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Genesis 5:28 - 9:19 Recently on vacation, we had the opportunity to go to the “Ark Encounter” in Kentucky where a life-size representation of Noah’s ark has been built. (This isn’t really a replica since no one knows all of the details of the ark’s construction.) From a distance one can tell that the ark is huge, but standing next to it before you go inside one can see what a colossal undertaking this was. I’m not talking about the building of this structure in Kentucky (although this took a few years) but Noah’s building of the actual ark! No wonder scripture suggests that it took about 100 to 120 years. Several thoughts and impressions have come to my mind as a result of this “encounter.” I wish to share two of them here. First, because of the mammoth size of this never-been-built-before project and the prospect of a never-happened-before event (rain and flood), I am amazed at Noah’s faith (Hebrews 11:7). What must have gone through his mind when God said to him: “Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood...”? Perhaps, “What’s an ark, Lord? What’s it for?” And when God said he was bringing a flood of waters on the earth to destroy all flesh, what did Noah think? Perhaps, “What’s a flood?” And how many mornings in those hundred years of mornings did he wake up and wonder, “Is this really what God wants me doing with my life? I just can’t imagine that much water.” It made me wonder. The second thought I wish to share is that God called upon Noah to help salvage the human race. He could have just “zapped” all of the wicked or sent some terrible plague to destroy them, but he didn’t. He employed Noah to save his family (and thus mankind) and the animals. This brought home to me the truth that we all have a crucial part to play in this fight against evil. God has done and continues to do His part, but he has left a part for each of us to play. Has God called you to “build” something? Does it look like an impossible task? Never done it before? Guess it’s time to pray and get to work. God is counting on you.

With all of the emphasis on “going to church” and “attending worship services,” it should not surprise us that Christians do not understand what is involved in being a member of the body of Christ, the household of God. When a person is born again, they are born into the family of God in which God is our heavenly Father. Jesus is the eldest brother and Leader of the family. The Holy Spirit of God comes to dwell in their heart and guide them in the ways of their new family. The Book of God, the Bible, provides a history of this family, speaks of some previous members and tells of the future of the family as well as expectations for personal conduct, areas of service, and the enduring values for those who are family members. Key elements in this family are love and fellowship. Sincere love for God and for one another provides an atmosphere for humble service and genuine care and concern. There is a shared faith in Christ which prompts a sharing of life. Whether food and clothing in times of need, grief when heartaches come or rejoicing when it’s time to celebrate, life is shared. Common faith is expressed in the weekly assembly around the Lord’s table, the table of Christ Jesus our brother. This assembly provides the opportunity not only for worship but for encouraging one another in our Christian life with its fight against sin and evil. This coming together every Lord’s Day provides a vital link for each member in staying in touch with one another and remembering the Source of our family and our future (Hebrews 10:23-25). One of the watchwords of the family is readiness. We are all to be ready and looking for the return of our Lord Jesus. We are to be ready to do good, to help those within the family but also those who are outside its circle. Jesus sacrificed Himself so that all people could be a part of His family and have life with Him forever, so family members are always ready to share the good news about Jesus and His family. The family of God is like no other!

Luke 19:9-10 During Zaccheus’ encounter with Jesus, the Lord said that He had “come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Have you ever considered this idea of people being lost? Exactly what did Jesus mean that they were lost? Lost where? Lost how? When we think of someone being lost, we usually have a scenario of people hiking in the wilderness or some national park, and they get off the trail, lose their bearings and are unable to find their way back. So rescuers are called in to find them. Or sometimes we might think of a toddler who wandered off from home and got lost in the woods behind the house or out in the neighborhood. Occasionally we still hear of a ship being “lost at sea.” We know that Jesus is speaking of a person’s spiritual condition, so in what sense are people lost? Saved? It seems there are several different ways to answer our question. Usually we hear that people are lost “in sin.” This could mean that their lives are mired in sin (like in quicksand), and they are sinking to their deaths. It could mean that they are lost in sin’s darkness, unable to see their way out into the light. We might see lost folks as just wandering through life, following the ways of the world with only fleshly and materialistic goals in mind. These all have their valid points. However, let’s look at this from a different perspective. From what are they lost? I think the point is that they are lost from God! God is our Father, and we are the prodigals who have left home. Jesus is our Shepherd, and we are the sheep who have failed to listen to His voice and have gone off seeking greener pastures. We are Adam who chose to heed the words of the Serpent and were forced to leave Paradise to wander pathways leading us away from God. But praise God! The Father has not abandoned us and has sent His Son to rescue us. The Shepherd has come in search of His sheep. The pathway back to God has been illuminated. The Way is clear. Praise Him!! Do you know anybody who is lost?

