CROSSing Melbourne
A blameless man in a blame-filled land
Genesis 6:5-11
Ps. MJ Want
Crossing Melbourne Conf 07
- We see that in just 5 chapters God changes from saying of the earth
"it is good" to saying that the people of the earth grieve Him so much
that He's sorry for ever making them.
- Yet in the midst of this, God still notices Noah.
- What is it that catches God's attention?
- Righteousness (Gen 7:1) ie. being morally upright
- God doesn't want us to be a "clock in" "clock out" generation who act
righteously at church or around people who expect it of us and then do
the opposite when others aren't watching.
- It's easy to appear righteous when everyone's looking and when other
Christians are there to support us. However we as Christians are
primarily called to make disciples and to do this, we have to be
people who are righteous no matter who we are with and no matter where
we are- as it is in these situations that we are given the opportunity
to best portray Jesus for who He is, to the lost.
- Any fish can swim downstream but swimming against the current is another thing.
- So how do we swim against the current? By His Holy Spirit!
- Righteousness isn't the easiest road to travel.
Genesis 6:13-15
- But remember God won't ever call us to a task such as this and then
not tell us how to complete it. In fact, just as He did to Noah in
regards to creating the ark, God gives us specific instructions.
Notice that God tells Noah down to the exact cubit what He wants him
to do.
- We need to do WHATEVER God tells us to do no matter how crazy it sounds.
- Are you building what God's told you to build but still not seeing
anything happen? Build regardless! If God has promised you something,
He WILL perfect it. For example, God told Noah to build the ark and it
was 120 years later when he first saw rain fall on the land, yet he
never gave up on what God had told Him to do- as ridiculous as it may
have seemed at the time.
- If we try to complete the tasks God's given us in our own strength,
we won't be able to.
- We must make being AVAILABLE and OBEDIENT to God a priority in our life.
- Yet, knowing that God will perfect His promises doesn't mean that we
sit on our backsides and don't do anything.
- If we wait to see God bring our dreams into fruition....this is what
will happen: read Judges 2:10
- Within our school we need to not only proclaim the wonder of God to
our generation (ie. our yr level) but we must also disciple the
younger students in our school in such a way that when we finish
school, we can trust that the generations to come are in good hands
and are hearing about the Lord and the good works He's done.
- YOU are the difference maker in your situation. Don't wait for
someone else to come along.
- Be obedient and obedient BEYOND risk.
Genesis 6:23
- All that God commanded- Noah did.
- Are you prepared to be obedient to all God asks of you?
- Think about the consequences of your disobedience to the voice of
God. Because of us being obedient to God's direction, we can secure
people's eternal destiny and just the same, our disobedience to the
voice of God can cost someone's eternal destiny. ie. if Noah had not
been obedient to the voice of God- would anyone even been alive today?
- Don't be deterred from obeying God's voice because of the crowd as
they only follow whoever yells the loudest. Therefore, they are
stupid!
- Obey God and His call.
- God is true to His word: stay obedient and stay humble and you will
see the things God's promised you come to pass.
- God's promises endure.
- In a relay race, the only time you can get disqualified is in the
transfer zone and therefore this is the most intense, and important
time of the race. If you compare the way God has been moving through
the Christians in your school to reach others to a relay race.....
Which leg of the race are you in? The 1st, 2nd or 3rd leg? A transfer
of the baton between legs of the race? Or are you nearing the end of
God's vision for the transformation of your school and are in the 4th
leg?
- Be a blameless, righteous person and be obedient beyond risk and God
will be able to use you as an influencer and difference maker in your
mission field- your school.