Participants:
Series Code: FGW
Program Code: FGW210045S
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00:28 Welcome to the second message in this Noah series,
00:33 Noah, Another Storm is Coming. 00:35 It's a six part series and this is message number two. 00:40 If you missed message number one, 00:41 I'd encourage you to catch up on that. 00:44 Today's message is entitled, "Will God remember you?" 00:50 Will God remember you? 00:52 Those of you who are watching us, 00:55 wherever you may be watching from, 00:56 I want to give you a big warm welcome. 00:59 Joining the studio audience here in Morisset, 01:03 beautiful Lake Macquarie in the most blessed nation 01:07 on the planet, Australia, the land down under. 01:10 And I can say that because I'm an Australian. 01:12 It's great to be here and wherever you are watching 01:14 from or listening, whatever the fact may be, 01:16 I pray that God will bless you 01:18 as we journey through this 01:20 very important message together. 01:22 Will God remember you? 01:24 That's a bit of a strange title. 01:26 Does God forget things? 01:28 We're going to look at that in just a little bit. 01:30 But I certainly do. 01:31 I don't know if you anyone here forgotten anything? 01:33 Okay, a few of you have forgotten something. 01:35 It gets a bit annoying. 01:38 I never forget the day I forgot my wife's birthday. 01:43 Oh, my, oh, my. 01:45 We had only been married for just over 12 months. 01:49 We were coming up to our second anniversary. 01:52 And I forgot her birthday. 01:54 Now you're thinking, Danny, how on earth could you forget 01:57 your wife's birthday after being married 01:59 for not even two years? 02:00 Well, let me tell you the story. 02:03 Her birthday happens to be on December 23. 02:07 Two days before Christmas. 02:08 I mean, what was she thinking 02:10 being born two days before Christmas? 02:12 It's a crazy time of the year. 02:14 What do we call that time of the season? 02:17 The silly season. 02:18 We call it a silly season for good reason. 02:20 Anyway, what happened was my next door neighbor 02:23 we were living in Cooranbong at the time I was studying 02:25 at Avondale College, 02:27 where we're living, this is back in 1996. 02:30 I guess so many moons ago. 02:32 Were living in Cooranbong, my next door neighbor 02:35 bought a brand new jet ski. 02:38 And he says to me the day before my wife's birthday, 02:41 how would you like to go out with me 02:43 on the lake tomorrow morning, and enjoy some jet skiing? 02:48 And I'm like, of course, but of course. 02:52 Anyway, I'm just, I'm just ready and waiting. 02:55 And I can barely sleep all night. 02:58 I've never been on a jet ski. 02:59 This is my first opportunity. 03:01 We just had a brand new baby as well, by the way. 03:05 Our little bobs, Jay Melesh 03:06 was about a month and a half old. 03:09 And so I was looking forward to getting out 03:12 and being on this jet ski. 03:13 So anyway, we get up in the morning 03:15 and everything seems to be hunky dory and all good. 03:19 And I head off with my neighbor and my brother-in-law happens 03:22 to be visiting us as well. 03:24 He's from Brisbane. 03:25 Anyway we head off on the jet ski. 03:27 And before we head off, 03:29 I noticed my wife was a little bit cranky. 03:32 You know how you can just pick that up 03:34 that something's not right. 03:36 I just had the feeling. 03:37 I mean, I hadn't been married for long, 03:38 but I could pick up the vibes. 03:41 Anyway, she just didn't seem to be 03:43 in the best possible mood before Christmas. 03:45 I'm thinking what's up? Who knows? 03:47 Anyway, no time to discuss or worry about it now. 03:50 And so off I go jet skiing. 03:52 Anyway, I come home. 03:54 And when I come home, she greets me 03:57 and I've got a big smile on my face. 03:59 And I'm like, it was just amazing. 04:02 And she didn't even ask me how it was, 04:03 I was just telling her what it was like. 04:06 And the more I'm telling her how amazing this experience 04:09 was out in the lake jet skiing with my next door neighbor, 04:13 the crankier she is getting. 04:16 And I'm thinking you are just so jealous. 04:18 It's just so terrible. 04:20 Like, all you can do is think about yourself 04:23 and you're not even like thanking, 04:26 you know, you're not even thankful that he, 04:28 you know, I had a good time and like, what's up with that? 04:31 And anyway, finally she just couldn't help herself 04:34 and she said, "Well, I'm glad someone had a nice time today." 04:40 Emphasis on the today. 04:42 I can still hear those words ringing in my ears. 04:47 And all of a sudden it hit me like a bolt of lightning. 04:52 Talk about a storm. 04:56 I'm like, "Oh, happy birthday sweetie." 05:02 Let's just say, let's just say 05:06 I have never ever forgotten my wife's birthday again. 05:10 There's one sure way never ever 05:12 to forget your wife's birthday, Lionel. 05:15 And that is to forget it once, you'll never forget it again. 05:20 It's annoying. 05:21 I've got to set reminders for myself 05:24 because I forget things, 05:25 I forget when I'm supposed to take 05:28 the washing out of the washing machine 05:30 and put it up on the washing line. 05:32 And I just forget, but my wife's like, 05:35 you don't forget about your bike riding. 05:37 You don't forget about playing tennis, 05:38 but you happen to forget the washing 05:40 and putting it out on the line. 05:42 It's strange how we forget some things 05:44 and some things we don't. 05:45 Don't you think, ladies? 05:47 It's like I don't understand how it works, 05:49 but it just works. 05:50 Anyway, does God forget things? 05:53 Is God forgetful? 05:56 Does God need to set reminders? 05:59 No, He doesn't. Of course, He doesn't. 06:01 God doesn't forget anything. 06:03 So why this title? 06:05 Why this title, "Will God remember you?" 06:09 Well, before we unpack 06:11 this story from the book of Noah, 06:14 as we go to the very heart of the book of Noah 06:16 in this message, we need to do something very important 06:19 before we open up God's Scripture. 06:20 And what is that? 06:22 We need to pray. So let's do that right now. 06:24 Father in heaven, we ask and pray 06:26 that as we open Your Word together, 06:28 and we unpack a little more of this incredible, 06:34 relevant message of Noah for our day. 06:38 We pray that Your Holy Spirit will open our hearts 06:40 and our minds as we open Your Word 06:42 that we may be ready to receive what the Spirit has to say 06:46 to those who are living at the very close 06:49 of human history 06:50 awaiting the soon return of Jesus. 