“The Bible is just too hard for me to understand.” Have you ever heard anyone say something like that? Have you ever thought it yourself? Is this a valid observation? Certainly one must acknowledge that some parts of the Bible are difficult to understand. Even Peter confessed that! (2 Peter 3:15-16) Notice, however, he writes “hard” not impossible. Peter’s point is that the untaught and immature have difficulty in understanding some of the Word. We would not want to take babes in Christ and try teaching them the complexities of Paul’s theology in Romans nor the meanings of the visions of Revelation. There must first be a solid grounding in basic Bible truths and interpretation. The Holy Spirit attests that the word of God “gives understanding to the simple.” That sounds promising for all of us! In fact, Paul observed that it was not the worldly wise in general who believed the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:20-29). Great intelligence is not needed to understand the message of the cross. So, what is needed for a person to understand the Holy Scriptures? Jesus gives us great insight into this in Matthew 13:13-17. He had been asked why He taught in parables, and His reason may surprise you. He quoted Isaiah the prophet about a people who could hear but not understand, and who could see but not perceive. The problem was that their hearts had grown dull. They were content with their situation and were comfortable with their current spiritual condition. They had no hunger or thirst for righteousness. No desire for the eternal Truth of God’s Word. No “panting” for God. Thus, the meaning of the parables was lost on them. The Bible has milk for the babe, meat for the full grown, and water for the thirsty. The Word will give understanding to the simple, insight to the sightless and knowledge to the unlearned. It will also make the wise wiser and add knowledge to knowledge. But you must desire it. You must be thirsty!

Just this morning, I saw on the news of another case of “road rage.” A twenty-eight-year old man got angry with how the vehicle driven by an eighteen-year old girl was merging with his truck into traffic. So he pulled out his hand gun and promptly shot her in the head, evidently killing her instantly. He later turned himself in. We marvel at such a brutal and senseless act. What would prompt someone to do such a thing? You can be quite sure this had nothing to do with the girl. Two things came to mind about this tragedy drawn from my years of observing human behavior. ​​ The first possibility was that this man had developed an attitude of arrogance. He saw himself as better than others, more important than anyone else, and had very little concern for others. So when he got behind the wheel, he fancied himself as the best driver on the road and that his reason for being on the road was more important than anybody else’s reason for being on the road - so look out! The other thought was that this man had issues or some singular problem which had gone unresolved in his life. He was frustrated, upset, seething on the inside and just ready to “boil over.” So when this other vehicle invaded his space - look out! The Holy Spirit deals with both of these human weaknesses. Pride is a cesspool in the heart which infects our actions toward others. Unresolved anger can explode at any time to give the devil opportunity to work harm through us and to us. Beware of these! Most of us would never think of doing what this man did. O, yes, the thought might flicker in our minds for a micro second, but we would never follow through. That is, we would never follow through by pulling a gun and shooting someone, but sometimes we do “shoot” at people to hurt them - don’t we? Things such as nasty looks, sharp words, deep noticeable sighs, leaving the room in a huff, turning our back, etc. are all “bullets” in our gun to hurt someone. We have all fired those rounds, haven’t we? Beware!

Mark 5:1-20 Jesus had just freed the man from a life of hopeless misery and futility. He had cast out of him the demon called Legion and given him back the opportunity for a normal life. When Jesus was preparing to leave, the man began begging Him to let him go with Him. (Wouldn’t you want to go with Him?) Jesus did not allow him to come but instructed him to do something which was quite different from what He had told others whom He had healed. He told him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” And the man went off and did just that! Wonderful! Now, some might think this comparison unfair, but let’s consider it. If Jesus told you, a Christian, to tell others what great things He has done for you, what would you tell? You might counter that this man had received an incredible gift from Jesus by having his life given back to him. He was dominated by demons, was unable to function as God created him to function, and was regularly harming himself. And I would counter by saying, “And, what’s your point?” Are not people who are not in Christ under the power of the devil? Well? Are not people who are outside of Christ under the power of sin and doing things which God did not create them to do? Well? Are not those who are not being led by the Spirit continually hurting themselves through such things as lying, laziness, addictions, greed, lust, selfishness, anxieties, outbursts of anger, misuse of the tongue, lack of self control, etc.? Well? Many people have an impaired view of salvation. For them, salvation means rescue from the fire for a future full of hymn singing. Paul writes (Galatians 5:1): “It was for freedom that Christ set us free;” - Freedom from the power of sin; freedom from guilt; freedom from law; freedom from the power of the devil; freedom from death. We are free in Christ to be what God designed us to be - like Him. So, what great things will you tell that Jesus has done for you?

