Genesis 8 - Part 3 – REMOVAL VAN PRAYER.
Well, Julie and I have got a house full of boxes and a quietness amidst the echoes, as we see the final things accomplished before our move to Sydney - a trailerload of Church related archives in a cupboard, and a list of people we need to see before we go – especially Dot Hamilton who is old and unable to come to Church now. And the question that people have asked through the ages still finds its way from my stomach to my lips “Where do we go to from here”.
The removal van people said they would be here a day later than they originally said. You wouldn’t believe what repercussions that has for us. So many phonecalls to rearrange things. Julie is amazing. She just does it all despite the frustration. That’s what made me call this “Removal Van Prayer.”
This morning I am looking at how Noah handled the move. I know his move was a little different (he had cats on board), but essentially when he got off the removal van and unloaded the furniture and pets, he was faced with that same question as he looked toward a whole new beginning. He did what we all do with a new beginning – prayed to God. Worship is so important when your heart is heavy about leaving but excited about what is ahead – it’s the only way to handle such Schizophrenic emotions.
As he gets off the Ark (Great name for a removal van), Noah did something that I almost missed – he prayed for us! Just as well really, but I didn’t expect that.
On Tuesday night, we went around to Jeremy’s place with a group of young leaders to share with them some insights – you know, from the vast accumulated wisdom of our years (Just joking – more like from the mistakes we have made). They did something so precious to us – they gathered around at the end of the night and they prayed and even washed our feet. We were so humbled by the honour they gave us so freely. God wants me to be like that – to pray into peoples lives and give voice to deep things that need expression in the very throneroom of our God. God not only wants my heart, but He wants my prayers. If Noah was here today, he would say “If you want to know where to go from here, then intercede (ask on somebody's behalf) for God’s blessings.” Noah prayed for the generations to come as only a man who understands what it means to be saved can pray. You won’t find the prayer there in Genesis 8 but you do find God’s response.
Why did Noah build an altar and offer these animal sacrifices? Was it a sin offering? I’m sure every sacrifice is. But there’s something more. The bible says Noah was a righteous man. Sure, he, like everyone who believes in Christ today, was sinner saved by grace, but it wasn’t only a sacrifice for sins. There’s more to it than that.
I believe there was something else that also inspired Noah to sacrifice those animals? Verse 21 gives us a clue. Don’t drive by too fast or you’ll miss it.
To find the clue you need to look at God’s response - “and the lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice”. Now this is more than just God being pleased with the smell of a good barbecue. In this case the aroma drew God’s favour. That’s not always the case in the Bible. Sometimes, like in Leviticus 26:31, and Amos 5:22, God refuses to smell the sacrifice. And that means divine disapproval and rejection. When the sacrifice rises, if God is pleased with the smell, that means He's pleased with the heart and prayers of the worshiper. If it displeases Him, then He's not pleased with the heart or prayers of the worshiper.
What about my worship? I want so much for it to be a sweet smelling aroma to God. A sweet smelling aroma was a way of saying God heard Noah’s prayer. He was pleased with Noah’s heart. You get an idea of what Noah prayed for as God hears and says to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things.” That makes me think that Noah probably prayed “Lord, protect my family. Have mercy on future generations Lord. Have mercy upon the human race” He looked around at a devastated world and his heart cried out for us!
God waited to hear that prayer. The only reason you and I are here, is because the Bible says in 2 peter 3:9 (NLT) “the Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”
It is time to pray – yes, I need to pray for Julie and myself and our needs, but God calls me to pray for more than just that - pray for my children and my grandchildren, pray for our Church, (I’m still Pastor of an incredible Church for at least 3 days and my prayers for you will continue), pray for the Whitsundays, pray for Queensland, Australia, the world, that God will have mercy upon us and usher in a time of harvest – amen?
And that will require me to renew my dependence upon Christ. Just because I’ve weathered some storms and found God’s favour, doesn’t mean that I am now strong enough to face whatever comes my way. Don’t kid yourself, Ross.
Storms leave me vulnerable. Blessings leave me thinking somehow I deserve it (How fickle my heart can be). What I really need to understand is that all my time here in the Whitsundays, the storms and the fair weather times leave me even more in need of Jesus. Someone said, “The flood didn’t neutralise the influence of the serpent. The Cross defeated the serpent.” (I may have said that, but I’m not sure. It sounds too profound for me).
God bless you Church as you learn the power and value of prayer that reaches out past yourself to others – your children, your grandchildren, your Church, to Julie and Ross (just thought I’d add that in), to our community and ultimately our World.
Pastor Ross
Showing posts with label Genesis 8. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Genesis 8. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Genesis 8 - Part 2 - SAVE OUR ANIMALS! ARK OR ALTAR?
