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Sermon Series: The Story of Noah: “You’re Gonna Love It!”
November 3, 2024
Sermon Part 4A: “Loving Others First By Blindly Walking Backwards!”
The chorus of the great gospel hymn, entitled “Love Lifted Me” says: Love lifted me! Love lifted me! When nothing else could help Love lifted me. Love lifted me! Love lifted me! When nothing else could help Love lifted me.
I pray one day that every member of the Body of Jesus Christ becomes “Lifters of those who have committed sins.”
Good Morning Saints, and How Excellent is the Name of Jesus Christ, the Lord!
Introduction
There is an old adage that says, “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words.” This is evident in the story of Noah and his three sons, while he was in a state of intoxication from drinking too much wine from his vineyard.
Over the next two weeks, let’s see what lessons we can learn from this unfortunate episode in the life of Noah and his family, to help us grow deeper in our love-walk with Jesus Christ. There can be no moving forward in Jesus Christ, unless you are first willing to walk backwards, and cover the sins of your brother with the blood of Jesus Christ. Receive the engrafted Word of God with meekness, which is able to save your soul. (James 1:21)
Summary of the Episode of Noah and His Sons
Last week, we detailed the unhappy incident of Noah’s drunkenness described in Genesis 9:20–27. Here is a quick summary, and then I will share with you my perspective on the story; some of which I mentioned last week. In summary, the story goes that after the Flood, Noah became a farmer, planted a vineyard, and made wine. One day, Noah drank the wine and became drunk, and was “uncovered within his tent.” (Gen. 9: 21) Noah’s son Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his brothers outside the tent.
As shown in the picture of above, Shem and Japheth took a garment, and they laid it on both their shoulders and walked backwards, looking the other way so they would not see their father’s nakedness, and covered him with the garment. (Note: the picture shows it incorrectly done, with the sons holding the garment above their heads and looking the other way.)
In Christian Circles, many folks have taken from the Text, that Noah while intoxicated undressed himself and became naked. Thereafter, that Ham came into the tent and “saw” his father’s nakedness and went out and told his brothers about it. But, if we read the text closely, it does not say that Noah uncovered himself. Rather, it says that Noah was “uncovered” within his tent. You may need to read Verse 21 a few times to see it in a different light. This then leaves room for the possibility that someone else may have uncovered Noah. Today, and over the next few weeks, progressively, I will reveal more details of the uncovering of Noah that we must learn from, as we walk with God under the New Covenant.
Next, if we read Verse 24 closely, it makes clear that Noah did not undress himself. The Scripture says Noah “woke up from his wine, and “he knew what his younger son (Ham) had done to him.” The text does not say Noah knew what Ham had “said” about him to his sons. It says, Noah knew “what” the younger son had “done” to him. This makes clear that Ham was the one who uncovered his father. Let’s also make clear that Ham was not in his youth when he did this to Noah. The reference that Ham was Noah’s “youngest son” is only to identify him as the last born of Noah’s sons. At the time of the Flood, Ham was a grown man with a wife, and after the Flood he had children, Canaan being one of them. (Gen.7:7 & 10:6)
The Bible does not give us the specific details of “what” Ham did to Noah. But, Noah a Prophet of God, the Bible says “knew what Ham had done.” In the Spirit, God revealed to Noah “all” that Ham had done to him. Ham’s motives for doing evil, the actions he had taken in uncovering him, and afterwards, deceitfully telling of his drunkenness and nakedness to his other brothers.
Saints, do not forget that Noah walked with God (Meaning, in the Spirit, he walked up and down, to and fro, and arm and arm with God). (Gen. 6:8-9) Just because Noah got drunk (sinned) didn’t mean that God’s grace and Covenant Promises of blessing had disappeared and stopped flowing through his life. God’s grace was smeared on Noah before he sinned, during his sinning, and after he woke up from his drunken stupor! While Noah truly made a poor judgement in over indulging in wine that had profound negative consequences, he was still God’s Man! And, God’s anointed and prophets are not to be touched with evil or harmed. (Ps.105:15)
Also, as I noted last week, when the incident occurred, it appears likely that Ham’s son Canaan, (Noah’s grandson), was in the tent too. Instead of directly disciplining Ham for his actions, Noah pronounced a curse on Canaan and his descendants, that they would be the servants of Shem and Japheth. (Gen. 9:25-27)
Noah would not have spoken the curse against Canaan except that he had been involved in the incident. For the Scripture states that a “curse” cannot come, nor take effect without a cause. (Prov. 26:2) Also, the curse applied only to Canaan and his descendants, and not to Ham’s other children Cush, Mizraim, and Put. (Gen.10:6) Noah being a “just man” would not have singled out the curse on Canaan, if the evil work only involved Ham. (Gen. 6:9)
Furthermore, as noted before, from Leviticus Chapter 18, which is devoted to the avoidance of sexual immorality, the children of Israel were Commanded by God through Moses to abstain from the practices of Egypt where God had delivered them from, as well as the doings of the Canaanites. Among such practices were the uncovering of the nakedness of family members, starting with the father and mother were not to be uncovered. (Lev.18:8) Through a Bible Commentary last week, I demonstrated that Canaan was the ancestor of the line of Egyptians and Canaanites who Noah had prophesied would become the servants of the descendants of Shem and Japheth, and ultimately they were enslaved and destroyed.
Given what we are able to glean from Scripture, when we think about the salacious actions of Ham against his father, they stem from acting on “evil imaginations from his heart.” Ham went into his parents’ tent and saw his father drunken and passed out. In the “evilness of Ham’s heart,” he imagined his father completely uncovered, and then went about uncovering him.
In “Ham’s heart,” he also conceived an image, and acted on it, of telling his brothers of their father’s nakedness and drunkenness, apparently with the motive to embarrass and disgrace Noah. He hoped his brothers would see their father, the Holy man of God, lying there in the tent intoxicated and helpless. This perhaps in hopes of diminishing the brothers’ love and respect for Noah, and to see him in a different light; as less than perfect. Let me tell you Saints, if you don’t already know, God hates the sowing of discord among His people, as shown in Proverbs 6:12-19.
12 A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.
13 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
14 Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.
15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
Indeed, Ham was a son with very low character and esteem for his dad. While after the Flood, God had blessed all three sons and established His Covenant with them, Noah acting justly, could not reward Ham with his patriarchal blessing of inheritance as he gave to Shem and Japheth. Instead, Noah made no mention of Ham. (Gen. 9:25-29) From youth, children are to honor their fathers and mothers so that they might be blessed and have longevity in the earth. (Ex. 20:12 & Eph. 6:2-3) For sure, this episode was a tragic day in the life of Noah and his family; and would bear evil fruits within the generations to come.
Noah’s Episode from God’s Perspective
While this episode was an uncomfortable part of Noah’s life, it serves as a reminder that even those who are Anointed and Prophets of God are prone to attacks from Satan to do evil, from the “imaginations of man’s heart.” That is of course until Jesus Christ came, and God gave to us a “new heart” made of flesh, rather than a “heart of stone.” (Ezek. 36:26, Jer. 31:33, & Heb.8:10) More on this will be discussed in detail next week.
Nevertheless, Noah’s episode serves as a warning to born-again Christians about how, like in Noah’s case, “one” careless decision to become over indulged in the drinking of wine, can sully and damage the reputation of even the most godly person in the eyes of society, and in the eyes of Church folk too. About Satan, at I Peter 5:8, the Apostle Peter warned, as follows:
Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walketh about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
While being drunk with wine is a sin, it would behoove each of us to examine Noah’s weakness/fault from God’s perspective, and not our own. Too often within the Body of Christ, we learn of the sins, or perceived sins, committed by fellow Christians and rush to judge, condemn, and gossip to others about them. Just like Ham sowed discourse among his brothers.
All the while Christians refuse to pick up a mirror, of any size, to look within their own eye, to see the large beam therein. Sadly, it seems almost impossible these days to see Christians keep “bad news” about somebody else to themselves, and deal with it God’s way. In Matthew 7:1-3, Jesus warned that we are not to judge one another, as it has a way of coming back with worse consequences on the judge, than the accused.
Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
This was the case with Ham, as he lost his father’s blessing, and his descendants bore the curse of servanthood. We showed last week how the curse placed upon Canaan impacted his family line. When evil is sown it always yields a greater consumption of corruption. (Gal. 6:8)
As born-again Christians, if only we would devote our selves to seeing all things from God’s perspective (His Word), then we would have a much greater understanding about the nature of sin, how God views it in mankind, and then we would be more apt to deal with the sins of others perpetrated against us, and others, as God intends us to. Like Jesus Christ handled the sins of the woman caught in adultery, for whom others sought for Him to shame, judge, and condemn her to death by stoning. (John 8:10-12) But, Jesus forgave her and told her to go and sin no more.
