May 24, 2012

^"Noah did everything just as God commanded him." Genesis 6:22

What can you expect from God?

You can expect Him to keep His promises! All of them.

When you believe that it strengthens you! It strengthened Noah!

How do I know?

I read the story! You read it! You think about it.

God asked Noah to build something he had never built (a boat) and maybe something he had never even seen before. And it was not just a boat, it was a big one!

And Noah was asked to build this big boat to save himself and his family from something no one had ever seen before (a flood) caused by something no one had ever seen (rain). How hard is that? Would you do it?

What would motivate a farmer to become a boat builder who prepared for an unprecedented catastrophy and do it for 120 years while his neighbors ridiculed him on a daily basis? Faith! Faith in a promise of salvation for his family. Obviously, he expected God to keep His promises!

Imagine a day in the life of Noah. He is up early each day to do his farm chores so he can feed his family and then out to the building site to begin sawing wood and pounding nails and pitching tar. As he does these physically demanding tasks a neighbor stops by and the conversation begins:

"Noah, what are you doing?"

"I am building an ark as the Lord has commanded."

"Oh. What's an ark?"

"An ark is a large boat."

"But why build a boat here? There is no water anywhere near."

"There will be!"

"What? What are you talking about? Everyone says you're nuts and I am beginning to believe it! There is not enough water around here to float a boat that big!"

"There will be!'

"Say, what? How?"

"There is going to be a flood!"

"What is a flood?"

"It is a lot of water caused by a whole lot of rain."

"What is rain?"

Can you imagine how tired you would get of having that conversation day after day after day for 12 decades? I can't.

What gave Noah that much strength? How did he do it that faithfully and patiently and persistently for that long?

Noah found strength by trusting in the promises of God! He believed that God would deliver him and his family if he did would build the ark.

Guess what? He was right!

Do you need spiritual strength? Are you running low on patience?

Find strength in the promises of God!

May 23, 2012

^"This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.  Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.  Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.  So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high.  Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark —you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”  Noah did everything just as God commanded him."  Genesis 6:9-22

Do you remember the first time you heard the captivating story of Noah and the ark? I do!

I will tell you why.

The reason I will never forget is because it was the night I accepted Christ as my Savior! I had gone forward at the end of a Sunday night when the pastor gave the invitation to a couple of dozen people at the Bourbon Bible Church in Bourbon, Indiana. The year was 1957.

Being a shy seven-year old I asked my mother to go with me and, of course she did! When we got to the front of the church the pastor seemed a little surprised that someone had responded and was fumbling for a way to explain salvation to a child.

He made a quick recovery and regained his wits. Asking us to come into an office off the side of the church platform he asked me if I knew the story of Noah's Ark, to which I replied, "No" and he proceeded to tell me. I liked it!

Having explained the story to me he then explained that salvation was like the ark and if I would accept Jesus as my Savior it would be like coming into the ark and I would be safe. That made sense to me - so I prayed the sinners prayer with the pastor and became a Christian.

Over the 55 years since that night, I have enjoyed the safety of the Ark of Salvation and learned to trust God's promises like Noah did. And like Noah, I have sailed safely through numerous storms.

One of the great themes of this amazing epoch is that God's promises can be trusted - always!

As I close our my HIMpossibility series this week I will be drawing from this story based on this expectation of God: YOU CAN EXPECT GOD TO KEEP HIS PROMISES.

In fact, not only did He keep His promises to Noah, but He also placed a rainbow in the sky as a reminder!

If you will flee to the ark of His salvation, and stay there, you will ride out every storm of life and enjoy many rainbows!

May 22, 2012

"Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat." Matthew 8:24

Have you ever been so frightened that you physically shook?

I have and it is an awful feeling. It takes a powerful fear to bring that sort of reaction.

From what I see in this story, the disciples might have been shaking with fear.

Interestingly, the Greek word for "fierce" used here is "seismos". You might recognize it in conjunction with "seismology", the study of earthquakes or "seismograph", an instrument for measuring the intensity of earthquakes. So, this was a storm that literally shook the waters! And it got them shaking as well.

