Sermon Title: Are We There Yet? – Knowing when you have stepped into God’s New World.
“Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth.
Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.
The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.
But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded." (Genesis 7:23-8:1)
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Risen Savior, Jesus Christ!
God remembered Noah – for he “did everything just as God commanded him” . (Genesis 6:22, cf 7:5)
Despite living in a world saturated with uninhibited corruption, darkness and wickedness, Noah was unreservedly obedient to God alone; and in His Sight was “a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.” (Genesis 6:9, cf 7:1)
For that, God established a covenant with Him (Genesis 6:18); and commanded him to enter the ark with his family – to be saved from destruction; along with a commission – to keep Creation alive (Genesis 6:19).
As always, “Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.” (Genesis 7:5)
“7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood.
8 Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, 9 male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth.” (Genesis 7:7-10)
God’s Commands are always given for our own good, and requires our absolute, unfettered obedience.
Noah and his family entered the Ark - a rudderless, powerless vessel signifying their lives in God’s total control over the coming days; build precisely to symbolise God’s Perfect Grace; coated with black pitch inside and out to manifest the atoning work of God which literally shields them from His righteous wrath against the wicked; with only a small opening located right at the top that reminds Noah and his family to keep their eyes – and hearts – solely on God, and a single door into and out of the ark, which God shut them in with, as assurance that He alone is the God who saves and preserves – just as Christ is the One and only Way, Truth and Life that saves us, and leads us, to the Salvific, Glorious and Eternal Presence of our Heavenly Father. (Ref: Genesis 7, John 10:8-10, 14:6, Acts 4:12)
Noah’s Ark is the ark of God’s Covenant to Noah and his family – for their salvation, through them, for all of Humanity and Creation – and points to our Lord Jesus Christ, “the Mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” (Hebrews 9:15)
In every regard, the Ark took on the deadly deluge in place of Noah and his family; just as God made our Lord Jesus Christ “who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
The occupants of the Ark would be the holy remnant in whom God would repopulate the new world.
In faith, Noah and his family entered the Ark of God – and waited indefinitely after the Lord shut them in; till “the floodwaters came on the earth” seven days later. (Genesis 7:10, 7:16)
In faith, Noah and his family remained in the Ark of God – again, waiting indefinitely; till the waters receded 377 days later when they were allowed to leave the Ark. (Ref: Genesis 7:13-8:19)
In faith, Noah trusted God in the Ark; in faith, we must trust God in Christ.
To Noah and his family, the earth was dry when they entered the Ark.
Clearly in the days that follow, though doubt must have crept into their hearts as they heard the mocking shouts of the defiant, they remained resolutely in the Ark up to the point when the deluge destroyed every being on earth - along with every naysayer.
Their doubts - fueled by worldly attachments - were inadvertently destroyed as the earth was consumed by the wrath of God.
Faith is the power of God that carries us through the tumult that destroys every shadow of doubt about His Grace and Mercy.
Do you truly have faith in God?
In fact, “for forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth.
The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. ” (Genesis 7:17-18)
While the world sinks, it is our faith in God which secures us in Christ the Ark, and unleashes upon us the Spirit’s Power to hover above the very flood that drowns the world.
To have true faith in God is to be set free from the chains of this world; chains that enslaves us to wickedness and worldliness.
On that Ark, Noah and his family was compelled to cut off every relationship, ideal and tie to the world of darkness; forging ahead only with the divine relationship that they now shared solely with the Lord.
Are you free from the bondages of wickedness and worldliness?
Are you prepared to leave everything, everyone behind?
The Bible tells us that every human being is born in sin (Ref: Romans 3:9-19) – every human being has a sinful nature; every human being is born in the waters of darkness – but remember, you do not drown just because you fall into the water; you drown because you choose to remain under water.
What do you choose today?
Do you choose to remain in the deluge of God’s judgement, or have you decided to follow Jesus?
“Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.
Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth.
Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.” (Genesis 7:22-23)
Make no mistake about this.
Our allegiance must belong to Christ alone, who clearly instructed us:
“Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:18)
Those who are not in Christ will not only be “wiped from the earth” (Genesis 7:22), “they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death” (Revelation 21:8)
For Noah and his family – and for us, as well - the indefinite wait for their Promised Salvation was an eternal lesson in faith.
The question “are we there yet?” reveals the failure of faith; which can certainly not be resolved with the belief that “we are there when we get there”
Faith resides in the deepest knowledge that God remembers you – just as He did Noah and his family – because you remember, and revere, God in every aspect of your life.
Even if you have not heard from God, know that your faith is being tested.
God is giving you the opportunity to understand how utterly you need Him.
Noah had no idea what they were getting themselves into; when they were getting out; and to what world they would be getting out to.
And yet, through it all, against the landscape of wickedness cleansed from the earth, Noah and his family were made fully aware of God’s love and concern over them.
Noah’s life is recorded to give us all every reason to hope and trust in God’s Holy Ways
Never think that God has not answered your prayers, or acted in your life. If you profess faith in Him, be always confident that He remembers you; and that He always answers and acts in His Time.
Your task right now is to faithfully draw near to God; and continue to be filled with His Holy Spirit and be obedient to His Will.
In the meantime, Noah saw the signs of the receding waters, as “the tops of the mountains became visible.” (Ref: Genesis 8:1-5)
Isn’t it curious that God – who had been so persistent and precise in Noah’s life thus far – fell silent as to when it might be for the survivors to enter the new world?
Noah sent out a raven who “kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth” (Genesis 8:7); then a dove which returned twice before “it did not return to him.” (Genesis 8:12)
Even after the deep lessons of faith does God allow us tests that we might grapple with the measure of our faith in Him.
To Noah, God’s silence was his opportunity to discern the Lord’s Supernatural Will by employing natural resources.
When we seek the will of God – let the dove out, and then wait upon the Lord.
When challenged in your heart to share the gospel with an individual, well, let the dove out.
Let the gospel go out into the person.
If the heart is prepared to receive the gospel, the gospel will take up residence in the person’s life.
If the heart is not ready, be assured that the gospel will return to you, and that you will have another opportunity – in His Perfect Time - to let the gospel go out again to that person.
To finally arrive at our destination in the eternal Presence and Kingdom of God is completely premised upon your arrival at the point of utter faith in God through Christ Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.
The moment Noah and his family stepped into the Ark, they were already saved.
That God would call Noah, his family and every living creature with them out of the ark was not a question of ‘if’; but rather, a question of ‘when’.
Utter faith in God requires that you would be utterly willing to wait upon the Lord.
Salvation through Christ alone, is the gift of God that brings about the blessing of eternal life in God’s Coming Kingdom.
Never ask the Lord when He will return, when New Creation would be finally established; rather, ask the Lord for courage, strength, resolve and wisdom to wait upon Him in all things, at all times.
Remember, the question of His Return is never ‘if’ but ‘when’ – and it would be highly accurate to understand that it is imminent; soon enough, that many would be caught by surprise.
Never be caught chained to this world when Christ does return; lest you perish with those in bondage to sin and worldliness.
Today, we are found parallel to the narrative of Noah’s Ark; in that, our lives in the present world is adrift over God’s judgement against unbelievers, yet safe and secured in Christ Jesus, our Saviour.
Similarly, just as it was a matter of God’s Time that the destructive deluge would ultimately recede and Noah, along with his family, called to step into the newly cleansed world; God’s present judgement over our world would ultimately conclude with the return of Christ, His gathering of the Saints, His final condemnation of the wicked, and the ultimate inbreaking of the Kingdom of God, which is, God’s New Creation – where those who believe in God’s “one and only Son” having “not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16) - to forever reside in His Holy Presence.