06:52 And we pray this in Jesus name, amen and amen. 06:56 Well, we are going to the story of Noah, 07:01 because of the significant words of Jesus 07:03 at the end of His sermon on... 07:05 At the end of His sermon, zeroing in on the signs 07:09 of His coming in Matthew Chapter 24, 07:12 Jesus shared these concluding words 07:15 that brings the signs to a climax. 07:18 And as we discovered in our last message, 07:20 apart from the gospel going to all the world, 07:23 the greatest sign I have discovered is the sign of Noah, 07:27 that will prepare people for the soon return of Jesus. 07:29 So let's go to scriptures. 07:31 If you have your Bibles, you may want to follow along 07:33 with me to Matthew Chapter 24. 07:37 Matthew Chapter 24. 07:38 And let's pick it up in verse 36. 07:41 Matthew 24:36, Jesus here is speaking regarding the days 07:47 that will proceed His coming, immediately proceed His coming. 07:50 Matthew 24:36. 07:52 "But of that day and hour no one knows, 07:54 not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." 07:57 And He's speaking of what event? 07:59 Speaking of the Second Coming. 08:01 So we cannot know the exact time 08:03 when Jesus will come, 08:04 but He goes on now. 08:07 "But as the days of Noah were, 08:10 so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 08:12 For as in the days before the flood, 08:14 they were eating and drinking, 08:15 marrying and giving in marriage, 08:17 until the day that Noah entered the ark, 08:19 and did not know until the flood came 08:21 and took them all away, 08:23 so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." 08:26 So Jesus here says, as it was in the days of Noah, 08:28 so it will be before I return. 08:30 And He repeats this message, according to Luke, 08:34 Luke actually taps into these words of Jesus in Luke 17. 08:39 And He also attaches the days of Lot. 08:42 So the days of Noah and the days of Lot 08:44 will be just as it will be before Jesus returns. 08:49 So we've discovered three all important points 08:53 regarding the days of Noah in the story of Noah. 08:56 And that is our main focus, although we will be taking 08:58 a look at the days of Lot as well, a little. 09:02 But the first thing we discover is that the story of Noah 09:04 clearly identifies earth's final generation, 09:08 according to the words of Jesus. 09:09 Secondly, the story of Noah enables us to know 09:13 and understand how we can be ready 09:15 when the Son of Man returns, 09:17 because Jesus following this passage in Matthew 24, 09:21 on this, on the days of Noah, He says, 09:22 watch and be ready, watch and be ready. 09:25 And thirdly, the story of Noah provides instruction 09:29 on how we can prepare others for Jesus' soon return. 09:33 And that is just so critical that we understand that. 09:36 It's not just about preparing ourselves. 09:40 But let me suggest that more importantly, 09:43 it's being used by God through His Holy Spirit 09:45 to prepare others for the soon return of Jesus. 09:49 For that is the message of John the Baptist 09:52 that needs to be repeated at the end of time. 09:55 What was John the Baptist's message? 09:57 To make ready a people who are prepared for what? 10:01 For the Lord's coming, for the first coming. 10:02 And you and I have been invited by God to be God's end time 10:07 John the Baptist generation to make ready of people 10:10 who are ready for the second coming of Jesus. 10:14 We discovered in our last message 10:15 that Noah found what in the eyes of the Lord? 10:18 Grace in the eyes of the Lord. 10:20 We discovered that Noah was a righteous man. 10:22 He was a just man. 10:24 He was a man who was blameless, who was perfect, 10:26 who was filled with integrity. 10:28 And ultimately he was a man who walked with who? 10:31 He walked with God, 10:33 and He followed God in everything that God said. 10:36 He was a faithful man. 10:38 And because of his faithfulness, 10:40 God rewarded him in the salvation 10:43 of his entire family, his wife, his sons, his three sons, 10:48 and their wives, eight people in all were saved. 10:53 As I was going through the story of Noah in the Bible, 10:57 in the Bible, because there is another story of Noah 11:00 out there that sadly, the majority of people 11:05 would be more familiar with 11:06 than the biblical story of Noah, 11:08 when it comes to people living in Australia. 11:11 There was a movie back in 2014, 11:14 that was put out by Hollywood on Noah, 11:18 Noah is the title, I just watched the trailer. 11:21 And that was enough. 11:23 There was enough, 11:25 a story from Hollywood on Noah, the story of Noah 11:31 that was so horribly massacred, 11:36 from what the real truth is. 11:39 And so we want to go to what the story of Noah is 11:41 in Scripture, in Holy Scripture, 11:43 these four chapters, 11:44 chapter 6, 7, 8, and 9 are powerful. 11:49 And they encourage us with a message 11:52 that is so relevant for our time, 11:54 I cannot begin to help you understand 11:58 how relevant it is, you'll need to keep watching. 12:01 And you'll need to keep coming along 12:03 and finding that out. 12:05 But as I was going through my Bible, 12:07 and I bought a new Bible, 12:09 I bought this Andrews Study Bible, 12:11 which I have here in my hand, 12:13 as I was going through and reading my new Bible, 12:15 I was in the story of Noah there, 12:17 and I discovered something that I had never seen 12:20 before in the story of Noah. 12:22 And that is that the story of Noah 12:25 is written with a focal point. 12:27 It's written with a bull's eye, so to speak. 12:31 It's written in clastic form. 12:33 Now what is a classism or what is clastic form? 12:37 It's simply where the main message of the story, 12:42 the key point is found where? 12:45 In the middle, just as in a bull's eye. 12:47 So that's probably the best way to describe it. 12:50 So we're going to go to the very bull's eye 12:53 of the story of Noah, 12:54 the very heart of the story of Noah. 12:57 So let me share with you from the Andrews Study Bible, 13:00 what I've discovered here in the notes, 13:02 very, very powerful stuff 13:04 when it comes to will God remember you, 13:07 that's our subject for today. 