Saints do not miss this. As mention before in this Series, God is the “Covenant making and keeping God,” for those who love Him to a thousand generations. (Deut. 7:9) Let’s now go back in the Bible prior to this sinful episode with Noah, just before God made an Everlasting Covenant with Noah and all of mankind. Turn to Genesis 8:20-21. After the Flood, once on dry land, the first thing Noah did was build an altar unto God. With a humble heart, Noah liberally offered sacrifices of every clean animal to God in thanksgiving for saving his family from the Flood. (Gen.8:20)
Noah worshiped God with his whole-heart, and God “smelled a sweet smelling savour.” The sacrifice of “Noah’s heart” to God was well pleasing to Him. Jesus Christ said that “God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.” (John 4:24)
When a “man’s heart” is completely open to God in worship of Him alone, as Noah’s was, God has free course to reveal the deep things of God; hidden truths to those who love Him. (I Cor.2:9-10) This is “Insider Information” that God imparts of blessing, knowledge, understanding, as well as chastening for the worshiper’s outcome of God-good in the earth. The Prophet David is recorded as saying at Psalm 51:6:
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Noah offered unfeigned love and worship to God. He worshipped the only Living God in truth, and in return within the “heart of Noah,” God made him to know wisdom (Insider Information). God shared the meditations of His heart with Noah; making an Everlasting Covenant with him and all of Mankind. Examine closely Genesis 8:21-22, and see all that God promised:
And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
The Everlasting Covenant, which God swore within Himself, assured, for mankind’s sake, that as long as the earth remained, God would not curse the ground again and destroy the earth by water. That there would be seedtime and harvest, four seasons, and night and day without ceasing. But look Saints, this is very important and most often missed in Christian Circles. God also said in His heart that the, “imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.”
Yes, this is also a part of the Everlasting Covenant that will not cease as long as the earth remains: “the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” Just as surely as we see the seasons change, night and day, and seed-time and harvest without ceasing; the imagination of “man’s heart” (inner-man, the spirit, soul, and mind of the soul) are evil from his youth.
Since the day Adam transgressed against God in the Garden of Eden, until the earth ends, every person born into this world has the “imagination of evil in their heart.” (Rom. 5:17) A lust that lies within the “heart of human beings” to imagine evil and ignited by thoughts from Satan, make humans prone to commit and practice sin. Within human beings is the nature to sin.
King David wrote at Psalm 51:5 that he was, “shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” This is the inner-truth about us all, and God wants us to acknowledge it from “our hearts.” Before Christ, “our sinful hearts” basked in the practice of evil, and we were in need of God, His love, and a Savior whose name is Jesus Christ. (John 3:16 & Rom. 5:8) For we are nothing without God!
As Noah worshipped before the altar, God the knower of men’s hearts, saw the deep things of “Noah’s heart,” and although loving, devoted, and well-intended to do good there was also lurking within Noah an evil imagination, as is the case in all people. While Noah was a just man who walked with and in God, he still had flaws that would make him prone to sin.
Though God hates evil, and sin is a stench in God’s nostrils, for the sake of Noah and all of Mankind, God’s love, mercy, and grace weighs heavier. In God’s meditation and pondering about Mankind, He had already prepared, from the foundations of the world, a solution for the problem of man’s sinful nature. (Titus 1:2) Thus, God said in His heart for “man’s sake,” that He would not destroy the earth again, as He had done with the Flood.
In revealing the Everlasting Covenant with Noah, God was not only giving a Prophetic Word about the spiritual condition of the “heart of Mankind,” but also the spiritual condition of “Noah’s heart,” and the “hearts” of his family members. God also was in effect warning Noah that in this new world in which he would walk with God, the whole earth had been blessed and fruitful unto him. But Noah also needed to be vigilant because sin was crouching at his door.
The seed is blessed, the land is blessed and will bring forth bountiful harvests, but the warning of God to Noah was that inside “his heart” there were evil imaginations that have the potential to influence him to do evil with the things he was blessed with. To use and abuse the things of the earth that were intended for his good and well-being.
Oh Saints, don’t you know every time God makes Covenant with a man and gives Commandments/Promises that the enemy Satan comes to steal, and to kill, and to destroy? He comes to pervert and turn wicked everything God has blessed. Satan did it with Adam, He did it with Noah, he tried to do it with Jesus Christ, and he tries to do it with you and me too. (John 10:10, Gen. 3:1-5, Matt. 4:3-4, & Mark 4:14-20) And, the wicked-one will continue to influence Mankind to sin against God, through the “imagination of the heart,” as long as the earth remains.
In our world today, we don’t have to wonder why there is so much political uprising, crime, murder, whore-mongering, violence, lying, and cheating. We don’t have to question why bad things happen to good people. It’s because the ways of a “man’s heart” is full of evil imaginations from youth. We can forget about the world, and its nations, forging everlasting peace accords, because evil in the “heart of man” will cause discord, division, and war to eventually breakout. The prophet Jerimiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer.17:9)
So, in the process of time, the Bible tells us in Chapter 9 of Genesis, that Noah, became a farmer, planted the vines and harvested the grapes in which he made wine from. Thereafter, Noah drank the wine. But as Noah drank the wine, it was an evil imagination from within “his heart” perpetrated by Satan, that tempted him to lose control and over indulge. Noah knew he was doing an evil/bad thing in getting drunk. For remember, Noah was a “Preacher of Righteousness,” who had the Spirit of Jesus Christ preach through him to the people of the earth, judged by God to be corrupted and full of violence. (I Pet 3:18-20, II Pet. 2:5, & Gen. 6:11)
Before the Flood, Noah knew well that over indulging in wine and frivolity were wicked, and not of God. You may ask, how could Noah know getting drunk of wine was wrong, as there is no record in Genesis, prior to the days of Noah, that people even made wine from grapes? But, remember what Jesus Christ said about what would be going on in earth at His Second Coming, recorded at Matthew 24:37-39. It reads:
37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Most likely, for most of Noah’s life, and certainly during the 120-years he was building the Ark, he had observed the people eating and drinking in wantonness, and preached repentance. He was fully aware of the dangers of drinking wine, as he saw the effects of intoxication on the people. Like no other character in the Bible, with the exception of Jesus Christ, Noah had enormous social pressure placed on him to conform to the ways of the people of his day. Surely at family and friendly gatherings and other times, Noah would have been exposed to, and offered, to drink wine and kick-back and enjoy the high-life. Instead, he resisted and walked with God. However, somewhere deep within the “heart” of Noah, he must have had the desire/longing to drink wine too.
The Bible does not tell us why Noah chose to plant a vineyard, nor why he chose to turn the grapes into wine. We are told, however, that when Noah consumed the wine, that he consumed so much that he got drunk and passed out in his tent. Studies have shown that most often, drunkenness results from a person’s desire to relieve and escape some type of stress, anxiety, or frustration in their life. For sure, Noah had gone through a tsunami of emotions: To have witnessed all of the people of the world, including his extended family and friends, and every living thing destroyed. To have survived the Flood with his family, which in my estimation with the exception of Jesus Christ Resurrection from the dead on the third-day, was the greatest miracle since the creation of Mankind. To spending more than a year in the Ark with only his family and the animals. To facing new pressures of an uncertain world in which he had to start a new civilization; having complete authority and dominion over the earth, and also with his family, having the responsibility for multiplying and replenishing the earth. Not even Adam faced these kinds of pressures!
Noah, though happy and overjoyed that God had spared his family from the Flood, Satan, most assuredly would have been tempting Noah daily while growing the vineyard, with fears of an uncertain future with God. So, Noah may have chosen to make wine of the grapes to perhaps help calm his fears and relax. The day Noah drank the wine, perhaps as he started drinking, he thought about his past experiences and the road ahead. The more he thought about his troubles, the more wine he consumed, until he became intoxicated and past out. While drinking, Noah yielded to the evil imagination of his “heart,” and may have said to himself something like, the “heck with it all let’s get drunk!” Proverbs 23:7 says, “as a man thinks in his heart so is he.” The spirit of fear, which comes from the devil had done its evil work within the “heart” of Noah. (II Tim.1:7)
Yep, Satan just tapped, and kept on tapping on a lust in Noah to drink wine and over indulge in it, until Noah conceived the sin in his heart and produced the harvest of drunkenness. James, the brother of Jesus Christ, described the process of how sin is sown in the “heart of man” and reaped; and as long as the earth remains this will be. James 1:14-16 states:
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren.