Genesis 8 – Part 2 – SAVE OUR ANIMALS! ARK OR ALTAR?
Julie and I move to Sydney on Monday night. We’ve done all the packing and I still need to pack away the last vestiges of files from my study, a never ending process. We are looking forward to getting to Sydney after a couple of days journey in the car. 26 hours driving time, so I can put on the timer and I won’t have to ask “Are we there yet!” I am looking forward to getting out of that car already at the other end and sorting out what we will be doing.
Noah stepped out of the ark to a whole new world. Now don’t get the wrong view of this. When Noah stepped off the boat, it wasn’t like I have seen in the picture books and children’s stories - all sunshine and a big rainbow, and the animals are all smiling. And there's trees and there's rivers and there's green grass everywhere. I am sure that wasn't what they saw.
They came off that ark, and there was death everywhere and desolation, and a landscape devastated by flood - incredible erosion and upheaval. I’m sure there was plant life, but it probably wasn't profuse. It still had to develop and grow again. It certainly wasn’t like Eden. It would have been the opposite of that. It was a destroyed planet.
And when they walked off, maybe the first thing that they saw were carcasses and dry bones. Massive evidence of death and destruction, the aftermath of judgment.
I bet one of the questions Noah had was “Well lord, where do we go from here?”
That’s the question all of us ask when we’ve had the faith and trust to put your life into God’s hands, and Noah answers that question.
Genesis 8:20 (NIV) says “then Noah built an altar to the lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.”
The first thing Noah did in verse 20 was build an altar. Where do you go when the world you knew has been ripped apart, and all you see is the aftermath of the storm - when you really come to grips with what life would be like without God.
Noah says to me and you, “Build an altar - totally surrender your life to Christ in an act of worship”
Genesis 8:20 (NIV) says “then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.”
God didn’t command him to do that. It was a freewill offering. By the way, some people think that there were only 2 of every animal in the ark, but Noah was told to take 2 of every unclean animal and 7 of every clean animal (or domesticated animals) into the ark. (Genesis 7:2-3)
Noah’s reputation with the Animal Rights movement was good until this time, but in the Bible, a burnt offering is primarily a recognition of total devotion to the lord. There were some offerings where you put it on the altar and burned some of it and you ate some of it. But a burnt offering was totally consumed in the fire, and it was a picture of total devotion, total dedication to the Lord. You gave everything to the lord. You didn't keep anything back for yourself. You just gave your all.
If you just got off the Ark you would say, that is very generous offering. Remember, it’s not as if there’s a lot of animals around. In fact there was an animal shortage! Nevertheless, he didn't say "Look, we don't have a lot of animals here to populate the whole world, so I’m just going to hold back a little on the offering side of things. Things are tight at the moment. We have a severe animal shortage.” He didn't do that! He took from every clean animal and every clean bird he had, slaughtered them, and burnt them all totally on the altar, as an act of unrestrained worship. When it came to giving worship to God He didn’t hold back.
By this time the animal rights groups would have notified the authorities. As they held up their placards saying “SAVE OUR ANIMALS FROM EXTINCTION” Noah would have been fined thousands of dollars. Fortunately for Noah, it was the animal rights group that had become extinct!
If you just survived a worldwide flood, would you be giving up your livelihood by giving God the best of all you had. What did Noah need the most? The domesticated animals and he gave one seventh of his livestock to God, as a sacrifice.
This wasn’t just a tithe. Like one woman said to her pastor, “Pastor, I can’t afford a tenth of my income. I’ll have to give you a seventh instead!”
It requires faith to give to God and risk. If the storm is a financial storm, it doesn’t make sense to give.
There is a choice involved in obeying God, and building an Ark. And there is a choice involved in worshiping God and building an altar. No ark, no altar. You won’t know what it’s like to worship, until you appreciate what it’s like to be saved, and then your worship will never be something trivial. It will be a wholehearted expression of thanksgiving.
This is the first mention in the bible of an altar. Cain and abel gave an offering, but there's no indication about an altar. This is the first time an altar is used for the purpose of sacrifice.
You may be asking like Noah, “Where do I go from here?” Here and now is your opportunity to build an altar, to totally dedicate your life to Christ.
Romans 12:1 (NASB) says “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
So the altar is a picture of total devotion, total dedication to the Lord, where you give everything to the Lord. You don’t keep anything back. You just give all of yourself to the Lord.
God bless you Church as you declare “I’ve been saved in order to serve unreservedly, total commitment. It’s no longer ark building time. It’s altar building time!” It’s time to give sacrificially! Of time and talent and yes, of treasure. Worship for me must never be just being there on Sunday. It involves sacrifice, giving of myself completely to Christ. He want’s my heart.
