Faith Like Noah - Prepare for What is Coming

Faith Like Noah  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
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Today we’ll finish up our series of messages titled Faith Like Noah. Noah as the builder of the ark is one of the more well known men in the Bible. In Hebrews, Noah is commended for his faith:
Hebrews 11:7 NIV
7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
In finishing up this series, I want to look at what our faith should do. Let’s look first at James 2 starting in verse 14:
James 2:14–16 NIV
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?
Here is the first way our faith is done:

Prepare by Helping Those in Need

If there is a physical need and you can meet it, you may very well be the answer to a prayer that has been prayed.
James finished this thought with this:
James 2:17 NIV
17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
Faith is not faith unless you are doing something with it. Think of faith this way. If I have a lit candle and I deprive it of oxygen, it will cease to burn. Likewise, if we starve our faith of action, it will also die.
James continues:
James 2:18–24 NIV
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
James could have used Noah as an example here. By building the ark, Noah proved his faith in God. By offering Isaac as a sacrifice, Abraham also proved his faith. Their action in proving their faith is how they were credited with righteousness.
Last week we talked through this in more detail. This is our next way to prepare for what is coming:

Prepare by Acting on the Promptings of God

The Holy Spirit is always prompting us. And when He does, we act. We follow through on what is being asked of us. If we don’t, we are depriving our candle of faith of much needed oxygen.
If you are having a hard time hearing Him, you may need to ask Him to speak and then listen.
Today is the anniversary of me flying back from my time in North Carolina from a weeklong Spiritual retreat. One of the things I realized I needed to do more was to ask for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit daily and sometimes multiple times in a day.
Without a steady refreshing, I tend to get off track. I get irritated easier, my mind goes places it shouldn’t and temptation is much harder to fight off. When I am aware of the Holy Spirit in me and I actively invite Him to fill me fresh, I am less susceptible to those things I mentioned.
When I am pursuing a relationship with the Holy Spirit, I am better able to hear when the Holy Spirit speaks. Then I am able to respond in faith by acting on what the Holy Spirit is speaking to me.
First we prepare by provide for the needs of those around us as God provides for us. Then, we prepare by responding to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Turn with me to Matthew 24. Jesus is responding to a question from the disciples about what the sign of the second coming and the sign of the end of the age. Jesus provides some specific items starting in verse 4. Many of these have already happened or are happening now. These things He listed was a sign of the end coming, but then He says this in verse 36:
Matthew 24:36 NIV
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
As specific as some of the things He mentioned are, Jesus is clear that the moment of his return is not known by anyone by the Father. If anyone tries to tell you they know for sure when Jesus is returning, they are lying. At best, they are guessing, at worst, they are just trying to draw attention to themselves and away from what Jesus really taught. He continues:
Matthew 24:37–41 NIV
37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
When God told Noah to build the ark, he never told him when the flood would come. Go and look for yourself in Genesis 6 and 7. He told Noah that destruction was coming and to build a boat…to get prepared.
God made a way for salvation for Noah. By faith, Noah walked the way of salvation by building the ark. He prepared for what was coming by acting on what God told him to do. Then Jesus says this:
Matthew 24:42–51 NIV
42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. 45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Jesus uses two more analogies to make his point about when He comes again. First He uses a watchmen, or owner who is expecting his house to be robbed. If they knew the exact time, they would just be ready at that time, but Jesus says we don’t know, so we have to be ready all the time.
In the Navy, one of the worst things someone can do is fall asleep on watch. Your job on watch is to protect everyone else who isn’t on watch. If you are sleeping when you should be watching, no one is safe. Very bad things can happen if no one is watching and and ready to quickly react to them.
We must be ready for Jesus to return at any moment.
Then Jesus uses the analog of someone being put in charge of an entire household. The duties in running this household are: feed those in the household, take care of the possessions, and conduct himself in a manner worthy of the master.
This servant is a direct representative of the master. It’s like a power of attorney. We are all like this servant mentioned. We’ve all been given those around us that we are to care for, we have all been blessed with talents and resources that do not belong to us, but belong to Him and He has given us a standard for our conduct.
Yet we act as if He’s not coming. You ever do that as a kid? You know your parents are coming home at 5, so you goof off until 4:45 and then clean the place up? Jesus is warning about that mindset.
Those that act that way will be cut to pieces and sent off with the hypocrites to weep and gnash teeth.

Prepare by Persistent Submission to God’s Way

It’s not good enough to say that I had faith last week and did the right thing. It is a consistent daily process. Thankfully, God has been patient with us and given us this moment right now to put things in order. Who knows, He could return right after this message…
I don’t say that to scare you though. God does not want us to come to Him because we’re scared. He wants us to come to Him because we love Him and are so grateful for how He loves us.
I’m home with my girls and Renee gets home around 4:45. The fear way to motivate them: “We better get this house cleaned up by 4:45 or Mom is going to be mad.” or… “Mom’s going to be home at 4:45. Let’s show her how much we love her and surprise her with a clean house.” See the difference. That’s how Jesus spoke here in Matthew 24:
Matthew 24:46–47 NIV
46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
That’s the reward. It’s not just getting rid of the consequence…there is a reward waiting for those who persist in their daily submission to what God wants from and for us. In order to know what that is, we have to be in His Word and in His presence....DAILY.
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