"COMFORTABLE AND RELAXED IN OBEDIENCE"

October 21, 2001 pm
MF Blume


I wish to read the text from this morning's sermon again tonight and connect it with yet another thought the Lord revealed.
Genesis 8:1-4  And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged; The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.  And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

Matthew 7:24-27  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.



Resting on Ararat is resting on the word THE CURSE IS REVERSED.

Ararat means the "Curse is reversed."

God actually blessed Noah with the blessing of power over all the earth and all in it, that He first gave to Adam before Adam sinned.

And God's word of salvation for the soul who obeys His Gospel offers a place of rest to you.

This thought compares with the words of Jesus. A house is supposed to be a home. It is possible to hear the great word of God, that can never be a lie, and not obey nor do it. The curse is reversed. If you struggle with this idea, you're not comfortable with it. Never get comfortable in a place where you hear the word and do not obey it.

Two people are in a situation.

However, the other one, hears but refuses to obey. No wonder Jesus said there are storms that come and devastate that house! There is a message here. For people to live lives in disobedience to God's word, its like using a machine for a purpose it was not created for. Our lives were designed to only get by through obedience to God's word. Humanity was not meant to suffer these things. But people who receive God's word and obey it are resting solidly on a rock THE HOUSE THAT FAITH BUILT.

Noah believed God's word while the world refused to obey.

The only reason he was comfortable in an ark filled with animals and mooing and honking and braying and squawking, was because HE BELIEVED GOD'S WORD ABOUT A FLOOD AND OBEYED the note to build an ark. They were enjoying themselves. But the fool was comfortable in the house on sand. But there's something about believing the word of God concerning how to survive troubles in life and building a house of faith. You even don't mind going to church where an occasional hypocrite may pass you by and dig at your side. Tares are in the field and why do you suppose God leaves them there? Had Job loved himself more than he loved God, his self-centredness would have protected himself and concentrated solely upon his hurts in order to relieve them. Jesus so loved us He gave his life! So God leaves tares in the church who sting and maim and hurt, because it weeds out those who really don't love God the most. Where the word is the richest, you'll often find the worst tares. We need tares top weed us out. You need criticism. The soul of godly integrity may fall at the hands of a tare, but will get back up again! Not just fallen, but trodden down as mire!

Don't be afraid if you're really honest and love God's word when it comes enough to obey it.

Why do people draw back from God due to hurts? Rest in a house built by faith.

Make obedience the very place where you will feel comfortable.

This creator made you with all the likely and possible variables of trouble this world can give in mind.