Simply put, when Noah drank the wine and got drunk and passed out, he erred. He lost vigilance, and listened and obeyed an evil imagination in his “heart” put there by Satan. Rather than keeping his mind on God, and the Covenant Promises of Blessings, he allowed negative emotions to carry him away. For just a little while he drifted from “God’s Word to his wine.” The very thing he preached so passionately against, he found himself indulging in it. This sin, opened the door for Satan to then use Ham to imagine and carryout the evil acts against Noah.
You see Saints, from God’s perspective, left to Mankind’s own devices, he is simply prone to sin because the “heart of man” produces evil imaginations. The “heart of man” will always produce evil from it, because it has been corrupted by sin due to the fall of Adam, and it is ruled by Satan. But, for man’s sake, God who is rich in love, mercy, and grace has blessed and preserved the earth until the Day of the Lord.
God was not in shock and awe when Noah sinned. In his omniscience, God knew he would sin, but was giving Noah the heads-up to watch out for the evil in his “own heart.” Because there would be seed-time and harvest. Whatever Noah would sow in his heart, good or evil, he would also reap it. Noah’s sin would have negative effects on many; his families’ well-being, the omission of the patriarchal blessing of his son Ham, and a curse put upon Canaan and his descendants.
In closing, from all of this we learn, first and foremost, that without God, “man” is helpless to prevent the imagination of evil within his “heart,” from producing the work of sin in his life. We also learn that when people commit sin, it only leads to more sinning. Noah’s drunkenness led to Ham’s sin of uncovering him, and deceitfully telling his brothers about his father’s drunkenness and nakedness in his tent. This in turn led Noah to pronounce a curse on Canaan and his descendants, some of which were even the children of Sodom and Gomora. We also can see from today’s Message that every person born into this world has a “heart” with evil imaginations, and until they become born-again Christians, are under the rule of Satan who entices them to commit sin and iniquity.
Now Saints, you may have noticed that throughout this Sermon, I have placed quotation marks around the word “heart,” the “heart of man” or “the imagination of the heart of man is evil from his youth.” I did this for special emphasis. Praise God, in Christ, we who believe in Him, have been given a “new heart.” Here is a news flash for you! In your “born-again heart,” (spirit, soul, and mind of the soul) there are no evil imaginations. In our hearts are only the imagination of “Good” works ordained by God before the world began. Checkout Eph. 2:10.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Our “born-again hearts,” have been made to follow after Jesus Christ. To walk in the good works of Christ. So answer me this. What was the first good work Jesus did for us? The answer is: He gave His life unconditionally on the cross for all of Mankind, walking backwards through the annals of time, from Adam to the last person who will be born into this world, Jesus covered and washed away the sins of the whole world. One time, for all times!
With unmerited, unlimited, and unconditional love and forgiveness God, through Jesus’s sacrifice reconciled the world to Himself. (II Cor. 5:18-19) Therefore as followers of Christ, in like manner to how Noah’s sons Shem and Japheth walked backwards and covered their father’s nakedness, we must first be willing to walk backwards to cover (forgive) the sins of our brothers and sisters, as well as Non-Christians whose hearts are dominated by Satan and evil imaginations. Yes, Saints to move forward in Christ, we must first be willing to walk backwards to forgive sin; to become, if you will Moon-Walkers for Jesus!
Next week, we talk about the blessing of walking backwards in Christ to move forward together with others. Amen for the preaching of the Word of the Living God!
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Sermon Series: Noah’s Story: “You’re Gonna Love It!”
October 27, 2024
Sermon Part 3: “Noah’s Faithfulness Released a Grace on Mankind That All in Christ Must Take Full Advantage of Today!”
Tell me, what’s growing in the garden of your heart? Word Seed, or Worldly Seed? Right now even, what Promise from God’s Word have you planted and are expecting to reap harvests from?
Remember, No Seed Sown, Equals No Harvest Reaped!
Praise the Lord Saints and Happy Sunday!
Introduction
Today, we will start with Genesis 8:21-22. If you have missed any of the prior teachings in this Series you can find them at exousiaministries.net. (See Sermons dated, Oct. 13 & 20, 2024.) Before delving into this Passage of Scripture, keep afresh in your thinking that as born-again Christians, we are always to see and comprehend things from God’s perspective and His Word. Jesus Christ said to Satan, “it is written, that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” Thus, we walk by faith in God’s Word, and not by sight. (Luke 4:4 & II Cor. 5:7)
In Christ, our hearts have been regenerated and made perfect by the finished works of Jesus Christ on the cross. God has established His Laws in our hearts, and written them on our minds (soul). And, our sins and iniquities God remembers no more. (Heb. 10:12-18) God dwells in us, and we in Him. (I John 4:15) We have been given the Spirit of the Life and Mind of Jesus Christ, so that Christ might live through us, to reign with Him now, and forevermore. (I Cor. 2:16, II Tim. 1:7, & Rom. 5:17) Glory be to God for the things He has done!
We have the Old Testament of the Holy Bible, which includes heroes of faith like Noah who serve to encourage, equip, and admonish us in the things of God, as we see the Day of the Lord approaching. (Rom. 15:4 & II Peter 3:10) And, oh how grateful all of mankind should be to God, that Noah found grace in the sight of God during his time on earth. Noah, the Father of all humanity after the Flood.
As I have noted throughout the Series, in the days of Noah, he was the only righteous man on the entire planet, and God used him mightily to save his family and the animals to give mankind a fresh start at life with Him. God working to restore the goodness of His creation, established His Covenant of blessings with Noah, essentially the same Covenant that He made with Adam, and an Everlasting Covenant with all of mankind and every living thing in the earth.
Noah was “blessed” because he obeyed all that God instructed him to do in building the Ark. God brought Noah and his family out from a world in which all flesh had corrupted his way; into a new world full of faith and “togetherness” with Him.
Verses 21-22 of Genesis Chapter 8, contain some of the provisions of the Everlasting Covenant. This, after the Flood and Noah’s first act on dry land of building an altar, and liberally sacrificing of the clean animals to God from a heart of thanksgiving. Now, look closely at the Verses.
And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
Saints, note that these are the meditations of the heart of God revealed to Mankind after the Flood. They demonstrate God’s love for humanity and commitment to restore goodness in all the earth. God is faithful to watch over and perform all of His Covenant for our best interest.
God Established An Everlasting Covenant That Endures As Long As the Earth Remains For Our Sakes
Wow, for Mankind’s sake, (our best interest) God Covenanted to never again destroy the earth by water; and that as long as the earth remains, there would be seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, “without ceasing.” Glory be to God, the earth is blessed! God decreed it, and so it is: As long as the earth remains, it’s blessed! In the experience of life, all of humanity has witnessed that this Everlasting Covenant Promise is true and in effect.
Since the days of Noah, there has not been a flood to destroy the earth. Every day Mankind awakens to brand new mercies. Umm, every day the sunrises and sets, the four seasons come and go including cold and heat, and there are times to plant and harvest. Just as God said it would be. Daily Mankind is reminded of God’s faithfulness; and daily, all people should give God “Great” Praise and Honor for the things He has done!
No man can offer an excuse for not believing in God, and searching out and finding God, and worshipping Him alone. For the Bible says that in the heart of every person is embedded the knowledge of the truth of God. (Rom. 1:18-19) Furthermore, Romans 1:20-32 says that the invisible things of God, such as His eternal power and Godhead are clearly seen in the things that are made, and that people are without excuse for not glorifying God when they know him. Man knows instinctively that there is a God. Only the fool has said in his heart that there is no God, and corrupts himself. (Ps.14:1) I say it this way: “Oh simple man, to say there is no God, is to say there is no you!” For God created man in His own image; after His likeness. (Gen.1:26 & 9:6)
So, God established this Everlasting Covenant at Genesis 8:20-21 for the “sake” (best interest) of Mankind. In no way do we as sinful Mankind deserve to have a world with such beauty and richness contained therein. The earth has been given to us by God’s great grace. For in Verse 21, God in His omniscience said that, the “imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” Only God can create and sustain goodness in the earth, as man being evil can of himself only destroy the earth. The ways of man always end in death. (Prov.14:12)
The very same destructive and demonic nature authored by Satan that dwelt in man since the fall of Adam, God also knew would continually be found in the heart of Mankind going forward after the Flood. Noah, his wife, and sons and their wives were from birth all infected with sin in their inner-beings. Romans 5:12 makes clear that all were declared unrighteous and subject to death due to Adam’s sin.