13:09 Notice what we discover. 13:11 We discover God's faithfulness 13:15 is the very heart of the flood story. 13:18 Let me repeat that. 13:20 God's faithfulness to Noah 13:22 is the very heart of the flood story. 13:25 Notice how the story is composed. 13:27 We have it here from the Andrew Study Bible 13:30 here in the notes from Genesis Chapter 6, 13:35 all the way through to Genesis Chapter 8, 13:37 just the overall structure of the story of Noah 13:41 in the Book of Genesis. 13:43 Firstly, at the top of the story, 13:47 we have Noah's righteous character in a violent context. 13:50 We looked at that in our last message, 13:52 and we're going to look at it once again. 13:54 We have the book end to that in 8:20-22. 13:59 Noah sacrifices this righteous man. 14:02 Secondly, we have God instructs Noah to build an ark, 14:06 and the remnant enters the ark. 14:09 Second last, in this passage of the story, 14:11 we have God instructing Noah to leave the ark. 14:14 Thirdly, the beginning of the deluge. 14:17 Then we have the waters dry up, then we have the waters rise, 14:22 and then we have the waters received. 14:25 Now guess what's right there, 14:27 smack bang in the middle of the story? 14:30 The words in Genesis 8:1, 14:32 which read and God did what? 14:36 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing 14:40 and all that, and all the animals 14:43 that were with him in the ark. 14:45 The very heart of the story is that God remember Noah, 14:50 when it comes to, 14:51 when it comes to the time element 14:53 that we find in the Noah story. 14:55 It's also fascinating to find what's at the very heart 14:58 of the time element in the story. 15:00 Notice these words, once again, Andrew Study Bible 15:02 gives these wonderful, gives this wonderful insight. 15:06 We have seven days of waiting for the rain, 15:09 followed by seven days of waiting 15:11 to send the second bird toward the end of the story. 15:14 We have seven days of waiting for the flood, 15:16 followed by seven days of waiting to send 15:18 the first bird at the tail end. 15:20 We have 40 days of the flood, 15:23 then we have 40 days of waiting for dry land. 15:26 We have 150 days of the water rising in Genesis 7:24. 15:31 And in Genesis 8:3, we have 150 days of waters decreasing. 15:36 Guess what's at the very heart 15:38 of that particular part of the story? 15:41 And God remembered Noah, and God remembered Noah. 15:46 God's faithfulness to Noah 15:48 is the very heart of the flood story. 15:51 So I go to Google, you know about Google, 15:55 if you've been to Google. 15:56 So I go to Google, 15:58 and I googled the story of Noah, 16:01 and thee in Wikipedia, 16:03 I find an individual 16:05 by the name of 16:10 Gordon Wenham. 16:12 And he is the one who originally 16:15 put this clasm together, I discovered. 16:18 And notice what we have here. 16:20 It's a little, it's a little small, 16:22 because we needed to fit it all in on one screen. 16:25 But this is Gordon Wenham. 16:28 And this clastic structure of the Genesis flood narrative. 16:32 He's got the four chapters here lined up, 16:34 but he's missing two elements, 16:36 he's missing the first bookend and the second 16:39 and the last bookend of the story. 16:41 Now I'm going to get to that at the end. 16:43 That's going to be Danny's contribution to the clasm 16:45 So you'll get to that at the end. 16:46 But notice what he has here. 16:49 He has Noah and his sons, Genesis 6:10. 16:53 And at the back end, we have Noah and his sons once again. 16:56 We have all life on earth, all life on earth. 17:01 We have the curse on the earth, 17:03 we have the blessing on the earth. 17:05 We have the ark, the ark, 17:08 we have all living creatures mentioned, 17:10 all living creatures again, we have the flood, 17:12 the flood, animals in man's hand, 17:14 animals in man's hand. 17:16 We have entry into the ark, exit from the ark, 17:19 waters increase, waters decrease, 17:24 mountains covered, mountains visible. 17:27 Wow. 17:30 Just when you thought 17:32 it could not get any more amazing. 17:34 And what's at the very heart of the story, 17:37 no prizes for guessing this third time. 17:39 It is what? 17:40 God remembered Noah. 17:43 And you know what? 17:45 There is a little more to the story. 17:47 And I have been, I have been digging into this story like 17:51 I have never done before. 17:53 And I have discovered things 17:55 as we're going to discover in this six part series 17:57 that just blew me out of the water, 18:00 absolutely blew me out of the water. 18:04 As I was reading this story, unlike even Gordon Wenham 18:09 he begins in Genesis 6:10. 18:13 And he ends in Genesis 9:19. 18:18 But that's not the beginning 18:19 and that's not the very end of the Noah story. 18:21 Because the Noah story begins in Genesis Chapter 6 18:25 and verse what? 18:26 Verse 1, and the Noah story ends 18:29 in Genesis Chapter 9. 18:31 And let me tell you now as I look at it in my Bible, 18:35 Genesis 9:29. 18:40 So it ends in Genesis 9:29. 18:42 So what do we have at the very beginning 18:44 and what do we have at the very end? 18:46 And I just read the passages and you can do that too. 18:49 I asked my friend Joel, is it possible, 18:51 he's the one that put these graphics together. 18:53 He's done a fantastic job, a job Joel, 18:57 a fantastic job, Joel. 19:00 Not a fantastic job, job. 19:03 He's done a fantastic job. 19:05 And I'm like, Joel, 19:06 can we sneak this Danny contribution 19:10 into the clasm and he goes, no way, nobody will see it. 19:13 But if you go home 19:14 and you take a look at the first 19:16 eight verses of Genesis Chapter 6, 19:19 you'll discover that there is a distinction 19:21 between two lines. 19:23 There is the unfaithful and the faithful. 19:25 We looked at that in our last message, didn't we? 19:27 The sons of God and the daughters of men. 19:30 You have Noah who is faithful to God 19:32 who finds grace in the eyes of the Lord, 19:34 and sadly, those who refuse God's grace, 19:37 that's at the beginning. 19:38 What do we have at the end of the story? 19:40 We have Noah's three sons and Noah, 19:45 Noah sadly. 19:47 We don't know how it came to me but he planted a vineyard. 19:50 That's not a big deal, but he got drunk. 19:52 Okay, that happens from time to time, doesn't it? 19:56 We don't know how it happened. 