Another insightful fact about this word is that it is only used two other times by Matthew in his Gospel.

Once is in Matthew 27:51-54 in reference to Jesus' death on Calvary, "At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people. The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

The other use occurs in Matthew 28:2 - "Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it."

So, God knows how to shake things up! He shook the waters and He shook the earth! People noticed and people changed!

Has God ever shaken your world? Is He shaking it now? What is your response? Is it fear? Maybe He is trying to shake the fear out of you!

The message of the storm is, "Fear not when Jesus is in your boat"! He is stronger than the storm.

The message of Calvary is, "Fear not, Jesus has conquered your sin"! His holiness is stronger than your sin!

The message of the Resurrection is, "Fear not, Jesus has conquered death!" His life is more powerful than death!

God's earth-shaking message is, "Fear not! I have overcome the storm, the sin and the sentence of death!"

So, why should you be shaking? If there is a storm in your life right now, or if something has shaken your world, maybe it is God's "seismos" sent to shake the fear out of you and remind you that Jesus is in your boat! Fear not! Speak to Jesus and let Him speak His power to your fear!

The one who should be shaking is the devil!

May 21, 2012

"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' " 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' " Luke 16:27-31

This formerly rich man now found himself in hell tormented by the horrors of the place plus tortured by the regrets he had about not taking advantage of the opportunities to prepare his soul for Heaven. He was eternally lost and he knew it.

 

He was suddenly urgent about the eternal destiny of his five brothers who were still living. He wanted to save them from a similar fate.

How is your urgency toward the eternal destiny of people you care about?

 

He became too urgent too late to help the situation. We tend to do the same. Why?

 

What are some things that cause us to become complacent rather than feeling urgent? What should we look for? What attitudes can we resist?

 

This rich man, in his earthly life, had all the necessities and many of the luxuries and he wanted for nothing. Good for him! We should be so lucky!

 

But earthly riches will not get you to heaven. Only those who declare moral and spiritual bankruptcy can find the riches of grace in Christ Jesus! Have you found that gift of eternal life? If you have, are you sharing it with others?

 

If not, what are you waiting for? Time is short and eternity is very long!

May 20, 2012

^"But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. ” Daniel 3:18

When you read this inspiring story about Shadrach, Meshach and Adebnego or when you here stories about some of the famous martyrs who bodly died for their faith, have you ever wondered if you have that sort of faith? Have you wondered if you have what it takes to suffer or died for Jesus?

We have been examining that for the last few days, studying what I call "fireproof faith".

Fireproof faith comes out of a relationship with Christ.

Fireproof faith develops righteousness from that relationship.

Fireproof faith determines your reality.

Finally, we will see that fireproof faith is resolved. You don't make faith decisions in the heat of the trial or temptation. You resolve those issues well ahead of time.

The Three Hebrews had decided the moment they heard what the King had planned that they were not going to bow to the King's image. So, when they were confronted by the King in full view of the fiery furnace, they did not waver in their commitment.

Have you resolved that you will not bow to any other gods even if they threaten your life?

Like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, here are some modern day martyrs who were resolved in their faith:

Cassie Bernall was a student at Columbine High School in Colorado. Her last word was, "Yes." The question was, "Are you a Christian?" It was asked with Eric Harris and Dylan Kliebold pointing guns at her head. Her answer was met with a bullet through the brain. She had resolved not to deny her Lord.



This lovely young lady is Rachel Scott. She also became a victim of Harris and Kliebold when she refused to renounce her faith, knowing full well that it would cost her life. She was resolved not to bow to her fears and now bows before the Throne in Heaven!

These three young men are (L to R) Ed McAlly, Pete Fleming and Jim Elliot. They were missionaries trying to make contact with a savage tribe in the Amazon jungles. Before they set out to encounter a small band of warriors, they resolved that if they were attacked they would not defend themselves with the firearms they were carrying; They reasoned that if they died they would go to heaven, but the Indians were not prepared to die. So they took spears in the chest rather than cause one soul to go to hell. Each of them were in their early 30's and they each left a young wife and small children.