No matter how hard Mankind would try to be morally good and abide by God’s Laws, in every dispensation, and Covenant (Adamic, Noahic, Mosaic, and Davidic) mankind trespassed against God. Mankind is prone to sin. God’s law (Mosaic) given to Israel was pure and perfect, but the Law served only to intensify and strengthen sin more. (Rom. 5:20 & 7:13) In hopes that man would come to realize he is “hopeless,” helpless, and “nothing” without God; and in “need” of a Savior.
Only through one man’s obedience to God, Jesus Christ who knew no sin, could all men be made righteous. (Rom.5:17-19) With the finished works of Jesus Christ on the cross, all persons who believe in Him can be reconciled to God and receive new life; a heart inhabited by God and the Godhead complete. Made free from sin through the precious blood of Jesus, and made unto God spiritual kings and priests. (Rev.1:5-6)
Nevertheless, for the sake of Mankind, our Holy and Loving God made Noah and his sons “heirs” of the world. Just as God pronounced Covenant blessings over Adam, He did so over Noah and his sons saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” Also, all things living in the earth and beneath the earth were made subject unto them. (Gen.9:1-3) Animals who before the fall of Adam lived in harmony with man, but after he sinned against God turned into killers of man and predators among and within species. Praise God, every ferocious beast of the earth, great fish of the sea, menacing fowl of the air, and poisonous crawling creature of the earth were all made to fear Noah and his family.
Look at the tender mercy and grace of God applied to Noah, and his family. Although trapped in the trespasses of their sins, God “blessed” Noah and his sons, with the intention of the blessing flowing through all of Mankind in their generations. Meaning God said a “benediction of good” of “prosperity and longevity” over Noah’s family of natural and spiritual consequence. Whatever work Noah did with his hands would be made to prosper mightily, and without the sweat of the brow and toil.
Further, Noah’s words were full of glory (weighty), as whatever words he spoke from his mouth would come to past. As the patriarch of his family, Noah had the material and spiritual power to bless his children with inheritances and release prophetic words that would affect their generations. For remember the Promise of God under the Everlasting Covenant; that as long as the earth remained there would be “seedtime and harvest, without ceasing.” Reaping of bountiful harvests from a man’s labor, and words uttered from his heart, was Noah’s Covenant with God, and still is the grace-filled Promise of God to all generations that love Him, as long as the earth remains.
In Genesis 9:20-21, we see the first demonstration of the Promise of seedtime and harvest after the flood. Whenever God initiates a Covenant with man, He always moves to prove His faithfulness toward man, and tests a man’s trust in Him. The Scripture states that Noah became a “husbandman” (a tiller of the soil/farmer). This, indicating that God revealed to Noah the meditation of His heart, “that as long as the earth remained there would be seedtime and harvest.” Noah knew that the earth was blessed. Noah chose to become a vine-grower and he planted a vineyard.
In planting the vineyard, Noah had to work to prepare the site, dig holes deep enough to accommodate the vine’s root system, place the vines in the soil, and care for them after planting (e.g. firm up the soil around the plants, water the plants, support the vines, and so forth). In the process of time, the “earth” itself caused the vines to grow and ripen sufficient to harvest. I say this again to you, it was the “earth” that grew the vines.
Oh Saints, look out of the window of your homes and behold the trees, grass, and plants and see God’s faithfulness. Someone planted a seed in the ground, nurtured the soil around it, and watered it. And, with sunlight and heaven’s rain, in the process of time, the “earth” caused the seed that was planted to come forth with the fruit of its kind. For God is faithful who has Promised! What a wonder God is!
We also see the blessing of God at work in the life of Noah from a spiritual perspective. As I said before, the words that Noah spoke had the “power” to bless wherever he sent them. But, his words also had supernatural velocity to curse evil committed against him. We see this unfold in Genesis 9:21-27 in an unhappy incident that occurred within the family of Noah.
The story goes as follows. When Noah had harvested the grapes from his vineyard, he made wine, and consumed so much that he got drunk and was uncovered in his tent. Noah’s son Ham, the father of Canaan, (who was Noah’s grandson) “saw” the nakedness of his father and “told” Shem and Japheth (Ham’s brothers). Whatever Ham saw he could have just kept it to himself and helped his father. But instead, he gossiped about it to his brothers. His gossip about his father’s condition was disrespectful and divisive. God expects children to honor their fathers and mothers so that their days may be long on the earth, and that it be well with them. (Eph. 6:1-4)
Shem and Japheth took a garment and covered their father’s nakedness. (Next week, we will delve deeper into this aspect of the incident.) When Noah woke up from his drunkenness, being the Prophet of God, he knew (saw in the Spirit) what Ham had “done” to him and said, “Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.”
The Bible does not tell us explicitly what Ham did to Noah. But, we know it was something with evil intensions, as God had said before that “the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” (Gen. 8:21) Likely, it was Ham, with his son Canaan present, who “uncovered” Noah while intoxicated. Leviticus 18, is an entire Chapter devoted to “Immoral Acts” forbidden by God that Moses told the children of Israel they were not to do. They were Commanded not to engage in the abominations of the Egyptians who they were held captive to for 400-years, as well as the doings of the Canaanites. Israel was only to obey God. (Lev.18:3) Among the practices not permitted were the uncovering of the nakedness of family members; as the Commandment started with not uncovering the nakedness of the father or mother. (Lev.18:6-16) To uncover one parent’s nakedness was thought of by God to also uncover the spouse’s nakedness as well; the abomination would in effect bring corruption to the marriage and family unit.
Noah did not pronounce the curse directly against Ham for his actions, as God had already blessed all three of his sons. (Gen. 9:1) Instead, Noah pronounced the curse on his grandson Canaan, while also giving his patriarchal blessing on Shem and Japheth, and omitted blessing Ham.
Notice also throughout this incident, God is silent. There is no admonishment given to Noah for getting intoxicated with wine. Though getting drunk is a sin, as noted throughout many scriptures in the Bible, (Ref. Prov. 20:1, 31:4-7, Gal. 5:21 & Eph. 5:18) in the days of Noah there was no law against it, and Noah was living under the grace of God. The blessing of God was still in full-force and effectual in his life. Noah lived in Covenant with God on earth another 350-years; his life span 950-years. (Gen. 9:28-29). This means that Noah lived long enough, not only to see the earth restored after the Flood, but also to see his sons start families and multiply and replenish the earth. God is faithful who had Promised him!
Of Canaan, Noah prophetically proclaimed that he would be servant to Shem and Japheth. This also provides evidence that Canaan was involved in the incident, because a curse cannot come without a cause, nor would it have effect. (Prov. 26:2) Also, if Canaan had not been involved, it would have been unjust of Noah to single out his line of descendants for servanthood, when Ham also had other children as well. (Gen. 10:6) The curse would have been applied to all of Ham’s offspring, not just Canaan.
Noah pronounced the richest blessing upon Shem, saying “blessed be the Lord God of Shem,” and to Japheth “God shall enlarge Japheth and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem.” (Gen. 9:25-27) For with Noah’s words there would be seedtime and harvest, as spoken from his heart. Like in the natural, Noah planted the vine roots in the earth and harvested grapes, his words spoken over his sons were planted in the ground of his heart, and would come to past. Yes, a man’s “heart and mouth” are connected as long as the earth remains, and there will be seedtime and harvest as God’s Everlasting Covenant Promises.
Jesus Christ described the meditations of a man’s heart, and the power to bring forth from it the things that are spoken, as recorded at Luke 6:45.
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
Bible Commentary Shows Noah’s Words Were Mighty upon His Offspring in Their Generations
Noah’s words in blessing, and a curse, worked mightily in the lives of his sons, in their generations. I want to share with you Bible Commentary from a Website called, “You Got Questions,” which provide insights into the genealogy of Noah’s sons, as well as information on the prophetic words of Noah. The Commentary also helps illustrate the power of the “blessing that was on Noah and his words. For “the blessing of the Lord, it maketh, rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.” (Prov.10:22)
For clear reference, Commentary states that whenever the names of Noah’s sons are mentioned in Scripture, Shem is always mentioned first because of his prominence rather than his age. Even though he was the second-born. (Gen.9:18, 10:2, 21) Japheth was the eldest son and Ham was the youngest. (Gen. 10:21 and 9:24) The Commentary with Scripture, provides the following details:
According to Genesis 10:21, “Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber.” This is important because the word Eber is the origin of the Hebrew word for “Hebrew.” The word Shem means “name,” which implies that Noah expected this son’s name to become great. He was right—the modern words Semitic and Semite are derived from Shem’s name. The Bible records that Shem had five sons: Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram (Genesis 10:22).
