Key points
- 1
1Noah found favor with God before he did anything — grace precedes obedience.
- 2
2Walking with the Lord produces obedience to the work of the Lord, even when it makes no sense.
- 3
3Noah did everything exactly as God commanded him — listening to God's voice means doing what He says.
“if you say you walk with the Lord, you say you're a Christian, you say this is your church, but you do not serve. You're not walking with the Lord”
A story from life
The preacher describes coaching baseball at Higley High School as a faith outreach and learning — twenty years later — that a former player had accepted Christ and baptized his wife at Rock Point
- 4
4Waiting on the Lord requires endurance and faithfulness, not jumping ship for the world's alluring alternatives.
- 5
5True worship is an all-in surrender — Noah sacrificed his remaining food supply the moment he left the ark.
- 6
6God was pleased with Noah's sacrifice and promised never to destroy the earth this way again — worshiping over worry changes everything.
- 7
7The ark is a picture of the gospel — one door, God closes you in, and the carpenter who builds with wood points forward to Jesus.
“I can tell you what's important to you without even talking to you. I don't even know your name. You let me see what you've been spending your money on and what your calendar says, and I will tell you what you love the most”
“The ark we're on is not a cruise ship. We are heading into a battle”
“Noah built this huge boat with a lot of wood. He was a carpenter that took a ton of wood and built a boat that saved his family. Well, you go fast forward into the story and you realize that's a visual illustration of another carpenter's gonna come along. He's gonna take a couple pieces of wood and save a lot more people”
“Maybe I need to rattle your cage to get you to realize you're in one”
A story from life
The preacher's father at age 17 joined the Navy in World War II, sailed toward Iwo Jima, and on day four witnessed a Japanese torpedo sink the ship beside them — shifting his understanding of what war really meant
A story from life
The preacher recounts being stranded on a broken Sea-Doo far offshore, drifting out to sea alone, before being rescued by a friend
Application
Pastor Bill calls every person who claims God's grace to ask an honest question: what is actually stopping me from obeying? If it is a hurt, habit, or hang-up, deal with it — don't use it as an excuse. Practically, that means rolling up your sleeves and serving in the church right now, trusting God with your money by giving generously, and refusing to jump ship during the monotonous waiting seasons of life. Like Noah, real faith shows up in the calendar and the checkbook. Men especially are challenged to lead their families by going first — walking with God, waiting on God, and worshiping God with an all-in surrender rather than just cheering about it. The harvest is plentiful; the workers are few. Don't miss the boat.