Hebrews 13:3; James 1:25 We have all done it, that is forgotten something. And we’ve all said it: “I forgot.” Forgetfulness is one of the weaknesses of the flesh, I believe, and one of the signs of the times. To be able to remember is a precious gift from God. It is presumed in the scriptures that people can and should remember things. Imagine going out your door in the morning and not being able to remember where you were going or what you were going to do! (Some of us older folks do this now!) You could not remember how to open the door on your vehicle nor how to start it - even what it was supposed to do!! You looked around you and wondered where you were. You looked in your wallet and wondered what all the cards were for and the green pieces of paper with numbers and faces on them. Without the ability to remember, we could not function. The word teaches us to be people who remember. We are to remember the commands of God in order to do them. We are to remember certain people in distress so as to pray for and help them. The word is to be in our hearts to avoid sin (Psalm 119:11). But all too often we fail at these things and use the excuse: “I forgot.” Remembering is like everything else in life. “Don’t tell me what your priorities are in life. Just tell me where you spend your time and money.” We remember what’s important to us. It’s that simple. I know, I know, sometimes emergencies come up, and we really do forget, but this doesn’t happen as often as we think. Here’s why we forget. We are consumed with ourselves and don’t take steps to remember. Announcements are made before the assembly and in meetings about people to pray for and various happenings. Do we take notes for reminders? A bulletin and calendar are passed out. Do we read them and use them? We all have a Bible (maybe several). Do we read it regularly to be reminded of what our Lord has instructed us to be and do? Don’t be a forgetful hearer but a doer. What if God forgot you?! - 2 Timothy 2:19

Some people find what Jesus did in the temple to the money changers inconsistent with His character. They find it difficult to see the Jesus who said that He was meek and lowly in heart, who gave Himself up to the temple authorities, and who would not defend Himself before Pilate to act with such physical force. But He did! It isn’t difficult to see what Jesus did here, but we must look at the dust under the money changer’s tables to ascertain the why. The temple precincts had become a marketplace where men did business and animals were brought in, kept tied or in pens, and were being sold to the people who wanted or needed a sacrifice to offer to the Lord God. The money changers exchanged the money of the business world (Greek, Roman, etc.) for Jewish coins which were the only ones accepted in the temple. There are indications both historical and scriptural (Mark 11:17) that a wholesale fleecing of the pilgrims was going on through exorbitant prices and exchange fees being charged. The temple authorities had turned sacred ground into a way to make money to perpetuate their own religion (and thereby their own positions of power) at the expense of those who wanted to worship the Almighty! No wonder Jesus became filled with zeal! He saw the purpose of His Father’s house corrupted and more barriers erected between God and men. And Jesus came to remove all barriers. What provokes your indignation these days? When all world religions are promoted as being equal? When the writings of human beings are given equal status with the Bible or even elevated above it? When some in Christendom claim there are many different ways a person can be saved? When the idea of absolute truth is laughed at or thousands of babies are aborted every day? What is it for you? Let us have the zeal of Christ and stand up for truth, defend the helpless, and proclaim the good news of the loving Lamb of God who came to be the sacrifice for sins and give life to the world.

1 John 2:3-6 Kids copy their sports heroes. In baseball if they pitch, they will have the same “look in,” the same wind up, the same delivery. When hitting, they’ll use the same stance, the same swing. It’s what kids do. We’ve all emulated someone in our lives. When it comes to our serving the Lord Jesus, His disciples try to follow Him. This is what disciple means. Our text uses the expression of walking “in the same manner as He walked.” So, for us to follow Jesus we need to observe what He did. Right? The last time I saw Jesus... ...He was feeding the hungry. ...He was teaching in a synagogue. ...He was spending the night in prayer. ...He was facing down the devil. ...He was teaching from a boat. ...He was touching a leper. ...He was enjoying a meal with the community outcasts. ...He was speaking about things to come. ...He was defending an exploited woman. ...He was telling cool stories. ...He was praising His Father. ...He was weeping in deep grief. ...He was helping and healing the sick. ...He was challenging His followers. ...He was blessing the children. ...He was befriending a marginalized woman looking for hope ...He was teaching on a hillside. ...He was speaking against evil, lies and hypocrisy. ...He was talking about the kingdom of God. We’re out of space. So, what about you? Me? Hmmm?