Fireproof faith resolves that it will stand for truth and righteousness and never deny Christ even if it means dying. These five people did just that!

Are you resolved to live, or if necessary, die for Christ? Do you have fireproof faith?















May 19, 2012

^"Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up?  Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand."  Daniel 3:13-17

Faith grows out of a relationship with God in Christ. It is an expression of His presence and power resident in your life.

From that relationship arises a righeousness that desires to please God.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had no desire to bow to the golden image because they loved the true God, Jehovah.

Thirdly, faith brings you in touch with God's reality and gives you the ability to see situations from a faith perspective.

As these three Hebrew children stood before the Mighty Nebuchadnezzar he breathed threats he was well able to carry out. But they were not detered by His powerful threats. Their faith was operating and it put them in touch with a Higher reality - that the power God was greater than the authority of the king. They were not arrogant concerning their own power, nor were they ignorant regarding the King's vast authority. They knew the danger they faced. But they also had faith in a Greater King with absolute sovereignty over every king and kingdom and their confidence was in their God.

Real faith is not about trusting your belief. Faith is not just about positive thinking or positive confessions. It is not a mental exercise to quiet the voices of doubt in your mind.

Faith is trusting God, and your relationship with Him and His righteousness operating within you!

Real faith is not trusting in what we want to happen. If your idea of faith is about finding out how to get God to produce your desired outcome, you aren't in touch with real faith. These three men had no idea how this would turn out, but they knew God was in control and whatever He decided would be fine with them.

Faith is being confident in His control and comfortable in whatever outcome He chooses.

Real faith is not trusting your ability to read God's will and get out ahead of it. Faith doesn't require you to know what only God can know, it simply knows God and that God is good! You need to follow God not try to lead Him!

Faith is unconditional love and trust in God just because he is worthy of your love and trust!

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had a faith that defined their reality. The didn't deny the seriousness of their situation. They knew the threat was real. But they knew that pleasing their God and refusing to bow was worth whatever they would suffer. Like all the great heroes of faith they understood:

"All of them pleased God because of their faith! But still they died without being given what had been promised.  This was because God had something better in store for us" Hebrews 11:39-40

"We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right sideof God’s throne!"  Hebrews 12:2

These great heroes of faith made a lasting impact on their world because they were focused on a greater reality from a better world - the world where they currently reside - THE REAL WORLD!

May 18, 2012

^"At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever! Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold,  and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.”  Daniel 3:8-12

How does your faith hold up under threats or pressure from those who oppose what you believe?

Do you "go along to get along" or are you committed to the right thing regardless of the personal consequences to you?

The three Hebrew men developed a fireproof faith that allowed them to survive the heat of the attacks against them by King Nebuchadnezzar.

Do you have a fireproof faith?

Would you like to develop a fireproof faith?

In the last post I shared how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego found their faith in a relationship with their God. Faith is based in a personal relationship with God and there cannot be faith without relationship.

God created you to live in relationship with Him and faith is the only way that relationship can happen.

Do you have a personal relationship with Him? Are you living in that relationship?

A second component of faith I see in this account is righteousness. You have been made right with God by entering into a personal relationship with Him. In other words, you have been made righteous. Once you are made righteous you will want to keep right with God by choosing to do the right things.

Faith is conerned about pleasing God. Hebrews 11:6 says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God, for those who come to Him must believe that He is and He rewards them who diligently seek Him."

Fireproof faith makes sure it knows what is right and then does what is right, despite the personal cost to him. These three Hebrews knew exactly what would happen to them if they ever disobeyed or dishonored God. AND they also were very clear what would happen to them if they disobeyed and disrespected Nebuchadnezzar.

Bowing before the 90 foot golden image was NOT the right thing to do but it would have made the king happy and saved their lives. Bowing to the idol, the false god, would not have pleased God but it would have taken some heat off of them.

How committed are you to righeousness? Will you please God even when it brings the wrath of the government on you?  Is your faith driven by the desire to remain righteous before God or do you see it as a way to make things right for you?

Fireproof faith develops out of personal relationship and a commitment to righteousness.