Shem lived to be 600-years (Genesis 11:10–11) and became the ancestor of the Semitic peoples (Genesis 10:1, 21–31). Abraham, a descendant of Shem, is the first person in the Bible who is referred to as a “Hebrew” (Genesis 14:13).
Scripture shows us that Noah blessed Shem above his brothers (Genesis 9:26–27), and it was through Shem that the promised seed destined to crush Satan came (Genesis 3:15). That seed is traced back to Adam’s son Seth (Genesis 5:1–32), through Shem, and on to Abraham, Judah, and David, leading all the way to Jesus Christ. (Luke 3:36).
Shem’s son Elam was the father of the Elamites, who later settled east of Mesopotamia. Shem’s son Ashur, whose name is related to the word Assyria, is most likely the father of those who settled the ancient region of Assyria (Genesis 2:14). Arphaxad is thought by many scholars to be a compound form of the Hebrew word for “Chaldea,” which was a region in southern Mesopotamia (Genesis 11:10–13). It was through Arphaxad that Eber came. Scholars believe that the descendants of Shem’s son Lud became known as the Lydians of Asia Minor. And Aram is identified by Bible scholars with the area northeast of the Promised Land, known today as Syria (cf. 2 Kings 16:6). The sons of Aram are listed in Genesis 10:23. Of Aram’s sons, Uz is later referred to in the Book of Job (Job 1:1).
Noah’s firstborn son, Japheth, is listed as the father of Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras (Genesis 10:2). Their descendants became the people who lived to the north and west of Israel and, after Babel, spoke what today are classified as Indo-European languages.
In blessing his son Japheth, Noah said, “May God extend Japheth’s territory; / may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, / and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth” (Genesis 9:27). There are two schools of thought regarding what this prophecy about Japheth means.
Some scholars are of the opinion that the enlargement of Japheth’s territory refers to a great numerical increase of his descendants. The comment “may Japheth live in the tents of Shem” means that Japheth will share in the blessings of Shem. According to this view, there was to be a time when God worked primarily with Shem (the people of Israel), but later Japheth would be brought into connection with the faith of Israel to share Israel’s blessings. A similar prophecy is evident in the Abrahamic Covenant, when God promises to bless all nations through Abraham’s seed (Genesis 12:3). The fulfillment is found in Christ and in the gospel coming to the Gentiles at the inception of the Church (Acts 15:7; Romans 15:16; Galatians 2:2). Other scholars are of the opinion that the extension of Japheth’s territory refers to territorial enlargement, and living “in the tents of Shem” is the conquest of the Semites’ territory by Japhethites. According to this view, the fulfillment was the Greek and Roman conquests of Israel.
Ham, the youngest of Noah’s three sons, (for which the curse was pronounced by Noah) had four sons: Cush, Mizraim (Hebrew for “Egypt”), Put, and Canaan (Genesis 10:6; 1 Chronicles 1:8). Egypt was later called the “land of Ham” (Psalm 78:51; 105:23; 106:22). The Hamitic peoples are shown in Genesis 10:6–20 as becoming a godless and worldly power. It was the land of Israel that was assigned to Ham’s son, Canaan, and for centuries it was under the control of the Egyptians. Ham is the father of the Arabians, Canaanites, and Africans, including the Egyptians. As noted earlier, due to Ham’s sin against his father (Genesis 9:20–25), Noah cursed Canaan, saying Canaan would be a servant to Shem (Genesis 9:26). This was fulfilled centuries later when the Israelites entered the land of Canaan and subdued the inhabitants of that land (added, ref. Jos. 9:27; 17:12-13 & 1 Kings 9:20–21).
Truly, the Commentary demonstrates the power of Noah’s words in pronouncing the blessing on his two sons, and a curse on Canaan down through their generations. Proverbs 10:11 says,
The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.
Born-Again of Incorruptible Seed and Everything Produces After Its Own Kind
Now, turning to the Body of Christ, and our New Covenant with God purchased through the precious blood of Jesus. All who name Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are born-again. We are “new creations” in Christ. Meaning, we are “entirely new species” in our regenerated hearts (spirit, soul, and mind of the soul) that never existed before. The old-man nature of Adam that we inherited has passed away forever, and we are to “behold,” that all things have become new. (II Cor. 5:17) When we received Christ, we believed in our hearts and confessed with our mouths, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that God raised Him from the dead on the third-day. (Rom. 10: 8-9) And, by faith, we were made the Righteousness of God.
It was by this Word of Faith, the heart and mouth connection, that we received the free gift of eternal life. We sowed in our hearts “belief” in Christ and reaped faith, righteousness, and salvation through Jesus’ name. The Apostle John wrote, that we were not born of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12) We were born-again by the “incorruptible seed of the Word of God.” The Apostle Peter wrote at I Peter 1:22-23:
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
As born-again Christians, we should consider ourselves as God’s “precious and imperishable seed” in life and death. The Apostle Paul wrote, “For if we have been united (planted) with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like His. (Rom. 6:5)
From the beginning, God ordered all creation to produce after its own kind. We are of the God-kind. (Gen. 1:20-31) We are born of God, by the Word of God. As such, we must also live and grow spiritually and morally by every Word of God. (I Peter 2:2) When we sow the Word of God (the Commandments/Promises of God under the New Covenant) in our hearts, where the Kingdom of God abides. (e.g. nurturing the ground of our hearts by studying the Word, meditating on the Word, keeping the Word, doing the Word, standing sure on the Word, and sharing the Word); we reap abundant harvests from the Word sown. In so doing, we bring Heaven’s Promises into manifestation in the earth. For God created the earth to mirror the blessedness that is in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matt. 6:10)
Follow along, The Word of God is blessed, Heaven is blessed, we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, the earth is blessed. (Eph.1:3) As such, God expects that everything we say and do should result in the “blessing” bringing forth abundant harvests, from all of the work of our hands, and things we have spoken by the Word of God. We are to be fruitful unto every good work. (John 15:1-5 & Col. 1:10)
Pay special attention to the Words of Jesus Christ in explaining how the Kingdom of God operates, using the “Parable of the Sower.” Jesus pointed out to His disciples the wrong way to sow the Word of God into the Kingdom of God, and then the right way.
14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall awaya18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
30 And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?
31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:
32 But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
Let’s focus on the right way to sow the Word of God as Jesus taught, and determine that we will not let the devil, and the lust of the world steal the seed we sow. My God, this is great!
Jesus taught the disciples that when the Word of God is sown into “good soil,” harvests of 30, 60, and an hundred-fold come forth from the Kingdom of God in our hearts. Jesus said that the Word of God is like a mustard seed, that when planted in the earth, sprouts and branches out greater in size than all the seeds in the earth, so that the birds can lodge under it.
Notice in Verse 20 what makes the harvest come bountifully. It’s the planting of the Word of God properly in the earth: the sower “hears” and “accepts” the Word. Meaning, the hearer believes that the Word they hear is true, they behold (see) the Word coming to pass in their lives, they receive the Word into their hearts as being done already with thanksgiving, they seize the Word as their very own, and harvest the fruit of the Word when it comes to past.
In the natural, the farmer exercises faith in reaping a harvest long before planting a crop. He does not wish and hope to receive a harvest. Rather, he first envisions the harvest crop, trusts completely in the earth’s ability to produce it, and then he sets out to cultivate the land, plants the seed, nurtures it, and when the fruit comes forth, he puts in the sickle to harvest. We must follow the same faith process with every Promise of God.
Well praise God, Jesus gave the Parable of the Sower to the disciples before He went to the cross, and “finished all things.” (John 19:30) Now, under the New Covenant, our hearts have already been made “perfect” and “good soil,” ripe for planting and reaping all of the Commandments and Promises of God given to us. (Heb.10:14) The Scripture says, “all of the promises of God are yes and amen in Him to the glory of God the Father.” (II Cor.1:20)
Our part in the New Covenant is to take hold of the Promises of God and believe in our hearts, and confess them with our mouths, without wavering, until the earth (Kingdom of God) brings them forth, and then reap the harvest. The Kingdom of God within us causes the Word-seed sown to sprout, grow, and become ripe for harvest. See our New Covenant duty in Hebrews 10:23.