We have two crows which frequent our neighborhood. In fact, they are around so much we have grown fond of them and given them names. One is Carl, and the other is Esmeralda. Now, Carl is the chatty one. You can hear him just about any time of the day with his familiar: “Caw, caw, caw!” It’s usually a tri-caw. We especially enjoy hearing him when we’re just waking up, and he seems to be calling us to the day’s activities. After all, he’s been up for some time already, so why shouldn’t we be up and about?! Esmeralda is his faithful companion, and they are almost always together. One morning when we went for a walk, they both followed us pretty much the whole way. No, I’m not making this up! But Carl and Esmeralda are just doing what crows do as God designed them. They fly, search for food and chatter. They are inquisitive and attracted to shiny objects. Some have been known to accept food from people. They even make little “crowsies” or whatever they’re called. They are crows being crows. We humans can learn a lot from the creatures which God made. They do a much better job of being what God intended them to be than we do. In our text God Himself observes that the “sons” He had reared had revolted against Him and become a nation of evildoers. He uses the ox and donkey as examples of creatures which know their own masters and are obedient to them. When we are disobedient, more is happening than the fact that we have failed to follow the word of the Lord or disobeyed one of His commands. Since we are made in the image of God, we have failed to live up to that image, and we become something other that what God designed us to be. Most of us know the definition of sin as “missing the mark.” That mark may not so much be the word of God as the image of God in which we were made. Certainly, we are all sinners, but God didn’t make us to be sinners but to reflect the image of the divine. How do you see yourself? Others? Hmmm?

Elijah had climbed this mountain more than once in his day and had done so not long before this. Yet, it was still an arduous climb for him though his servant was along to help. The Lord’s word had been clear. He had shown himself to King Ahab, so now the Lord would send the rain. Selecting a spot near the summit he got down on his knees and put his face between them. “O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, today let it rain again on the earth so that it will be known that you are God in Israel and I am your servant.” With that, Elijah raised up and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So, his servant climbed up to the summit of Carmel, looked out over the Great Sea and returned to Elijah. “There is nothing.” So Elijah bowed down again: “O Lord, God of our fathers, today let the rain come upon this dry ground for it has been three and a half years since it has tasted rain. Let all Israel know that you are God and I am your servant.” With that he said to his servant: “Go back.” Again, he looked out over the sea. Still nothing. So Elijah bowed again: “O Lord God of Hosts, your people languish for lack of rain. Our crops struggle and wither. Our flocks and herds pant even in the cool of the morning. Bless us with rain from heaven.” To his servant: “Go back” Again, nothing. His cloak comes off. The sweat is now flowing freely. The Lord is entreated again. The servant is sent. Nothing. But Elijah is not deterred for the Lord has promised rain. He will not stop until it comes. So again and again, he prays. He prays fervently. He prays believing the Lord’s words. After the eighth prayer, and the eighth trip up the summit, the servant returns with a word: “Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.” Elijah sends him to warn Ahab. Soon, the sky grew black. Then a heavy shower. The rain had come. (Now, that’s prayer.)

Ephesians 4:29 Language is one of God’s greatest gifts to mankind. No other creature has been given such a gift. Through language or words, we can express a host of things to one another including our feelings, ideas, fears, beliefs, knowledge, opinions, etc. The list is virtually endless. But also through language, we can receive communication from God, and we can speak with Him! Words are so precious, so vital, so necessary to a good life and good relationships. The question arises, then: Do we make good use of our opportunities to speak with others? Do we have command of our language? Do we know the things which God would have us say to one another? In our text, the Holy Spirit by Paul is instructing us in the proper and good use of our words. Of course, nothing “unwholesome” is to be spoken. The word in the Greek literally means “rotten!” This would most certainly include vulgar and profane words, but also under consideration would be words which hurt other people such as gossip, slander, harsh and unnecessary criticism, etc. The basic thrust of the text is that words are to be used to accomplish good. Paul writes that our words are to be “good for edification” so as to “give grace to those who hear.” We need to understand at least three things here. First, edification mean to build up. In this case, our words are for the building up, strengthening and encouraging of others. Second, those same words are to show grace or favor to those to whom they are spoken. Our words are to be a blessing to others. Lastly, to do this we must be taking into consideration those with whom we are speaking - their needs, their problems, their labor in the Lord, etc. It seems we talk about “everything under the sun” (especially ourselves), but we are not very skilled at speaking words of edification and grace to others. Would this not mean we need to take a real interest in others? To know them? To love them? Words of grace - a powerful tool for strengthening others.