Pastor Ross
Julie and I move to Sydney on Monday night. We’ve done all the packing and I still need to pack away the last vestiges of files from my study, a never ending process. We are looking forward to getting to Sydney after a couple of days journey in the car. 26 hours driving time, so I can put on the timer and I won’t have to ask “Are we there yet!” I am looking forward to getting out of that car already at the other end and sorting out what we will be doing.
Noah stepped out of the ark to a whole new world. Now don’t get the wrong view of this. When Noah stepped off the boat, it wasn’t like I have seen in the picture books and children’s stories - all sunshine and a big rainbow, and the animals are all smiling. And there's trees and there's rivers and there's green grass everywhere. I am sure that wasn't what they saw.
They came off that ark, and there was death everywhere and desolation, and a landscape devastated by flood - incredible erosion and upheaval. I’m sure there was plant life, but it probably wasn't profuse. It still had to develop and grow again. It certainly wasn’t like Eden. It would have been the opposite of that. It was a destroyed planet.
And when they walked off, maybe the first thing that they saw were carcasses and dry bones. Massive evidence of death and destruction, the aftermath of judgment.
I bet one of the questions Noah had was “Well lord, where do we go from here?”
That’s the question all of us ask when we’ve had the faith and trust to put your life into God’s hands, and Noah answers that question.
Genesis 8:20 (NIV) says “then Noah built an altar to the lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.”
The first thing Noah did in verse 20 was build an altar. Where do you go when the world you knew has been ripped apart, and all you see is the aftermath of the storm - when you really come to grips with what life would be like without God.
Noah says to me and you, “Build an altar - totally surrender your life to Christ in an act of worship”
Genesis 8:20 (NIV) says “then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.”
God didn’t command him to do that. It was a freewill offering. By the way, some people think that there were only 2 of every animal in the ark, but Noah was told to take 2 of every unclean animal and 7 of every clean animal (or domesticated animals) into the ark. (Genesis 7:2-3)
Noah’s reputation with the Animal Rights movement was good until this time, but in the Bible, a burnt offering is primarily a recognition of total devotion to the lord. There were some offerings where you put it on the altar and burned some of it and you ate some of it. But a burnt offering was totally consumed in the fire, and it was a picture of total devotion, total dedication to the Lord. You gave everything to the lord. You didn't keep anything back for yourself. You just gave your all.
If you just got off the Ark you would say, that is very generous offering. Remember, it’s not as if there’s a lot of animals around. In fact there was an animal shortage! Nevertheless, he didn't say "Look, we don't have a lot of animals here to populate the whole world, so I’m just going to hold back a little on the offering side of things. Things are tight at the moment. We have a severe animal shortage.” He didn't do that! He took from every clean animal and every clean bird he had, slaughtered them, and burnt them all totally on the altar, as an act of unrestrained worship. When it came to giving worship to God He didn’t hold back.
By this time the animal rights groups would have notified the authorities. As they held up their placards saying “SAVE OUR ANIMALS FROM EXTINCTION” Noah would have been fined thousands of dollars. Fortunately for Noah, it was the animal rights group that had become extinct!
If you just survived a worldwide flood, would you be giving up your livelihood by giving God the best of all you had. What did Noah need the most? The domesticated animals and he gave one seventh of his livestock to God, as a sacrifice.
This wasn’t just a tithe. Like one woman said to her pastor, “Pastor, I can’t afford a tenth of my income. I’ll have to give you a seventh instead!”
It requires faith to give to God and risk. If the storm is a financial storm, it doesn’t make sense to give.
There is a choice involved in obeying God, and building an Ark. And there is a choice involved in worshiping God and building an altar. No ark, no altar. You won’t know what it’s like to worship, until you appreciate what it’s like to be saved, and then your worship will never be something trivial. It will be a wholehearted expression of thanksgiving.
This is the first mention in the bible of an altar. Cain and abel gave an offering, but there's no indication about an altar. This is the first time an altar is used for the purpose of sacrifice.
You may be asking like Noah, “Where do I go from here?” Here and now is your opportunity to build an altar, to totally dedicate your life to Christ.
Romans 12:1 (NASB) says “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
So the altar is a picture of total devotion, total dedication to the Lord, where you give everything to the Lord. You don’t keep anything back. You just give all of yourself to the Lord.
God bless you Church as you declare “I’ve been saved in order to serve unreservedly, total commitment. It’s no longer ark building time. It’s altar building time!” It’s time to give sacrificially! Of time and talent and yes, of treasure. Worship for me must never be just being there on Sunday. It involves sacrifice, giving of myself completely to Christ. He want’s my heart.