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
In closing, God is faithful to fulfill the Everlasting Covenant of seedtime and harvest. The question, as I posed from the beginning of this Sermon is, what’s growing in your garden; the Word of God, or worldly seeds? Take this very seriously and ask yourself what have I been planting lately? The Proverb says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (Prov.18:21) The things you love to say in your heart, is what you will have in abundance in life.
Have you been diligent in planting the Word of God’s Commandments and Promises into the Kingdom of God? Are you in need of money, a job, new career, healing, or deliverance of any kind? Have you earnestly sowed the Word? With the Word-seed, have you believed the Promise of it, received it, and seized it to ownership in your heart?
Have you become like Noah was in building the Ark, so much more convinced of the truth and reality of God’s Promise for your life, than what you can see and comprehend by your human senses. Not even giving any serious regard to what doubters and persecutors may say or do to you while in pursuit of the Promise of God. This was the faith that Noah walked in while building the Ark 120-years, and resulted in him becoming the heir of Righteousness and ruler of the world!
As new creatures in Christ, we are greater in spiritual richness than God’s first fathers of humanity Adam and Noah. God having through Jesus Christ delivered us from the power of darkness, translated us into the Kingdom of God, and given to us a New Covenant with exceedingly better Promises than those given to the Old Testament Saints. (Heb.8:6) Sadly, however many Christians are letting the Promises of God slip; by allowing Satan to steal the Word, and being consumed by the cares of this world.
So many Christians have liberally been sowing the words and ways of the world into their thought-life (brains), and have provided little or no Word-Seed for the Kingdom of God to produce harvests. (Rom. 12:1-2) More and more we look like, talk like, and act like the world; ever conforming to the world’s corrupt and evil way of doing things. Participating in fearmongering, falsehoods, blasphemies, perversions, animosities, and traditions of men that deny the power of God’s Word and way of doing things. In conforming to the world’s customs, many Christians lose confidence and boldness to speak and holdfast to the Promises of God, and hinder and block God’s goodness from flowing into their lives.
Also, I have heard Christians say they want God to bless them with a new house, job, car, money to pay bills, mended or new relationships, healing, and deliverance. I also hear Christians say “I’m waiting on God to answer my prayers,” that “God is in control,” or God will give me the “desires of my heart.” But, all these sayings are short-sighted; and are blind to the truth, that God is the “Covenant-making and keeping God,” who operates according to the “Promises” He makes within Covenant. Here again the Scripture given last week from Deuteronomy 7:9. As God spoke through Moses about Himself, to the children of Israel, it reads:
Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.
Under our New Covenant, God has given to us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. (II Pet. 1:3) We have been made heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. (Rom. 8:17) Everything God possesses, with Christ, He has freely shared with us. (Rom. 8:32) Thus, it is not God’s responsibility to fulfill our request. Rather, the earth (Kingdom of God) is waiting (crying-out) for born-again Christians, the spiritual farmers, to plant precious Word-seed into our made “perfect” hearts. So that we might prove (test, taste, and see) that God is faithful to keep the Everlasting Covenant of seedtime and harvest, with those who love Him, as long as the earth remains.
Now, as a spiritual farmer, consider your own diligence in planting Word-seed within the Kingdom of God, which is in you. Are you expecting harvests to come, blessings to manifest without planting Word-seed? In the natural, will a farmer ever produce corn crops from the cultivated soil of the land, if the corn-seed remains in the barn?
Will he sit in his house and pray to God and miraculously receive a harvest of corn while the corn-seed stays in the barn? The answer is, the farmer will reap “nothing,” because he has not participated in the Promise of seedtime established in the Everlasting Covenant of God. No seed in the ground, equals no harvest in your hands. You cannot reap in a place where you have not sown seed!
This is not to say that God leaves His people without support if we fail to sow and reap according to the Everlasting Covenant. God forbid, not ever! God is faithful even when we are not! (II Tim. 2:13) God is good all the time, and never leaves nor forsakes us. (Heb. 13:5) He never leaves the righteous begging bread. (Ps.37: 25)
But, God gave to us His only begotten Son Jesus that we might have life and life more abundantly. (John 10:10) God has given us an Everlasting Covenant of seedtime and harvest so that we might be fruitful and multiply exceedingly, and be a blessing to others as we reap bountifully. So that, as His sons and daughters, we would not just get by or get ahead. But, so that we would be the “head, and not the tail.” Always on top of the world like Noah was during and after the Flood, and never beneath! (Deut. 28:13)
As such, we must become liberal planters of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God. Believing and accepting the truth that through the finished works of Jesus on the cross every Promise of God was made ready for us to receive into manifestation on earth, and in the world to come. Once planted properly in our hearts, nothing can stop the seed from producing harvests more than you can have room for; great enough for others to benefit from too.
My God, the Kingdom of God in you is waiting for the seed! The Holy Ghost is asking and begging you to plant Word-seed. No matter what your situation is, no matter how long it may seem to take, the Holy Ghost is saying “where is the seed” it’s time to plant the Word! “Stop looking for worldly solutions, and trust in the Everlasting Covenant of sowing and reaping!” The only way a born-again Christian can grow up in God, and the things of God, is if they plant the sincere milk of the Word of God into their hearts. (I Pet. 2:2)
With blind obedience, like Noah had with God, obey the teaching of Jesus, and “Sow the Word.” Hear the Word of God and accept it! As long as the earth remains, this will be the way God’s people will reap material and spiritual harvests. Again, no Word-seed sown, no harvest can be received.
You are blessed of the Lord, take the Promises of God, according to Scripture, and speak them over the lives of your children, in their generations, and leave them with an assured rich material and spiritual inheritance of living under the providential care of the Everlasting Covenant of seedtime and harvest. “A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.” (Prov.13:22)
Say Amen to the preaching of the Word of the Living God! For next week, I want everyone to grab hold of a Promise in the Word of God, and we are going to sow it into the Kingdom of God and expect manifold harvests to come and reap them. In preparation for your harvest, we will also teach you how to water the seed sown with your love walk.
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Sermon Series: The Story of Noah, You’re Gonna Love It!
October 20, 2024
Sermon Part 2: “Walk With God Like Noah!”
Noah walked with God, and the question every born-again Christian should ask of themselves is: Will I?
Happy Sunday Saints!
Introduction:
As I mentioned in last Sunday’s Sermon, in my humble opinion, Noah’s expression of faith in God is “unparalleled” in Scripture. He lived on the earth at a time when “every person” on earth was evil, and the earth was filled with violence. In the history of the world, never has there been an age equal to that in which Noah lived. The thoughts and imaginations of the heart of “every person” before God were only evil without ceasing. Genesis 6:12 says that, “God had looked on the earth and all flesh had corrupted his way.” Mankind had not just fallen into sin, all of human creation had become “Sin,” and the earth was full of corruption.
But, Noah found grace in the sight of God. The Bible declares that Noah was a “just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” (Gen. 6:9) It was not by Noah’s self- works, but by God’s divine mercy and grace that he found favor with God. For as from the day of Adam’s transgression in the Garden of Eden, all of mankind was born into sin. (Rom. 5:19).
Noah was not always perfect in his performance in life, as evidenced by his drunkenness and issue with His son Ham and grandson Canaan after the flood. (Gen. 9: 20-22) Parts 3 and 4 of the Series will deal directly with this incident. Indeed, no man except Jesus Christ has ever lived a perfectly sinless life, and it is by His finished works on the cross that we have been made the Righteousness of God. (II Cor. 5:21) Only by grace through faith are we saved and not by human wisdom, ingenuity, or works lest anyone should boast. (Eph. 2:8-9) Yes, God’s grace can and does cover and erase a multitude of mistakes! Somebody shout “Amen, thank God for the shed blood of Jesus Christ!” Jesus is the only “Eternal Hero” the world will ever know.
Noah’s heart was perfect/complete towards God. He loved God, worshiped only God, was thankful unto God, and proclaimed God’s Righteousness among the wicked people of his age without wavering. (II Pet. 2:5) Together, God and Noah, a Preacher of Righteousness walked in harmony and stood against man’s sin in the world.