19:58 The Bible doesn't tell us but he got drunk. 20:01 One of his sons, Ham went in 20:04 and saw his father drunk and naked. 20:08 And it appears from the text 20:09 that he made fun of his father 20:12 before his other brothers, Shem and Japheth. 20:16 Where as Shem and Japheth, 20:18 they didn't think it was funny at all. 20:20 The Bible says they went in backwards, backwards. 20:24 And they covered their naked father's body, 20:28 so that he would not be ashamed. 20:31 And so we have, we have Hem being cursed 20:37 through his son Canaan. 20:39 And we have Shem and Japheth being blessed. 20:44 Two lines at the beginning, 20:46 two lines at the end of the story. 20:48 Your choice, whose line you will be in. 20:52 Your choice and my choice whether we will receive 20:54 the blessing of God, or sadly, the opposite. 20:58 So it's right there all the way 21:00 through from the beginning of Genesis Chapter 6, 21:02 to the end of Genesis Chapter 9. 21:04 Now is that incredible? Amen. 21:06 That is absolutely incredible. 21:08 All right, we press on God's faithfulness, I repeat, 21:12 God's faithfulness to Noah is at the very heart 21:16 of the story of the flood, 21:18 very heart of the story of the flood. 21:22 Now, what's fascinating to me, 21:25 is that not only 21:28 is God's faithfulness to Noah 21:31 at the very heart of the Noah story, 21:34 but as we'll discover now, what's at the very heart 21:38 of the story of Lot is, guess what? 21:42 The faithfulness of God. 21:45 The faithfulness of God, 21:46 don't ever forget that for one moment. 21:49 Folk, those of you who are watching, 21:51 don't ever forget that God's faithfulness 21:54 always precedes your faithfulness, 21:57 my faithfulness, our faithfulness. 22:01 We can only be faithful to God because of His faithfulness. 22:05 He gives us the gift of faithfulness, it's a gift. 22:08 I don't have it. 22:09 I told you the story earlier on to begin this message 22:13 of how I'm faithful, I mean, 22:15 just remembering my wife's birthday, 22:18 little like anything else. 22:21 God's faithfulness always precedes 22:25 the faithfulness that He invites 22:27 in those that accept 22:28 His grace always. 22:32 Jesus went on in Luke, 22:34 after talking about the days of Noah, 22:37 and this is what he said, even as it was 22:41 or "Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot... 22:45 Even so will it be in the day 22:47 when the Son of Man is revealed." 22:49 So let's take a look at the story of Lot 22:51 one brief moment. 22:53 It says in Genesis 19:29, 22:58 "And it came to pass, 22:59 when God destroyed the cities of the plain, 23:01 that God did," what? 23:03 "He remembered Abraham," there's that word again, 23:06 "and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, 23:10 when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt." 23:13 They are Sodom and Gomorrah. 23:16 So before God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah 23:20 and the cities of the plain, what did He do? 23:24 He remembered Lot and his family, 23:27 through the faithfulness of Abraham, 23:30 and Lot also who was faithful to God. 23:33 According to Peter... 23:35 According to Peter, 2 Peter Chapter 2, 23:37 he tells us very clearly that Lot was faithful to God, 23:41 he was a righteous man also. 23:43 Lot was someone who, who was grieved in his heart 23:48 to see the wickedness, 23:49 the immorality that was pervasive, 23:53 was pandemic in the cities of Sodom 23:56 and Gomorrah, where he lived. 23:57 He was a righteous man, the Bible says. 23:59 Let's never forget that. 24:00 He made the wrong choice, indeed, 24:03 to head toward and then into the city of Sodom, 24:06 but he was a righteous man. 24:09 He was a faithful man. 24:10 Notice what we read in Genesis 30:22, 24:13 where this term remembered appears again. 24:16 "Then God remembered Rachel, 24:18 and God listened to her and opened her womb." 24:20 Rachel, she's, she was the favorite wife of Jacob, 24:25 the favorite wife of Jake. 24:27 And God remembered her, and he opened up her womb. 24:31 So what is the key message 24:33 when God remembers His faithful people? 24:35 Here it is. 24:36 When God remembers His faithful people, 24:39 He stands up for them, 24:40 He stands by His promises and He places His arms 24:44 of protection around them. 24:45 And God does what to His people? 24:48 He delivers His people, don't forget this. 24:52 When God remembers you, He will deliver you. 24:57 So what are you experiencing right now? 25:00 Are you experiencing some very difficult 25:02 and challenging moments? 25:04 You too can call out to God, you too can cry out to God, 25:09 and He has promised that He will remember you. 25:11 And by remembering you, He will deliver you, 25:14 He will deliver you. 25:17 2 Peter Chapter 2. 25:20 Here we have Peter describing this deliverance 25:25 from God in these words. 25:26 2 Peter 2:4-6, "God did not spare the ancient world, 25:32 but saved Noah, one of eight people, 25:35 a preacher of righteousness, 25:36 turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes." 25:40 Goes on, and did what? 25:43 "And delivered righteous Lot... 25:45 the Lord knows how to do," what? 25:47 "How to deliver the godly out of temptations 25:50 and to reserve the unjust under the punishment 25:53 for the day of judgment. 25:55 Does God know how to deliver His people? 25:59 Yes, He does. 26:00 God knows how to deliver His people. 26:03 When His people are in slavery, 26:06 they are in bondage in Egypt, 26:09 God comes to them in their time of need, 26:12 in their time of suffering and sorrow. 26:14 And notice what Moses writes in the Book of Exodus. 26:18 Exodus 2:23-25 we read these words. 26:22 "Now it happened in the process of time 26:26 that the king of Egypt died. 26:28 Then the children of Israel groaned 26:30 because of the bondage, 26:31 and they cried out, and their cry came up to God 26:34 because of the bondage." 26:35 We keep reading. 26:38 "So God heard their groaning, and God," did what? 26:42 "He remembered His covenant with Abraham, 26:44 with Isaac, and with Jacob." 26:46 In verse 25, "And God looked upon the children of Israel, 26:50 and God," did what? 26:52 "He acknowledged them." 26:56 Do you find yourself in bondage? 27:00 I'm not talking about physical bondage necessarily. 27:06 There is a far greater, a far more dangerous 27:12 and deadly bondage than physical bondage. 