Pastor Ross
Monday, January 11, 2010
Genesis 8 – Part 1 - WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
Genesis 8 – Part 1 - WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
I feel as if a flood of memories from the last 10 years is sweeping over me, and like Noah I would like to hear the voice of God say “Come into the ark” where you’ll be safe. Instead, He is saying “GO OUT OF THE ARK” and face whatever is out there. It will be a new beginning. God has lifted me up and brought me safely through some stormy times, and when the fountains of the deep burst open God closed the door of His protection and shielded me. But now it’s time to move on. You can’t stay in the ark forever or it becomes a comfort zone. It was never intended to be a permanent dwelling place, just a temporary safe haven, but that hasn’t stopped me from asking “Lord, I want to know where to go to from here.” Noah gives me some good advice for this new year.
Noah is one of the greatest men who ever lived and he knew how to please God. In fact that’s why he was great. I imagine him as an old man, face weathered, hands boney, pure white hair and beard, older than any man I’ve ever seen, although sometimes I look in the mirror and catch glimse of such a man.
I’m a little seasick, like the first time I went out in a boat in the Whitsundays, but I want to know WHERE TO GO FROM HERE.
If Noah was here he would say, “Where you go from here will be determined by your faith and your faith will be tested by what remains after the storm.”
Noah would say, “Let God close the door on your past.” It’s no use carrying around the baggage of my past. Christ died to forgive me. I accept that forgiveness and find a new future by trusting in Him.
Noah would say, “Wait for God’s timing. Sometimes His timing isn’t ours, which means we have to wait. But waiting doesn’t mean doing nothing. Make good use of today.” Noah prepared for the future, even while he was in the ark. He sent out a raven, then a dove and then removed the covering. When opportunity comes it’s too late to prepare. I need to prepare ahead of time. I can always ask God what I need to do to prepare for your future.
Noah would say “Don’t stay in the ark.” It’s easy to stay in that place where God has met me in the past and never progress beyond that point. God wants my testimony to be up to date
What interests me is Genesis 8:15-16 (NLT)
“Then God said to Noah, “leave the boat, all of you—you and your wife, and your sons and their wives.”
The last time Noah heard the Lord speak was when the Lord said, "Come in to the Ark" and then he doesn't hear anything for a long time - for a year and nearly a month. And then God says, "Go out!" I notice that Noah didn’t ask any questions. I’m sure he was glad to obey! When God has just destroyed the world as you knew it completely, you do as He says, no questions asked.
God bless you Church as you let go of the past and step out in faith and obedience to God this year.
Pastor Ross
I feel as if a flood of memories from the last 10 years is sweeping over me, and like Noah I would like to hear the voice of God say “Come into the ark” where you’ll be safe. Instead, He is saying “GO OUT OF THE ARK” and face whatever is out there. It will be a new beginning. God has lifted me up and brought me safely through some stormy times, and when the fountains of the deep burst open God closed the door of His protection and shielded me. But now it’s time to move on. You can’t stay in the ark forever or it becomes a comfort zone. It was never intended to be a permanent dwelling place, just a temporary safe haven, but that hasn’t stopped me from asking “Lord, I want to know where to go to from here.” Noah gives me some good advice for this new year.
Noah is one of the greatest men who ever lived and he knew how to please God. In fact that’s why he was great. I imagine him as an old man, face weathered, hands boney, pure white hair and beard, older than any man I’ve ever seen, although sometimes I look in the mirror and catch glimse of such a man.
I’m a little seasick, like the first time I went out in a boat in the Whitsundays, but I want to know WHERE TO GO FROM HERE.
If Noah was here he would say, “Where you go from here will be determined by your faith and your faith will be tested by what remains after the storm.”
Noah would say, “Let God close the door on your past.” It’s no use carrying around the baggage of my past. Christ died to forgive me. I accept that forgiveness and find a new future by trusting in Him.
Noah would say, “Wait for God’s timing. Sometimes His timing isn’t ours, which means we have to wait. But waiting doesn’t mean doing nothing. Make good use of today.” Noah prepared for the future, even while he was in the ark. He sent out a raven, then a dove and then removed the covering. When opportunity comes it’s too late to prepare. I need to prepare ahead of time. I can always ask God what I need to do to prepare for your future.
Noah would say “Don’t stay in the ark.” It’s easy to stay in that place where God has met me in the past and never progress beyond that point. God wants my testimony to be up to date
What interests me is Genesis 8:15-16 (NLT)
“Then God said to Noah, “leave the boat, all of you—you and your wife, and your sons and their wives.”
The last time Noah heard the Lord speak was when the Lord said, "Come in to the Ark" and then he doesn't hear anything for a long time - for a year and nearly a month. And then God says, "Go out!" I notice that Noah didn’t ask any questions. I’m sure he was glad to obey! When God has just destroyed the world as you knew it completely, you do as He says, no questions asked.
God bless you Church as you let go of the past and step out in faith and obedience to God this year.
Pastor Ross
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