Today, I want us to focus on Gen. 6:9, where Moses the author of Genesis, recorded that Noah “walked with God.” As New Testament, born again Christians, we are also instructed to walk with God. (Eph. 5:1-2, Col. 2:6, I Thess. 4:1& I John 1:7) If we learn to follow Noah’s example of walking with God, then all of the New Covenant Promises God has given to us through Jesus Christ’s finished works, will flow freely into our lives.
Jesus Christ came that we might have “life and life more abundantly;” to the full, till it overflows into the lives of other people. (John 10:10) If we walk with God, we will reap from all of the exceedingly great and precious Promises of God. (Eph. 3:20) So let’s go deeper into the relationship of God and Noah; and receive the engrafted Word of God with meekness, which is able to prosper our souls. (James 1:21)
Those Who Walk With God Receive “Insider Information” about the Doings of God
In the Hebrew language the phrase, “Noah walked with God,” conveys the same meaning that it did, in Gen. 5:24, as Moses wrote that, “Enoch walked with God.” Enoch walked with God and never tasted death, as God took him up to Heaven. The phrase “Noah walked with God” can also be read this way, “Noah walked in God.” Like Enoch, Noah had an intimate relationship with God. Noah went up and down, in and out, to and fro, arm in arm with God, and ever grew closer to Him. Noah and God were, “One!”
My, my, my today, as born-again Christians, God in Christ Jesus has made our hearts perfect, and declared that we are “ONE” in Him. God in us, and we in Him. (Heb.10:12-14, Gal. 3:28 & I John 4:15) And, oh how I wish we would take full advantage of the daily opportunity we have to “walk in God”…up and down, to and fro, arm in arm in the Spirit. If you will, to walk with God as married folks and lovers of Him! Not ever being conformed to the thinking and ways of this world, but being transformed into the image of God’s dear son Jesus in all conversation and godliness. (Rom.12:1-2) Walking perfectly in Jesus. Yes, we can and must walk perfectly in Christ’s life!
It’s very interesting that in reading Moses’ account of the life of Noah captured in Genesis Chapters 5-9, there is not a single mention of Noah ever saying anything to God. Not while building the Ark for 120-years, during the flood, or after the flood, is there a single word written about Noah talking to God. By Noah, there is not a single question asked, doubt spoken, fear conveyed, nor comment made about anything to God!
In the written record of the story of Noah, God did all the talking, and Noah faithfully listened and obeyed God in everything he was commanded to do. Praise God, even when Noah could see from the Ark that the land was dry, he still waited for God’s direction before disembarking with his family and the animals onto dry land. (Gen. 8:13-16)
Now, let’s take a close look at God’s communication with Noah before the flood at Gen. 6:13-22. I believe contained therein is something that can help us better understand why perhaps there is nothing written of Noah talking with God. The Passage talks about God’s judgment of the earth and people, the events that were to unfold, as well as the instructions given to Noah to build the Ark. See if you can pick up something else very important that God told Noah to do.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.
20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.
21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.
22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
As we see in the Passage, God did all the talking, and Noah listened and obeyed. God told Noah that the whole earth was wicked and full of violence, that He was going to destroy the earth by water, and all people in the earth would perish. In detail, God provided to Noah instructions on constructing the Ark and who would be its passengers (himself, his wife, his sons and their wives, along with every animal of the earth two of each kind), and God promised that He would establish His Covenant with them. God also told Noah to gather all kinds of food sufficient for his family and the animals. But, there is one other thing in the Passage God Commanded Noah to do. Did you catch it?
God told Noah to “behold” it all. (Gen. 6:13, 17) Everything God spoke to Noah, he told him to see it; get an image of it. I have taught before that when God says, “behold,” to His people, it conveys the meaning to “see things and comprehend them in the heart.” To look in the Spirit and make certain that you see it, because it’s the truth what you see. What you see is “God’s Doings.”
In beholding God’s Commands and Promises in the Spirit, we are to meditate on them until what we see in our hearts is real and truth to us. We are to see it, receive it, and then seize it to ownership! What we see in the Spirit is to become more real even, than the material things we can see and comprehend through our physical senses in the world. This is the walk of faith. “For we walk by faith, and not by sight.” (II Cor. 5:7) Remember at II Corinthians 4:18, the Apostle Paul wrote:
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
In Noah’s heart, by the Spirit of God, God revealed to him “everything” that He had spoken. This makes perfect since, given that the Bible says, that Noah, “walked with God.” That Noah was walking in God, up and down, to and fro, arm and arm. God, if you will, freely gave to Noah, “Insider Information!” Information, imagination, and wisdom that only comes from God Almighty to show Himself strong on Noah’s behalf.
Further, I believe through the eyes of faith, God showed Noah the impending destruction of the earth and people, by water. What horror that must have been to behold. Faith sees not what is visible, but invisible. (Heb.11:1-2) Noah saw the “Doings of God,” which are beyond human reasoning and comprehension.
I believe in the Spirit, God showed Noah all of the fountains of the great deep beneath the earth breaking up, and the windows of heaven opening up, and water flooding and swallowing up the whole earth and people in it. Just as it happened. (Gen. 7:11)
There was no need for Noah to question or comment to God on the things he had seen in the Spirit, because He had “Oneness” with God. The things God revealed, Noah was fully persuaded were true and going to happen, just as God said they would. And, being fully persuaded, Noah and his sons with all diligence and perseverance moved to build the Ark; having an inner-man Witness and Peace from God of what was to come.
Oh, with what great love, for the many decades (120-years in total) that Noah was preparing the Ark, in the Spirit of Christ, that he stood before a wicked and deprived people and called on them to repent and turn to God before the rain would start. (I Pet.3:18-20)
I can imagine that Noah begged the people to come into the Ark of safety, but they laughed him to scorn. Noah, ever preaching and hoping someone would heed God’s call. But, all the while knowing that only he and his family (eight precious souls) and the animals, would enter the Ark and be saved.
Furthermore, after the Ark was built, God gave Noah additional Insider Information. God told Noah to come into the Ark, for in “seven days” it would begin to rain; to rain “40-days and 40- nights” and every living thing on the earth would be destroyed. (Gen.7:1-4)
Saints, walking with God is not always easy and can seem at times, without many human companions, like a lonely path traveled. Noah surely had other family members and extended family, neighbors, and host of other people who he knew and loved that had rejected the Word of God and would perish. This must have weighed heavily on his heart, notwithstanding all human life and every living thing was going to be destroyed. Jesus Christ said at Matthew 7:13-14, that we are to enter into the “Strait Gate” for “narrow is the way” that leads to life, and few there are that find it.”
After the Ark was completed, the eight souls and chosen animals entered in and God shut the door. And then, it rained 40-days just like God said it would. (Gen. 7:15-17) As the waters rose and subsumed the earth, destroying every living substance, the Ark of Noah rested above it all. God, if you will, set Noah and his family on top of the world. For the Righteous are always above and never beneath! (Deut. 28:13)
The writer of Hebrews summed-up Noah’s story best, recorded at Hebrews 11:7:
By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, (reverence) prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
Yes, whatever God says, shall come to pass. For God always makes good on His promise. (Numbers 23:19)
God is the Covenant Making and Keeping God
Throughout the Holy Bible, we see that God makes and keeps Covenants with His people. Let me say that again, God always makes and keeps a Covenant with His people. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ and have accepted Him as Savior and Lord, you are in a Covenant with God, right now!
A “Covenant” is a sacred agreement between God and His children. God, the “maker” of the Covenant sets forth specific conditions, and in turn He promises to bless us, as we obey these conditions. The Holy Bible presents seven major covenants, from Genesis to Revelation, including five in the Old Testament that are considered foundational to, and build upon, God’s Redemptive Plan for mankind. They are as follows: the Adamic Covenant, Noahic Covenant, Abrahamic Covenant, Mosaic Covenant, Davidic Covenant, New Covenant, and Everlasting Covenant.
Whenever I think about God the “Maker and Keeper of Covenants,” Deuteronomy 7:9 comes to mind. God through Moses spoke these Words to the children of Israel:
Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.
God said to Israel they were to, “Know” that He is God, to “Know” that He is faithful, to “Know” that He “keeps” Covenant, and to “Know” that He steadfastly loves them who love Him and keep His Commandments to a thousand generations.
Now let me show you something. Examine the word “KNOW.” Within the word “KNOW,” is the word “NOW.” So, I like to think of God saying it this way to the children of Israel, as well as to us today: “NOW KNOW, meaning at this moment and always afterwards.
NOW KNOW that the Lord Your God, is God!