27:16 And that is spiritual bondage. 27:19 For Paul says, "We do not wrestle 27:21 against flesh and blood, but against," what? 27:23 "Against principalities and powers, 27:25 and the rulers of darkness of this age." 27:30 God wants to set us free 27:33 from whatever slave device 27:37 or devices the enemy may have wrapped around us like 27:40 a ball and chain. 27:43 Wherever you are, my friend, whatever your experience, 27:46 I want to encourage you to cry out to Jesus. 27:51 Just like the children of Israel, 27:52 who cried out in their time of suffering, 27:56 and bondage, and God remembered 27:58 and He heard and He acknowledge and He saved them. 28:03 So too God wants to save you 28:05 from the taskmaster, the one whose aim 28:10 is only to steal, kill and destroy, 28:14 as John 10:10. 28:15 And his name is what? 28:17 Satan, the devil and Satan. 28:19 Jesus wants to offer you what? 28:21 He wants to offer us, John 10:10, the abundant life. 28:24 Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life 28:27 that they may have it," what? 28:29 "More abundantly." 28:30 This story of Noah 28:32 at the very heart of the story of Noah 28:34 is freedom, its release from the bondage 28:38 from the ball and chains 28:40 that the enemy has placed around us. 28:44 That's God's plan. 28:46 That's God's will. 28:47 And Jesus, in His words, "As it was in the days of Noah, 28:53 so it will be before I come," 28:55 gives us the promise, the unassuming promise 28:58 that if you and I put our faith and trust in Him, 29:03 He will set us free. 29:05 For Jesus came to do what? 29:07 To set the captives what? 29:09 Free, He said, "I've come to set the captives free." 29:14 The story of Noah gives us so much encouragement, 29:17 that there is hope, hope to be set free 29:20 from whatever bondage we may be in. 29:25 When it comes to... 29:26 When it comes to God remembering 29:29 and His people forgetting is probably no clearer example 29:32 than in the Book of Judges. 29:34 Notice what we read in Judges 8:33-34, 29:39 "So it was, as soon as Gideon was dead, 29:43 that the children of Israel again played the harlot 29:45 with the Baals, and made Baal-Berith their god. 29:50 Thus the children of Israel did not remember 29:53 the Lord their God, who had," done what? 29:56 "Who had delivered them from the hands 29:57 of all their enemies on every side." 30:01 It's a sad reality, 30:03 that although God remembers His people, 30:06 and He stands up for them, and He delivers them, sadly, 30:10 His people, and I count myself as part of that group, 30:14 we far often, more often than we'd like to admit 30:19 or even acknowledge. 30:22 We do not remember the Lord our God, 30:26 who has delivered us. 30:28 I don't know about your prayers, 30:30 but my prayers far too often more often than 30:35 I would want are about me, me, me, 30:40 and my focus and what my needs are, 30:43 rather than praising God, 30:46 thanking God, lifting up His wonderful name, 30:51 and acknowledging Him for all of the deliverances 30:55 that I have received in my life. 30:59 Maybe it's, maybe it's time to do more praise 31:04 than petition. 31:06 Nothing wrong with petitioning God's throne of grace, 31:08 we're invited to do that. 31:10 But maybe it's time to spend a little bit more time 31:13 in praising God for His wonderful deliverances. 31:18 I repeat, "When God remembers and delivers His people, 31:22 He pours out His grace, mercy, longsuffering and forgiveness." 31:27 And that is why the Bible says in Genesis 6:8. 31:32 Genesis 6:8, 31:37 "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." 31:43 Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. 31:48 As we pointed out earlier, Lot also found grace 31:52 in the eyes of the Lord. 31:55 And you and I today can find grace in the eyes of the Lord. 32:01 Noah and Lot, they both lived in societies 32:06 that were plagued with evil, with immorality, 32:12 with violence, with wickedness, with corruption, 32:16 and if I've missed out anything else, 32:18 you can fill in the blank. 32:22 But because of God's grace, they were able to live 32:27 a holy and a righteous life. 32:31 How is that possible? 32:33 How is that possible to be immersed, 32:36 to be marinated if I could use that word, 32:39 to be marinated in such immorality, 32:43 in such wickedness, in such evil? 32:45 How is it possible to live in such a society 32:50 and remain pure, remain holy, remain righteous, 32:55 remain true and faithful to God? 32:57 How on earth is that possible? 33:00 How? 33:01 It's impossible from a human point of view, isn't it? 33:04 There's only one way. 33:06 And it's the, it's the promise that we find 33:09 in the words of the Apostle Paul, 33:11 one of my favorite promises. 33:14 And it's in Romans 5:20. 33:17 Romans 5:20 where the Apostle Paul writes, 33:21 "Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound." 33:25 But these words are worth memorizing. 33:28 "But where sin," did what? 33:31 "Abounded, grace abounded much more." 33:34 Wow. 33:36 Where there is sin, there is more grace. 33:40 Why is that? 33:41 Because the most powerful force in the universe 33:44 is not wickedness. 33:45 It's not evil. 33:47 It's not sin in all its forms. 33:51 But the most powerful force, 33:53 the most powerful force in the universe is what? 33:56 God's love. 33:59 God's love, because God is what? 34:02 God is love. 34:04 God is love. 34:06 And that is why where sin abounds, 34:08 God's grace abounds so much more. 34:11 Noah was a man who received God's grace, 34:15 He was a man who received God's righteousness. 34:19 And the Bible says 34:20 he was a preacher of righteousness. 34:23 Back to the words of 2 Peter, 34:25 2 Peter 3:9-10. 34:30 Noah preached concerning a storm 34:32 and Peter picks up on these words and reminds us 34:35 for those of us who are living at the end of time. 34:38 2 Peter 3:9-10, and verses 17 and 18. 34:42 This is what it says, 34:44 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, 34:46 as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, 34:49 not willing that," what? 34:50 "Any should perish but that," 34:52 how many should come to repentance? 34:54 "That all should come to repentance." 