I believe about Creation, the sanctity of life, sin, the consequences for sin? What do I believe about God? Were Adam and Eve real people who lived in a real garden, walked with God, and spoke to a serpent? Did the flood really cover the whole earth? Did the different nationalities and languages start at Babel? And was Abraham a real man chosen by God to be the instrument by which we can know God and be saved from the consequences of our sin?

The answer to these questions are foundational to our faith. If we don’t believe what we read in Genesis, we make God out to be a liar. Who wants to put their faith in a liar?

You might say you believe in God while rejecting the God-breathed creation account. You might teach Sunday School or sing in the choir, yet doubt the flood really happened. You might say you have faith in God, but unless your faith is built on the God of Genesis 1-11, you might stand before Him one day and hear the words, “I never knew you.”

I would challenge you to read Genesis 1-11 and take an inventory of what you really believe about it. To build your faith on the absolute truth of these chapters is to build your faith on the Rock of the one true God. To believe anything else is a faith built on sand, and it won’t stand at the final judgment.

I agree with Wiersbe. It might be time to get back to basics.

Secure

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Genesis 7:1-24

Warren Wiersbe calls Noah a “secure man who waited on God.” (Be Basic, page 110). I’ve sat here and wondered what it means to be secure.

Noah demonstrated that security in that he didn’t seem to have wavered in his determination to obey God and build that ark. Was he able to stand strong in his convictions because he was confident in his ship-building abilities? Was he able to let the jeers and name-calling bounce off because he knew himself and therefore it didn’t matter what other people said about him? Was he secure in himself, saying things like:

I am strong.
I am capable.
I am worthy.

Is that where Noah found his security? I think if that were the case, about 50 years into that 120 year building project, old Noah would have felt less secure in himself. How would you not question your own sanity after 50 years of everybody questioning your sanity themselves? Every human has weak spot. Noah would be no exception. A building becomes less secure when there is a damaged brick in the foundation. I think 120 years of constant name-calling and nay-sayers would damage a brick or two on a foundation built on self.

I think we can come to the conclusion that Noah’s security came from outside himself. His trust in God was the foundation upon which he’d built his life, and was building that ark. I think Noah was leaning on the secure foundation of his relationship with Almighty God. He could build that boat one day, one month, year after year amid the taunts and questions because he was secure, confident that he was doing what God asked him to do.

Then, he and his family moved into the finished ark with a bunch of animals, and God locked them in. They were secure inside the ark. But the rain didn’t immediately come. Could they hear their neighbors laughing? They sat there on dry ground for a whole week, yet none of Noah’s family abandoned ship.

Noah could be patient and wait on God’s timing because he was secure in his relationship with God. His patience became even more evident for the next year and a week as they waited for God’s timing, all the while doing what God told them to do.

So I ask myself if I’m that secure in my relationship with Almighty God. Do I listen to the taunts and nay-sayers and begin to question myself? When I am weary (and a 600 year old Noah would probably have been a bit weary) do I begin to wonder if God really wants me to build an ark? (figuratively speaking).

I want to be so secure in what I know to be true, that I will work tirelessly on whatever God places in front of me. Even if the timeline requires patience. I want to keep going, keep leaning into God’s strength, keep sharing Jesus no matter what obstacles come. The beauty is, God will GIVE me whatever I need to accomplish His will. That’s security!

Let me learn from Noah to put my faith in God, the firm foundation, and to trust him with every step I take, His will be done in and through me – no matter how long it takes. And may my security not come from me, but from the God who created me, sustains me, and is strong enough to get me through whatever it is I face.

I pray the same for you.

The Work

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Genesis 6:14-22

Warren Wiersbe, in his study on Genesis entitled Be Basic, talks about some things we can learn from Noah. Yesterday I shared about the fact that Noah was a believing man who walked with God. What a privilege we have of that same walk with God as we believe on HIs Son.

Today I concentrated on the second of Noah’s attributes that are imitation-worthy. Wiersbe says Noah was a faithful man who worked for God. I’d like to described as a faithful woman who works for God.

Throughout Scripture we are told that faith and works go together. James tells us faith without works is dead, meaning that if you aren’t actively working for the Lord, you’d better check your faith-pulse.

But we’re also told that we are saved through faith and not our works. I think Noah is a great example of the truth if it.

It started with Noah’s faith. God didn’t find favor with Noah because Noah was a nice guy. Noah was the only person (and by extension his sons and family) in the world who still honored God. Noah demonstrated his faith to the world by obeying God’s instruction to build a big boat on dry land. Not just a big boat, mind you. Probably the biggest structure built my any man at that time.

Plus… it had to be seaworthy.

For 120 years Moses dragged lumber, mixed pitch, pounded nails, all the while explaining the importance of what he was doing to the masses who simply laughed at him. Regardless of their opinions, Noah kept working for God. God was providing the means of salvation for anyone who would believe. And Noah would not be deterred from being instrumental in that work.

You say you’ve placed your faith in God. What does that look like? God has provided the means of salvation for anyone who believes. Are you being instrumental in HIs work?

Moses could have had all the faith in the world. But without doing the work God had given him, things would look quite differently today. Have faith in God. Then get to work.

Jan 2 – The Lesson Of The Flood

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Genesis 4-7

It’s hard to read about the flood. It’s hard to imagine millions of people, including babies, drowning. It’s frightening to realize how intense is God’s anger toward sin. He even said He was sorry he’d ever created man, and he was grieved in His heart.

Some people will shake their fists at God and rant over the unfairness of a world-wide flood. Some will shake their heads and deny it ever happened. Both are wrong. And both miss the point.

If we look for signs that the earth was drenched in water, we might find it interesting. It might even confirm that the Bible is true. But even that misses the point, which is: GOD HATES SIN!

He HATES my sin. He HATES your sin. He HATES the lie I told, the “adult” entertainment you watch, my anger, your coarse language. He HATES it.

And unless we have faith in Him like Noah had, we will die in our sin, like all those people died in that awful flood.

God has provided an escape plan, however. In Noah’s day it was the ark. Today it is Jesus. But read Genesis, dear one. There was… and is… only one means of salvation. Just one.

For myself, I never want God to be sorry He created me. I never want to grieve His heart by the choices I make to sin. I want to resist sin, accept His provision of salvation, and live every day I have on this earth as one who clings to the God of my salvation.

I want the same for you.

Dear Savior, it’s a new year and many of us consider it a new beginning. I pray that as we make our way through 2016 we will do so holding on to You, pleasing You, loving You, and riding the waves in the safety of Your salvation. May we not forget how much You hate sin. And may we allow You to help us resist the temptation to sin every time. You are faithful. May we be, too.