NOW KNOW He is the faithful God who keeps covenant!
NOW KNOW that God steadfastly loves those who love him and keep His Commandments to a thousand generations!
Saying it this way rehearses and reinforces the terms of God’s Covenant, (in our case the New Covenant) and that it is in effect and continually working for us. As we go about doing our part in obeying the terms of the Covenant, the power of the Holy Ghost within us, becomes effectual to release all the Covenant-Promises of God on our behalf and others. Promises that are far greater than those made to God’s people in various ages under the Old Covenant. (Heb. 8:6) Glory be to God!
So, we have identified the “Noahic Covenant” as one of the seven major Covenants of God in the Holy Bible. Praise God, God found a “KNOW” in Noah, as his heart was perfect toward God, and he walked with God. Just as God, in the Spirit, revealed to Noah the judgment and destruction of every living thing in the earth by water, God also revealed His “Covenant” to Noah. At Genesis 6:17-18, God introduces His Covenant with Noah saying:
And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
Here again perhaps is another reason why there is nothing written in Scripture about Noah talking to God about fears, doubt, or unbelief about the events that were to unfold, nor any concerns for the safety of his family and himself while building the Ark and preaching Righteousness. Because Noah knew he had a Covenant with God. God promised to establish His Covenant with Noah, and showed the promises of the Covenant to him. Noah, “behold” “…with thee will I establish my Covenant with you,” says the Lord.
Noah’s part in the Covenant was to build the Ark and bring his family and the animals into it. In revealing God’s Covenant to Noah, I believe God opened the eyes of his spirit, and allowed him to see that both he and his seed would be made the heirs of the world. Noah saw God’s blessings bestowed upon him to be fruitful, abundantly multiply and replenish the new earth, in like manner, as God had blessed Adam under the Adamic Covenant. (Gen.1:28-30 & specified for Noah beginning in Gen. 9:1.) Regarding this precious Covenant-Promise: Noah saw it, received it, and seized it in his heart. He could not be made to doubt God and the Promise of His Word.
Noah trusted God with all of his heart to keep the Covenant- Promises made to him. Without wavering, Noah held on to the Promise while building the Ark for 120-years, for the 40-days and 40-nights of rain destroying the earth, and during the many days (estimated 371-days) he and his family and the animals were aboard the Ark waiting for dry land to walk on.
For again, Noah had a “KNOW” in him that remained throughout his life in walking with God! Never doubting, nor complaining about anything to God.
(Side Bar: In Christian Circles, many Christians have incorrectly been taught, or assumed, that Noah and his family were in the Ark for a total of 40-days and nights. But, that is incorrect. From Genesis 7:17-24 & 8:3-19, Biblical scholars have calculated 371-days; from entry of Noah and the animals into the Ark on the same day the Flood began, the rains lasting 40-days, to the waters prevailing on the earth 150-days, to the gradual subsiding of the waters 150-days, then the surface of the ground drying on day 350, and to disembarkation on day 371.)
Yea, just as Noah never murmured against God, we are also commanded by the Apostle Paul not to either. Philippians 2:14-16:
Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
After the Flood and Noah disembarking from the Ark onto dry land, recorded at Genesis 9:1-17, God established His Covenant with Noah, and an Everlasting Covenant. Also important, note that God spoke His Covenant to Noah’s sons with him, and revealed it to them all. This is the way God does business. When a man, as did Noah, greatly delights in the Commandments of God and obeys them, he is blessed, his seed is made mighty upon the earth, and wealth and riches shall be in his house! (Psalm 112:1-3)
Verses 1-10, contain the terms of the Noahic Covenant, which was in many respects is the same as the Adamic Covenant, with a few additions: (See Verses 1-10)
9 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.
6 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.
8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
God gave to Noah and his sons’ dominion over the new world. Noah was made the “heir of Righteousness, which comes by faith in God in Christ.” (Heb.11:7) Never forget this Scripture, it holds the key for receiving all of the Promises of God given to us under the New Covenant. That is, by faith in God in Christ’s finished works on the cross, we have become the heirs of Righteousness. Heirs of God, joint heirs with Jesus Christ. (Rom. 8:16-17) Glory be to God for the things He has done!
To the terms of the Noahic Covenant, God put fear in animals of Noah and his sons. He also added that Noah and his sons were not to consume the blood of animals, nor were they to take the life of another human being; as mankind is made in the image of God. (Vs. 4-6) God remembering how Cain slew his brother Able, and brought murder into the spectrum of sins committed by mankind. (Gen. 4:8)
But let me also back up and say what led to God establishing His Covenant and Everlasting Covenant with Noah, the “first thing” Noah did after disembarking from the Ark, was he built an altar unto God, and he made a “free-will” and “liberal” offering unto God from among every “clean” animal. Some experts say it could have been as many as 100 animals. Noah wanted God, his family and the whole earth to know that the Lord God, is God, and there is none besides Him. Giving thanks unto God for the things he had done, and in gratitude for the Covenant God had established with him. (Gen. 8:20-22)
This was acceptable and pleasing unto God, as He inhaled a sweet smelling savor. Yes, the aroma of Noah’s heart was sacrificed and filled with love, honor, and obedience to Him. Noah liberally gave of his substance to God “knowing” that God was His source and provider. As born-again Christians, we also are to be free-will givers unto the Lord, liberally giving of our material substance, as the Holy Ghost directs us. (II Cor. 9:7 & Gal. 6:7-8) Sadly however, surveys show that between 70 to as much as 90-percent of Christians withhold the tithe and offerings from God; choosing instead to use money to “care” for their own needs above God. Yet, many if not all of these same Christians will assert that they whole-heartedly love God.
After Noah’s sacrifice, God began to speak to Noah the elements of an Everlasting Covenant with Him and all of mankind. Genesis 8:21-22 says
And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
God is faithful. Since the days of Noah, has there been seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and not without ceasing? Absolutely! Finally, Genesis 9:11-17 records other elements of the Everlasting Covenant God made with Noah.
God Promised Noah that he would never again destroy the earth by water. He told Noah that the rainbow that is set within the clouds would serve as a token of remembrance of the Covenant; an Everlasting Covenant between God and mankind and all creatures on the earth. Specifically, the Everlasting Covenant reads as follows:
11 And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
After the tumultuous rains and long days and nights upon the Ark, the rainbow must have given great relief, rest, and comfort to Noah and his family as they stood on dry land. As it served as a reminder of God’s great love and care for them, even during the most devastating of times. Isn’t it also wonderful that Lamech named his son “Noah,” meaning “rest” or “comfort,” and God chose to use a rainbow, as a symbol of peace and comfort for all ages to remember His Covenant?
When we see rainbows today, as born-again Christians, we “know” that every rainbow is a faithful sign of the Covenant made thousands and thousands of years ago between God and Noah, and all generations of humanity. The rainbow reminds us that we can trust God’s faithfulness no matter what we are going through. And, also that there will be seasons and days without ceasing with seed-time and harvest. Thus, we also can be assured that whatever the Promise contained in our New Covenant with God, God is faithful to bring it to pass. We can boldly and confidently say:
WE NOW KNOW that the Lord is God!
WE NOW KNOW that He is the faithful God who keeps Covenant!
WE NOW KNOW that God steadfastly loves those who love him and keep His Commandments to a thousand generations!
Truly, Noah’s relationship with God was of holy excellence. We thank God for His mercy and grace bestowed upon Noah. We honor Noah for his faithfulness in listening to, and obeying all that God Commanded and showed him to do. We commend Noah for being God’s Preacher of Righteousness without compromise in a world filled with evil, and his steadfastness in laboring to build the Ark, and to see God’s Promises through to manifestation.
If we learn and apply the faith example of Noah to our New Covenant in God in Christ to behold, listen, and obey the Commands of Christ, then we too will walk in God and enjoy the exceedingly rich Covenant-Promises given to us.
Are you willing to walk in God in Christ Jesus, no matter the cost? Are you willing to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Jesus? Are you willing to wait on the Promises of God to come to past in your life no matter how long it takes? And, after you have received the good things of God’s Promises are you willing, like Noah, to liberally give to God of your substance in the form of tithes and offerings? If so, then Heaven belongs to you. Noah trusted God in all things, are you willing to do the same?
Amen, to the preaching of the Word of the Living God! The Lord willing, next week, we will delve deeper into the Everlasting Covenant God made with Noah and mankind, and an incident recorded of Noah’s drunkenness that resulted in the fracture of his family. See you then.
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