34:56 He goes on in verse 10, 34:57 "But the day of the Lord will," do what? 35:00 "It come as a thief in the night, 35:02 in which the heavens will pass away 35:04 with a great noise, 35:05 and the elements will melt with fervent heat, 35:08 both the earth and the works 35:10 that are in it will be burned up." 35:13 It will take place, once again, 35:15 this world will come to an end, 4,500 years ago 35:20 or so this world was destroyed by what? 35:23 A flood of water. 35:26 The Bible tells us at the end, this world will be cleansed, 35:29 sin will be cleansed forevermore 35:32 by a flood of what? 35:34 A flood, a fire, a flood of fire. 35:36 And then Peter gives an appeal, he gives an appeal 35:40 to those who are reading his epistle. 35:43 And that's us today, we are reading 35:45 this in the context of the Second Coming. 35:47 And notice his appeal verses 17 and 18. 35:51 He goes on, he says, "You therefore, beloved, 35:54 since you know this beforehand," 35:56 we have been given a heads up, the ultimate heads up, 35:59 "since you know this beforehand, 36:01 beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness," 36:05 or faithfulness, "being led away with the error 36:08 of the wicked, but grow in," what? 36:13 "Grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord 36:16 and Savior Jesus Christ. 36:17 To Him be the glory both now and forever. 36:20 Amen." Amen. 36:23 So what is Peter here saying? 36:25 You don't need to read between the lines 36:27 to understand what he's saying. 36:29 What Peter is saying, my dear friend? 36:31 He's saying that as sin abounds, 36:35 as wickedness abounds and grows exponentially, 36:38 and we are seeing that, we are experiencing that. 36:42 And in our fourth presentation, 36:44 when we take a look at crumbling foundations, 36:46 we will get an insight into the days of Noah. 36:50 And what is happening today, 36:52 the parallels are just out of this world, literally. 36:57 But as sin abounds, you and I are invited by God 37:02 to grow in what? 37:05 To grow in grace, grow in grace. 37:10 The truth is that the darker, 37:15 something is the darker a room, 37:18 the darker a space, the brighter is the light, 37:22 when it is shone, 37:24 when it is shone into that darkness, 37:25 isn't that right? 37:27 We are living in a dark sin filled world. 37:32 And God is looking for people who will take on board 37:37 the invitation of Jesus to be a light in the world. 37:43 If ever God needed a light, it's today. 37:46 Because you and I we are, 37:48 we are all living in the days of what? 37:51 We're living in the days of Noah, that is our day. 37:55 I repeat, if you have any doubts 37:57 that we are living in the days of Noah, 37:59 stay tuned, stay tuned. 38:03 In the next four presentations, in particular the next two, 38:07 we're going to discover how close we are indeed 38:10 to the coming of Jesus as we compare our day 38:12 to the day of Noah. 38:16 Another storm is coming, make no mistake about that 38:20 for over 200 years now since 1798, 38:23 we have been living in the time of the end, 38:25 as the Bible refers it, the time of the end. 38:29 And ever since 1844, 38:32 we have been living in earth's final judgment hour. 38:37 No time to unpack those two time prophecies 38:41 and the significance of them, maybe on another occasion. 38:46 But we are literally living at the very end of human history. 38:50 We are right there at the end. 38:53 We're right at the end, another storm is coming. 38:56 There is only safety to be found in one. 38:59 And that one is, His name is what? 39:02 Jesus. 39:04 His name is Jesus. 39:05 Because let's not forget what the angel said to Joseph, 39:10 "You will call His name Jesus." 39:13 And I'm going off the top of my head. 39:15 I think it's Matthew 1:21. 39:17 It's not up on the screen, Matthew 1:21. 39:20 You will call His name Jesus because Jesus means, 39:23 He will do what? 39:25 He will save His people from their sins. 39:29 Jesus is our only Savior. 39:32 Just like there was only one way to be saved 39:34 in the days of Noah, only one way to be saved 39:37 and that was to enter willingly into the ark 39:42 when Noah gave his final appeal and said, 39:44 "Come, come, come into the ark." 39:48 Only those who were inside the ark, 39:50 though it was smelly. 39:53 I can hardly imagine the smell, 39:56 but it was the only place of safety. 39:59 It's not going to be all that easy for those 40:02 that seek to remain faithful to God in the end, 40:05 but guess what? 40:07 I would rather be in a smelly ark with God, 40:11 than in the fresh air of those who are worshipping 40:16 at Satan's throne that will ultimately be destroyed. 40:21 We are heading very quickly to what the Bible refers 40:25 to as the final time of trouble 40:29 such as this world has never witnessed 40:31 or experienced in all of its history. 40:35 We are heading very quickly to that time. 40:38 So the question is, will God remember His people? 40:43 As He did in the days of Noah, 40:45 will He once again remember His people 40:47 during earth's final crisis, 40:50 when all hell breaks loose, literally? 40:55 Notice what God promises in the Book of Daniel, 40:58 the Book of Daniel 12:1. 41:01 We read these words, "At that time Michael," 41:04 which is another name for Jesus Christ, 41:07 or the name means one who is like God. 41:10 "At that time, Michael, shall stand up, 41:12 the great prince who stands 41:14 watch over the sons of your people, 41:16 and there shall be a time of trouble, 41:17 such as never was since there was a nation, 41:20 even to that time. 41:22 And at that time," writes Daniel, 41:23 "your people shall be," what? 41:26 "Delivered, everyone 41:27 who is found written in the book." 41:28 Once again, God's deliverance coming through, 41:31 as God delivered Noah and his family, 41:34 as God delivered Lot and his family. 41:37 Those who chose from his family to join him. 41:40 So too God at the end of time will deliver His people, 41:43 everyone who is found written in the book. 41:46 Now in the Bible, 41:48 there are at least two different books 41:51 that I've come across. 41:53 One of the books interestingly is called, guess what? 41:57 We read it Malachi 3:16-18, 42:01 the last book of the Old Testament. 42:03 Notice these words. 