Are you at the point of utter faith in Christ Jesus, the Lord and Saviour of the world?
If you desire to be truly saved, you must.
What kind of world are you looking forward to?
The kind of world you are really looking forward to is the one that you are building now.
What are you building?
Are you building wealth? Are you building security here on earth?
Are you building your life for this world?
OR.
Are you building your life for God’s Promised Kingdom – where He dwells with His people, and where there will be “no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away”? (Revelation 21:3-4)
What are you building?
Before and After God’s Call upon his life, Noah’s relationship with God was his most important, and his most serious; such that he would build his life upon God’s world, and not his own.
Noah could only achieve what he did – in the 80-120 years building the ark - if he really believed in God.
And in every day of those years building the ark, Noah – by the Power of God – was already preaching the Salvation and Judgment of God to his world through the very process of building the ark in the deepest assurance of his own salvation from God – and yet, apart from his family, not one soul repented.
God was patient, and today, He is still patiently waiting for others to come to Christ and be saved. (Ref: 2 Peter 3:9)
Do you really believe in God?
Do you really believe in Christ – and that He will return?
Do you really believe in His Coming Kingdom?
If you do, are you building God’s Ark today?
Are you building God’s Church today?
Are you part of building up His People today?
Every day the Church exist; we are preaching His Gospel and passing divine judgement on those who do not believe in Christ.
The author of Hebrews wrote that it was “by faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith” (Hebrews 11:7).
The only reason we would be willing to go against the world and rid ourselves from the bondages and chains of worldliness, is if we are totally serious about our relationship with God; truly believe in Christ’s, His return, and the coming of His Kingdom.
Indeed.
True faith in God is condemning the world, and becoming “an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith” (Hebrews 11:7)
Are you there at the point of utter faith in Christ?
“Seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness” (Matthew 6:33); and nothing else.
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
Lord, I rest eternally in Your promised assurance that You remember me; may I remain in You and build my life solely upon You.
Just as Noah who came before me, I resolve to be utterly faithful and obedient to Your Commands.
Holy Spirit, help me to “recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.” (2 Peter 3:2)
And help me “understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”” (2 Peter 3:3-4)
Thank You for revealing to me that “they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water.
By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.
By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. (2 Peter 3:5-7)
Lord, with you, “a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.”
You are not slow in keeping Your Promise; instead, You are patient with the world, “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:8-9)
Prepare me, O Lord, for the Day of Your Return – that even when the heavens “disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare” (2 Peter 3:10)- my faith in You would be absolute and my love for You certain.
Grant me power to “live holy and godly lives” as I “look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” (2 Peter 3:11b-12)
May I build solely on Your Promise; ever “looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13); that from this day forth “make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace” with You, O Lord. (2 Peter 3:14)
Grant that I may be released from every bondage and chain of sin, darkness and worldliness; and forgive my doubt and sins against You.
Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that I “have been forewarned” and that I will be on my guard, so that I “may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from my secure position.” (2 Peter 3:17)
I believe in You, Lord Jesus; that You are returning soon, and inbreak the eternal Kingdom of God.
I will obey You, in remaining in You always; and participate with You in building Your Church and Your People today.
With my existence, may I fearlessly preach Your Gospel even as You have called me to declare your divine judgement on those who have yet to believe in You, Lord Jesus.
Make my life question their sense of existence and self-worth.
Grant me Noah’s faith, having been warned by You concerning Your return; that in reverent fear before You, may I build Your Church for the saving of my household.
That by this, I condemn the world and become an heir of righteousness that comes by faith. (Ref: Hebrews 11:7)
Holy Spirit, bring me to the point of utter faith in Christ.
May I forever seek first Your Kingdom and Your Righteousness through Christ my Lord, and my God. (Ref: Matthew 6:33)
May I grow in the grace and knowledge of Your Love for me, Lord God; and may my life bring You glory both now and forevermore! (2 Peter 3:18)
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
“Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth.
Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.
The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.
But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded." (Genesis 7:23-8:1)
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Risen Savior, Jesus Christ!
God remembered Noah – for he “did everything just as God commanded him” . (Genesis 6:22, cf 7:5)
Despite living in a world saturated with uninhibited corruption, darkness and wickedness, Noah was unreservedly obedient to God alone; and in His Sight was “a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.” (Genesis 6:9, cf 7:1)
For that, God established a covenant with Him (Genesis 6:18); and commanded him to enter the ark with his family – to be saved from destruction; along with a commission – to keep Creation alive (Genesis 6:19).
As always, “Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.” (Genesis 7:5)
“7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood.
8 Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, 9 male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth.” (Genesis 7:7-10)
God’s Commands are always given for our own good, and requires our absolute, unfettered obedience.
Noah and his family entered the Ark - a rudderless, powerless vessel signifying their lives in God’s total control over the coming days; build precisely to symbolise God’s Perfect Grace; coated with black pitch inside and out to manifest the atoning work of God which literally shields them from His righteous wrath against the wicked; with only a small opening located right at the top that reminds Noah and his family to keep their eyes – and hearts – solely on God, and a single door into and out of the ark, which God shut them in with, as assurance that He alone is the God who saves and preserves – just as Christ is the One and only Way, Truth and Life that saves us, and leads us, to the Salvific, Glorious and Eternal Presence of our Heavenly Father. (Ref: Genesis 7, John 10:8-10, 14:6, Acts 4:12)
Noah’s Ark is the ark of God’s Covenant to Noah and his family – for their salvation, through them, for all of Humanity and Creation – and points to our Lord Jesus Christ, “the Mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” (Hebrews 9:15)
In every regard, the Ark took on the deadly deluge in place of Noah and his family; just as God made our Lord Jesus Christ “who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
The occupants of the Ark would be the holy remnant in whom God would repopulate the new world.
In faith, Noah and his family entered the Ark of God – and waited indefinitely after the Lord shut them in; till “the floodwaters came on the earth” seven days later. (Genesis 7:10, 7:16)
In faith, Noah and his family remained in the Ark of God – again, waiting indefinitely; till the waters receded 377 days later when they were allowed to leave the Ark. (Ref: Genesis 7:13-8:19)
In faith, Noah trusted God in the Ark; in faith, we must trust God in Christ.
To Noah and his family, the earth was dry when they entered the Ark.
Clearly in the days that follow, though doubt must have crept into their hearts as they heard the mocking shouts of the defiant, they remained resolutely in the Ark up to the point when the deluge destroyed every being on earth - along with every naysayer.
Their doubts - fueled by worldly attachments - were inadvertently destroyed as the earth was consumed by the wrath of God.
Faith is the power of God that carries us through the tumult that destroys every shadow of doubt about His Grace and Mercy.
Do you truly have faith in God?
In fact, “for forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth.
The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. ” (Genesis 7:17-18)
While the world sinks, it is our faith in God which secures us in Christ the Ark, and unleashes upon us the Spirit’s Power to hover above the very flood that drowns the world.
To have true faith in God is to be set free from the chains of this world; chains that enslaves us to wickedness and worldliness.
On that Ark, Noah and his family was compelled to cut off every relationship, ideal and tie to the world of darkness; forging ahead only with the divine relationship that they now shared solely with the Lord.
Are you free from the bondages of wickedness and worldliness?
Are you prepared to leave everything, everyone behind?
The Bible tells us that every human being is born in sin (Ref: Romans 3:9-19) – every human being has a sinful nature; every human being is born in the waters of darkness – but remember, you do not drown just because you fall into the water; you drown because you choose to remain under water.
What do you choose today?
Do you choose to remain in the deluge of God’s judgement, or have you decided to follow Jesus?
“Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.
Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth.
Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.” (Genesis 7:22-23)
Make no mistake about this.
Our allegiance must belong to Christ alone, who clearly instructed us:
“Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:18)
Those who are not in Christ will not only be “wiped from the earth” (Genesis 7:22), “they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death” (Revelation 21:8)
For Noah and his family – and for us, as well - the indefinite wait for their Promised Salvation was an eternal lesson in faith.
The question “are we there yet?” reveals the failure of faith; which can certainly not be resolved with the belief that “we are there when we get there”
Faith resides in the deepest knowledge that God remembers you – just as He did Noah and his family – because you remember, and revere, God in every aspect of your life.
Even if you have not heard from God, know that your faith is being tested.
God is giving you the opportunity to understand how utterly you need Him.
Noah had no idea what they were getting themselves into; when they were getting out; and to what world they would be getting out to.
And yet, through it all, against the landscape of wickedness cleansed from the earth, Noah and his family were made fully aware of God’s love and concern over them.
Noah’s life is recorded to give us all every reason to hope and trust in God’s Holy Ways
Never think that God has not answered your prayers, or acted in your life. If you profess faith in Him, be always confident that He remembers you; and that He always answers and acts in His Time.
Your task right now is to faithfully draw near to God; and continue to be filled with His Holy Spirit and be obedient to His Will.
In the meantime, Noah saw the signs of the receding waters, as “the tops of the mountains became visible.” (Ref: Genesis 8:1-5)
Isn’t it curious that God – who had been so persistent and precise in Noah’s life thus far – fell silent as to when it might be for the survivors to enter the new world?
Noah sent out a raven who “kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth” (Genesis 8:7); then a dove which returned twice before “it did not return to him.” (Genesis 8:12)
Even after the deep lessons of faith does God allow us tests that we might grapple with the measure of our faith in Him.
To Noah, God’s silence was his opportunity to discern the Lord’s Supernatural Will by employing natural resources.
When we seek the will of God – let the dove out, and then wait upon the Lord.
When challenged in your heart to share the gospel with an individual, well, let the dove out.
Let the gospel go out into the person.
If the heart is prepared to receive the gospel, the gospel will take up residence in the person’s life.
If the heart is not ready, be assured that the gospel will return to you, and that you will have another opportunity – in His Perfect Time - to let the gospel go out again to that person.
To finally arrive at our destination in the eternal Presence and Kingdom of God is completely premised upon your arrival at the point of utter faith in God through Christ Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.
The moment Noah and his family stepped into the Ark, they were already saved.
That God would call Noah, his family and every living creature with them out of the ark was not a question of ‘if’; but rather, a question of ‘when’.
Utter faith in God requires that you would be utterly willing to wait upon the Lord.
Salvation through Christ alone, is the gift of God that brings about the blessing of eternal life in God’s Coming Kingdom.
Never ask the Lord when He will return, when New Creation would be finally established; rather, ask the Lord for courage, strength, resolve and wisdom to wait upon Him in all things, at all times.
Remember, the question of His Return is never ‘if’ but ‘when’ – and it would be highly accurate to understand that it is imminent; soon enough, that many would be caught by surprise.
Never be caught chained to this world when Christ does return; lest you perish with those in bondage to sin and worldliness.
Today, we are found parallel to the narrative of Noah’s Ark; in that, our lives in the present world is adrift over God’s judgement against unbelievers, yet safe and secured in Christ Jesus, our Saviour.
Similarly, just as it was a matter of God’s Time that the destructive deluge would ultimately recede and Noah, along with his family, called to step into the newly cleansed world; God’s present judgement over our world would ultimately conclude with the return of Christ, His gathering of the Saints, His final condemnation of the wicked, and the ultimate inbreaking of the Kingdom of God, which is, God’s New Creation – where those who believe in God’s “one and only Son” having “not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16) - to forever reside in His Holy Presence.
Are you at the point of utter faith in Christ Jesus, the Lord and Saviour of the world?
