A Slow Boat to Nowhere

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One particular Christmas gift stands out as the most unique I ever received. My Uncle Ralph was famous for giving our family stuff we couldn’t use. [Explain] One summer he brought over strawberry wine he had made himself- I Remember my mother disparaging the fact that he ruined 300 quarts of strawberries to produce “the berry de coal yard.”   But on this Christmas in question, unbeknownst to my parents, I awakened to find a black Lab under my tree! What happened next might surprise you!
The Big Idea here! GOD ALWAYS TAKES CARE OF HIS OWN



Does so by giving us gifts that we don’t give back–

BY MAKING FAITH A WAY OF ESCAPE.

Noah’s state: Blamelss and righteous but human and frail

Hebrews 11: Faith is believing God

Faith is the gift of God ( Ephesians 2:8-9)but only becomes operative when it is acted upon. We believe that God is who he says he is and act upon that. Acts 27;

  • We keep hammering
  • We keep sharing truth
  • Trusting God for the results: it means we act in the absence of guarantees offered on the front end.

And then, throughout the trip, wondering, where is God and how did I get here? No record that God talks with him, until God tells him to leave the ark.
BY MAKING “AUTHORITY” A BLESSING IN HIS LIFE

Something liberating about resting under the authority of God. 

BIBLICALLY: The gift of authority brings order to the creation: I Cor 11;- on the contrary, 

HISTORICALLY:

the absence of authority fuels already rapid dissintegration of the culture: Judges: every man, right…

PRACTICALLY:

  1. Imagine a world, where the authority structure is driven by Terror: Boko, Isis, Taliban
  2. An authority structure driven by those who have the most influence/ financial resources.
  3. By someone commanding one the largest armies.
  4. Oh, wait a minute… That’s what we have… How’s that all working out?

BUT GOD!

  • 6:13: I have determined
  • 6:17: I will bring
  • 6:18: I will establish 
  • 7:17: I will shut the door
  • 7:23: I will kill everything
  • 8:1: I will remember you
  • 8:15 I will tell you when to get out.

When we exchange God’s authority for our own,  we surrender our assurance that he will fight for us and security that comes from his perseverance  in our lives.
BY MAKING WORSHIP HIS PERSONAL THANK-YOU CARD

The first altar  mentioned in history! 

With the flood, 

  • God swept paradise away
  • Withdrew the place of his presence
  • Set Up his throne in heaven. Prior to sin’s entrance , God had walked among his people, worship like meeting your most cherished friend on a regular basis…no more Eden! [reviewing our day with the parents]

So you see, the first thought after a year of silence, and over a year of unsettled living was worship!   The privilege of worship is never a chore.  The very first thought that occupies Noah’s mind! 

  • The writer of Proberbs: Eccl. 12:1
  • Prophet Jeremiah: Jer51:50
  • Proper Jonah. Jonah 2:7

The gift that never grows dull or out of style. 

  • It’s the real transformation in your relationship with Jesus, when you realize your worship is driven by the Holy Spirit and not It’s not the cool new song from that Christian band, casually named worship…
  • It’s the real transformation with Jesus, when you realize that without your ark- w/o him,  you would be lost, condemned, damned and hopeless. He who has the Son has life, he who doesn’t! 
  • It’s the real transformation with Jesus- When you realize what your family might look like if Jesus Christ had not redeemed you!   Do you suppose Noah heard the cries and the beating on the doors? And what about his own kids?


APPS!

  1. Take a fresh look at your “faith“. Is it Stagnant or actively growing. Is there a closer walk with Thee? No blaming the pastor or somebody else… More hip music?
  2. Take a fresh look at your leadership paradigm. Who really is in charge? In your daily team meetings, do you really know what he thinks about your life? [my friend, board member.] show up or not?
  3. Take a fresh look at your worship! Anything there that even resembles gratitude toward God. Funny thing about Islam! People will leave productive careers to travel to Turkey to adopt a false religion’s death wish, and believers in the states won’t even travel down the street to worship and pray on a Wednesday night.. Go figure!

CLOSE:

The real value of Apollo 13: 

So many things about that movie bears your attention for its similarities!

  • Tiny capsule headed toward certain destruction- they knew it as re-entry, we know it as death and the judgment.
  • Scene toward the end- Unable to proceed without re-entry instructions from ground… An ordered procedure to get them home safe. They at least recognized their predicament, you may very well may not.
  • 3 men, traveling in an Ark of sorts, with only inches, maybe less separating them from the vacuum of deep space- you only inches, moments from breathing your last

Close 

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