42:04 Malachi 3:16-18, 42:07 "Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, 42:10 and the Lord listened and heard them, 42:12 so a book of," what? 42:14 "A Book of Remembrance," can you believe it? 42:17 That word is there again, "A book of remembrance 42:20 was written before Him for those who," do what? 42:23 "Fear the Lord, and who meditate on His," what? 42:26 "On His name." 42:28 This is, this sounds like Noah, this sounds like Lot. 42:30 Let's keep reading, verse 17, "They shall be Mine," 42:35 says the Lord of hosts, 42:36 "On the day that I make them My jewels. 42:38 And I will," do what? 42:40 "I will spare them as a man spares," 42:43 or delivers, "his own son who serves him." 42:47 Will God have a book of remembrance 42:50 at the end of time? 42:52 Yes, He will. 42:54 And who will be placed in that Book of Remembrance? 42:57 All those like Noah that have chosen to follow God, 43:03 that have chosen to be loyal to God, 43:05 that have chosen to give their hearts to Jesus Christ 43:09 in full surrender, they will be remembered, 43:13 they will be remembered, and they will be delivered. 43:17 There is also another book, that is the companion book, 43:23 may I suggest to the Book of Remembrance, 43:27 and it's called the Book of Life, 43:29 the Book of Life. 43:30 Notice these words from the Apocalypse. 43:33 This time, we go from the last book 43:35 of the Old Testament 43:37 to the last book of the New Testament. 43:40 It's an interesting parallel, isn't it? 43:43 Revelation 3:5, "He who overcomes," 43:47 these are the words of Jesus. 43:49 "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, 43:52 and I," this is Jesus speaking, 43:54 "and I will not blot out his name from the," what? 43:57 "From the Book of Life, but I will confess his name 44:01 before My Father and before His angels. 44:04 "There is a Book of Remembrance, 44:06 and there is a Book of Life. 44:08 And God's plan, my friend for you and for me, 44:11 for all of us, is that we find our names 44:15 in the Lamb's Book of Life. 44:17 And that's exactly how Revelation 13:8 44:21 refers to this Book of Life. 44:23 Notice these words, 44:25 "All who dwell on the earth will worship him, 44:28 whose names have not been written in the Book of Life 44:32 of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." 44:35 There's only going to be two sides at the end of time, 44:39 just as there were two sides, two groups in the days of Noah, 44:44 two groups in the days of Lot, there will likewise 44:47 be two groups at the end of time. 44:51 One group will have their names written 44:54 in the Lamb's Book of Life. 44:57 They've accepted the grace that Jesus Christ alone 45:02 can impart, they have received that, 45:05 they have received God's Holy Spirit. 45:08 And they have chosen 45:09 through the power of the Holy Spirit 45:11 like Noah, like Lot, like all of God's faithful 45:14 men and women down through the ages, 45:15 they have chosen to be faithful to God, 45:20 no matter what the cost, 45:21 no matter what the consequences, 45:23 no matter what anyone says, or anyone does. 45:26 Their only interest has been, what does God say? 45:32 What is God's plan for my life? 45:34 What is God's will for my life and that by His grace 45:37 is all I want to do, is all I want to do. 45:42 In Luke 10:20, Jesus said, 45:47 "Rejoice because your names are written in heaven." 45:52 Rejoice because your names are written in heaven. 45:58 What a beautiful promise. 46:01 What a beautiful invitation to have your name written 46:06 in the books of heaven. 46:08 Rejoice. 46:09 So Christians, those who are faithful to Jesus, 46:14 those who choose Jesus to be their Lord and Savior, 46:17 they ought to be the most joy filled individuals 46:20 on the planet. 46:21 Amen? 46:23 And yet, many a time we walk around, 46:27 like we have swallowed 46:28 a whole bunch of lemons for breakfast. 46:31 Isn't that right? 46:32 That's how we look. 46:34 I've seen it on a Saturday morning, 46:36 as I've gone up to preach to my beautiful congregation, 46:40 and I look out and if they're not sleeping, 46:43 many of them look like they've swallowed 46:44 a bunch of lemons for breakfast. 46:47 When we're singing, hallelujah, praise the Lord, 46:49 rejoice in the Lord always. 46:51 We're not singing with joy on our countenances, 46:55 as we ought to. 46:57 And why ought do we, why are we be a joyful people? 47:02 Because our names, according to Jesus, 47:05 are written in heaven in the Lamb's Book of Life, 47:09 in the Book of Remembrance. 47:12 We can have the assurance if we have Jesus in our hearts, 47:15 and in our lives, we can have the assurance today, today... 47:23 That we have salvation, 47:26 not through anything we do, but through Jesus Christ, 47:30 and His merits. 47:35 So as we seek to land, 47:40 God gives an invitation for those 47:45 that want to be protected by Him 47:47 during this time of trouble, 47:48 such as the world has never seen. 47:51 And the parallel is striking with the days of Noah. 47:55 In Genesis 7:16 we read, "So those that entered," 48:00 the ark, "male and female of all flesh, 48:03 went in as God had," done what? 48:06 "Commanded him, and the Lord shut him in." 48:11 The Lord shut him in. The Lord shut Noah in. 48:15 The Lord sealed him. 48:18 He was sealed, he was saved. 48:19 Guess what? 48:20 At the end of time, we don't have time to go there. 48:24 But in Revelation Chapter 7, in Revelation Chapter 14, 48:28 we discover that God once again at the end of time seals 48:32 His people, He shuts them in by His grace. 48:38 And they can never ever be snatched 48:43 out of the nail scarred hands of Jesus Christ, 48:46 sealed and saved and delivered forevermore, 48:50 no matter what they may go through, 48:52 no matter what they may go through. 48:54 And it's going to be a difficult time. 48:55 Let's not kid ourselves, let's not kid ourselves. 48:58 It's going to be the most challenging time 49:01 that God's people will ever experience that time of trouble 49:04 such as never was not so much because of what God 49:09 is bringing into their lives, 49:10 but by what the enemy is bringing into their lives, 49:14 who is determined, hell bent 49:17 on somehow taking them away 49:22 from God. 49:25 Somehow, somehow encouraging them 49:30 to step away from the association 49:35 and clinging to Jesus. 49:38 It's going to be a tough time. 49:40 But we don't need to be afraid. 49:42 Because in Psalm 27:5, David writes, 49:47 "For in the time of trouble He," that is God, 49:51 "shall hide me in His pavilion, 49:53 in the secret place of His tabernacle 49:55 He shall hide me, 49:56 He shall set me high upon a rock." 49:59 And who is that rock? 50:01 Who is the ultimate rock in Scripture? 