If you desire to be truly saved, you must.
What kind of world are you looking forward to?
The kind of world you are really looking forward to is the one that you are building now.
What are you building?
Are you building wealth? Are you building security here on earth?
Are you building your life for this world?
OR.
Are you building your life for God’s Promised Kingdom – where He dwells with His people, and where there will be “no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away”? (Revelation 21:3-4)
What are you building?
Before and After God’s Call upon his life, Noah’s relationship with God was his most important, and his most serious; such that he would build his life upon God’s world, and not his own.
Noah could only achieve what he did – in the 80-120 years building the ark - if he really believed in God.
And in every day of those years building the ark, Noah – by the Power of God – was already preaching the Salvation and Judgment of God to his world through the very process of building the ark in the deepest assurance of his own salvation from God – and yet, apart from his family, not one soul repented.
God was patient, and today, He is still patiently waiting for others to come to Christ and be saved. (Ref: 2 Peter 3:9)
Do you really believe in God?
Do you really believe in Christ – and that He will return?
Do you really believe in His Coming Kingdom?
If you do, are you building God’s Ark today?
Are you building God’s Church today?
Are you part of building up His People today?
Every day the Church exist; we are preaching His Gospel and passing divine judgement on those who do not believe in Christ.
The author of Hebrews wrote that it was “by faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith” (Hebrews 11:7).
The only reason we would be willing to go against the world and rid ourselves from the bondages and chains of worldliness, is if we are totally serious about our relationship with God; truly believe in Christ’s, His return, and the coming of His Kingdom.
Indeed.
True faith in God is condemning the world, and becoming “an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith” (Hebrews 11:7)
Are you there at the point of utter faith in Christ?
“Seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness” (Matthew 6:33); and nothing else.
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
Lord, I rest eternally in Your promised assurance that You remember me; may I remain in You and build my life solely upon You.
Just as Noah who came before me, I resolve to be utterly faithful and obedient to Your Commands.
Holy Spirit, help me to “recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.” (2 Peter 3:2)
And help me “understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”” (2 Peter 3:3-4)
Thank You for revealing to me that “they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water.
By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.
By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. (2 Peter 3:5-7)
Lord, with you, “a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.”
You are not slow in keeping Your Promise; instead, You are patient with the world, “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:8-9)
Prepare me, O Lord, for the Day of Your Return – that even when the heavens “disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare” (2 Peter 3:10)- my faith in You would be absolute and my love for You certain.
Grant me power to “live holy and godly lives” as I “look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” (2 Peter 3:11b-12)
May I build solely on Your Promise; ever “looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13); that from this day forth “make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace” with You, O Lord. (2 Peter 3:14)
Grant that I may be released from every bondage and chain of sin, darkness and worldliness; and forgive my doubt and sins against You.
Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that I “have been forewarned” and that I will be on my guard, so that I “may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from my secure position.” (2 Peter 3:17)
I believe in You, Lord Jesus; that You are returning soon, and inbreak the eternal Kingdom of God.
I will obey You, in remaining in You always; and participate with You in building Your Church and Your People today.
With my existence, may I fearlessly preach Your Gospel even as You have called me to declare your divine judgement on those who have yet to believe in You, Lord Jesus.
Make my life question their sense of existence and self-worth.
Grant me Noah’s faith, having been warned by You concerning Your return; that in reverent fear before You, may I build Your Church for the saving of my household.
That by this, I condemn the world and become an heir of righteousness that comes by faith. (Ref: Hebrews 11:7)
Holy Spirit, bring me to the point of utter faith in Christ.
May I forever seek first Your Kingdom and Your Righteousness through Christ my Lord, and my God. (Ref: Matthew 6:33)
May I grow in the grace and knowledge of Your Love for me, Lord God; and may my life bring You glory both now and forevermore! (2 Peter 3:18)
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.