REDEMPTION SERIES 2

ONLY ONE

            The earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence.

God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy, and annihilate ALL living creatures for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, Noah, I will wipe them all out along with the earth. Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. Every person but you, Noah, you and your wife, your sons and their wives. So I may preserve the human race, and the animals, build a boat, Noah, a big boat for your family and a pair of every animal that lives. Make it 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Make it water tight and make it strong, it has to stand up to a mighty flood that will cover the whole earth.”

What would you do if God gave you such a task? What did Noah do? “So Noah did everything EXCACTLY as God had commanded.” (from Gen. 6:11-27) Excactly, no wavering, no questions, no debates he just got to work.

He started building the huge ship in the hill country, on high ground, where the trees grew, several miles from the water. Strange place to build a boat, wouldn’t you say? Everyone else thought so too. I’m sure Noah and his son’s heard lots of jeers.

“Hey Noah, is that big ship gonna walk to the sea? Man you’ve gone off the deep end this time.” I’m sure he heard a lot worse from friends, family and folks who had known him for over 500 years, but Noah just kept on building and preaching, telling them what God had said.

I can just see him standing on the scaffolding, pausing in his hammering and looking out on the crowd below, “A flood”, he shouts, “Almighty God is sending a flood to wipe out everything on earth! The water will cover the highest mountains and will kill you, your family and all your animals. Get right with God now!” I can just hear them laughing and slapping their neighbor’s backs, and making all kinds of jokes.

Can you imagine being the only living person on earth who followed God? Who did it right? Who did not do what everyone else did? Who stood your ground? Who stood firm? Who did not waver, not even a little, not even a toe dip into corruption?

That is Noah all over the place. He was blameless. The only person on the whole face of the earth amongst millions of people who was upright. He walked in close fellowship with God. Not on the fence, but with God! Noah believed in God and he walked the walk. He did not wander from the path. And yet he was jeered at, laughed about, and put down by his friends.

  I would say even before he started building the ship on the hill, people jeered at him and tried to get him to follow them. It’s the way of human nature, we want company. We want to follow the crowd, to do be like the other guy, to do what is most popular.   Very few people are trend setters. Noah was. The only problem was no one followed his trend.

Even when everyone, including his own family, his father, his brothers, even his best friends, were totally and completely evil, Noah stood firm. Noah walked with God, closely.

Can you imagine his wife down at her ladies sewing circle, “What my Noah building a huge ship up in the hills?  No, no, no, that’s not MY Noah.  MY Noahe spells his name with an E.  Nope wrong guy, for sure.  MY Noahe might be a little off, but he’s not that crazy.”

We think one person won’t make a difference. That walking the fence now and then doesn’t hurt. That it’s okay to dip into the corrupt world as long as we don’t fall head first and turn away from God completely. Sure shoots down the theory that everyone else is doing it so it must be okay.

Noah’s job was not easy. Building the ark was hard but being the only righteous and blameless person when everyone around him was totally evil, must have been harder still. There was only one man, yet he walked with God. Closely.

A time is coming when it will be harder for us, God’s children, to stand firm, to persevere in righteousness, to walk closely with Him.   The fence is being removed. There are many who are grasping our clothes or our limbs to pull us down, on the wrong side. Our enemy the devil is like a prowling, hungry lion seeking to devour and destroy God’s most prized possession, His children. And he will use any means to accomplish his purpose.

We may feel weak, but we must obey His word. We may be afraid, but we must not deny Him. We may feel like giving up, like running, like hiding, but we must persevere.

Child of God stand firm.

“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed My word and did not deny Me.

Because you have obeyed My command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. I am coming soon! Hold on to what you have so that no one will take away your crown.” Rev. 3:8, 10-11 NLT