50:03 It's Jesus Christ. 50:05 Jesus Christ is the ultimate rock. 50:09 So no matter what comes your way, my way, 50:13 by God's grace and through His strength, 50:17 He will see us through to the other side. 50:20 He will see us through to the other side. 50:22 All you and I need to do today is cling 50:25 to those nail scarred hands. 50:27 Cling to the nail scarred hands of Jesus. 50:31 And He has promised 50:32 I will never leave you nor what? 50:34 Forsake you. 50:35 I will be with you always even till when? 50:38 The end of time. 50:39 Was God with Noah all the way through to the end? 50:43 Yes. 50:44 Was God with Lot all the way through to the very end? 50:48 Yes. Did God deliver both Noah and Lot? 50:51 Yes. 50:52 Will God deliver His people at the end of time? 50:55 Yes, yes, yes, God will remember 50:59 His faithful people 51:00 who choose to be faithful to Him, because Jesus said, 51:03 "As it was in the days of Noah, 51:06 so it will be when I come again." 51:11 So it will be. 51:14 I want to share a couple more promises with you. 51:16 This one from Psalm 91:1-2, and 15-16. 51:22 This is an end time Psalm. 51:24 This is a Psalm, especially for those 51:27 that are going to live through the Great Tribulation, 51:31 or the most frightening time in human history, 51:33 the time of trouble, as Daniel described 51:35 that such as never was. 51:37 These are beautiful words worth memorizing this entire Psalm. 51:41 But let's just take a look at the two bookends of Psalm 91. 51:45 Beginning in verse 1 and 2, 51:46 "He who dwells in the secret place 51:48 of the Most High shall 51:49 abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 51:51 I will say of the Lord, 51:53 'He is my refuge and my fortress, 51:55 My God, in Him," I'll do what? 51:57 "I will trust.'" 51:59 And notice how the Psalm ends, verses 15-16. 52:04 "He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him, 52:06 I will be with him in trouble, 52:08 I will deliver him and honor him. 52:10 With long life I will satisfy him, 52:13 and I will show him," my what? 52:16 "My salvation." 52:18 Beautiful words of encouragement and promise. 52:21 Amen? 52:23 God says, "I'll deliver you, I will show you My salvation, 52:28 I will give you a long life." 52:30 And that long life ultimately is how long? 52:34 It's eternal. 52:35 It's eternal. 52:36 It's eternal. 52:39 In Isaiah 54:9-10, we read these words, 52:43 "For this is like the waters of Noah to Me, 52:46 For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah 52:48 would no longer cover the earth, 52:50 so have I sworn that I would not be angry with you, 52:53 nor rebuke you. 52:55 For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, 52:58 But My kindness shall not depart from you, 53:01 nor shall My covenant of peace," 53:04 there it is, the covenant of peace, 53:05 the covenant of grace, "'be removed,' 53:07 says the Lord, who has mercy on you." 53:12 So the question as we seek to end is this. 53:18 What must I do to have my name written 53:23 in the Book of Life, the Book of Remembrance, 53:27 the Lamb's Book of Life? 53:29 What must I do? 53:31 What must I do? 53:34 The answer to that question, there is no better place to go 53:39 than a hill called Calvary. 53:42 A hill called Calvary. 53:44 We're on that dark day 53:48 that today we refer to as Good Friday. 53:52 We're on that dark day, the creator of the world, 53:56 the creator of the universe. 54:00 He was there on that cross, hands outstretched, 54:05 nailed hands and feet. 54:08 And there were two individuals there by His side. 54:12 They both originally rebuked Him, 54:14 they both originally mocked Him, 54:17 and scoffed Him, 54:18 but one of them had a change of heart. 54:22 And these are his words to Jesus. 54:26 "Then he said to Jesus," that is one of those two 54:30 that were on either side of Jesus, 54:31 the two thieves or two criminals. 54:35 "Lord," do what? 54:37 "Remember me when You come into Your kingdom." 54:41 And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, 54:44 I say to you today, you will be with Me in paradise." 54:57 Is it your desire today to pray that prayer, 55:02 to call out to Jesus, 55:05 like that thief who had no hope? 55:08 You have no hope. 55:09 I have no hope, none of us have any hope without Jesus. 55:14 To cry out to Jesus, Lord, 55:18 here I am with my sin sick soul exposed before You, 55:23 You know me, remember me. 55:26 Remember me, Lord, when You come, remember me. 55:31 And the promise is to you as to that thief. 55:37 I'm promising you today. 55:39 I'm giving you the assurance today, 55:42 that I will indeed remember you when I come. 55:46 Assuredly I say to you, when I come, 55:50 no, when I might come, when I come, I will... 55:55 You will be with me in paradise. 55:57 You will be with me in paradise. 55:59 Hang on to Jesus. 56:01 Give Him your heart. 56:02 Give Him your all. 56:04 He will never let you down. 56:07 He will never let anyone down. 56:09 Today He's giving the invitation, 56:12 He's giving the invitation. 56:14 We are living in a day and age 56:16 when that final invitation is going out. 56:19 There was a final invitation 56:22 that Noah gave in His day. 56:26 There was a final invitation in the days of Lot. 56:30 And there is a final invitation today. 56:33 Jesus is inviting us. 56:35 He's inviting us to come, come into the ark, 56:38 the ark of safety that is Jesus Christ 56:41 and His salvation alone. 56:43 Won't you come? 56:44 Won't you come? 56:45 Let's pray together. 56:47 Father in heaven, we thank You for Jesus. 56:50 We thank You for the invitation that He gives to us to come. 56:54 We come as we are broken and sin sick. 56:59 And by His mighty grace, 57:01 by the power of His Holy Spirit, 57:03 He transforms us more and more day by day 57:07 into His perfect and beautiful image 57:10 from glory to glory. 57:11 O Father, we thank You for Jesus. 57:13 We thank You for His love. 57:15 We thank You for His mercy. 57:16 We thank You for His grace. 57:17 Today we come and we receive that, 57:21 not because we are worthy or deserving 57:23 but because of Jesus Christ and His worthiness 57:26 and His grace. 57:27 And we thank You in Jesus' name. 57:29 Everybody say amen. |
Revised 2021-08-20