Safe in the Ark - Dan Weaver

Good morning and greetings. In the precious name of Jesus,

I too want to welcome each one here this morning.

I invite you to open your Bible to Genesis six

this morning. I'd like to have some thoughts on the

Christian Home, and that's a pretty broad subject, so we

will narrow it down a little bit, but I would

like to I was debating about giving my title a

little ways down here, but I thought it might help

if we have in mind what the subject is as

we read through this. I'm going to read all the

way through chapter six and partly into chapter seven as

an introduction, and I was thinking about this subject. I

think it's it's probably one of it's the highest requested

subject when we suggested from people from you, we'd like

a message on the Christian home or some aspect of it,

or child training or and so forth. And maybe the

least preached on. I know Brother Leland had some sessions

on it, and that was a couple of years ago.

Already I thought it was more recent than that. I was.

I've been told that there should be a message on

the Christian Home at least once a year in a congregation,

So we're we have some catching up to do yet.

And as I said, this is it's not exhaustive, and

we're probably looking more at one aspect of it because

it can hardly do more than that amount of time

we have. And probably another reason we're slow to do it.

To preach about the Christian home is it's a it's

intimidating two be that vulnerable because we all get up

and we all have homes, and we're struggling through this

trying to do our best. But I think that's not reason.

That's not reason enough to not encourage one another in it.

So I think I'm going to start it says not,

I'm not going to read the whole story. You probably

reckon Isa as soon as I say Genesis six is

the story of Noah and the art we're going to

read I think through verse five and chapter seven, so

we're going to stop before the flood. But I'd like

to then take some take some you use this as

a springboard this morning. Genesis six, verse one. And it

came to pass when men began to multiply and to

face the earth, that daughters were born unto them. And

the sons of God saw the daughters of men, and

they were fair, and they took them wives of all

which they chose. And Lord said, my spirit shall not

always strive with man, for that he also is flesh.

Yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.

There were giants in the earth in those days, and

also after that, when the sons of God came in

unto the daughters of men, and they bear children to them,

the same became mighty men, which were of old men

of renow. And God saw that the wickedness of man

was great in the earth, and that every imagination of

the thoughts of his heart was only evil. Continually, and

repented the Lord that he had made man on earth,

and aggrieved him at his heart. And the Lord said,

I will destroy man whom I have created from the

face of the earth, both man and beast, and the

creeping thing, and the fowls of the air. For it

repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found

grace in the eyes of the Lord. These are the

generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect

in his generations. And Noah walked with God. And Noah

begot three sons, shem Ham and Jayfeth. The earth also

was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

Then God looked upon the earth, and behold it was corrupt,

and all the flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

And God said unto Noah, the end of all flesh

has come before me. But the earth is filled with

violence through them, And behold, I will destroy them with

the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood rooms.

Shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it

within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion

which thou shalt make of it. The length of the

ark shall be three hundred cubits, and the breadth of

at fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

A window shalt tell mate to the ark, and in

a cubit shalt thou finish it above and the door

of the ark, shalt thou sitting aside thereof with lower,

second and third story, shalt thou make it. And behold,

I even I do bring a flood of waters upon

the earth to destroy all flesh. Wherein is the breath

of life from under the heavens, and everything that is

in the earth shall die. But with these will I

establish my covenant and thou shalt come into the art

that thou and my sons, and my wife thy sons

wise with THEE, and of every living thing, of all flesh,

two of every sort shalt thou bring into the art

to keep them alive with THEE. They shall be male

and female, of fowls, after their kind, of cattle, after

their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after

his kind. Two of every sort shall come unto THEE

to keep them alive. And thou, and take thou unto

THEE of all food that is eaten, and thou hast

gathered it to THEE, and it shall be for food

for THEE and for them. Thus did Noah according to

all that God commanded him. So did he, and the

Lord said, unto Noah, come thou, all of thy house

unto the art. For THEE. Have I have I seen

righteous before me in this generation? Of every clean beast,

thou shalt take to THEE by sevens the male and

the female, And of beasts that are not clean, by

two the male and his female, a foul also of

the air, by sevens the male and the female, to

keep seed upon the face of the earth for yet

seven days. And I will cause it to rain upon

the earth forty days and forty nights. In every living

substance that I have made well, I destroy from off

the face of the earth. And Noah did according unto

all that the Lord commanded him. And if I just

like to point out that the verse before we started

said no it was five hundred years old, and the

verse after we end, he was six hundred years old.

So we just read about one hundred years right there.

Going back verse five, God saw the wickedness that was

upon the earth. And you know, I think when we

read those those first verses there, if we're aware at all,

we would know that we live in a world that's

very simil alert in the great wickedness. And I think

maybe it's too easy to forget that that God sees

that wickedness all around us and in us. That says,

but Noah, but Noah found grace in the eyes of

the Lord. God didn't just see the wickedness. He saw Noah,

and he saw a just man, and he saw a

man that that had a purpose. And I believe that

we see and we read that God has had a

vision for Noah and his family. But that was because

Noah had a vision for God and his family and Noah.

It talks about the generations of Noah. It's interesting how

it talks about the generations of Noah says he was

perfect in his generation. He was doing what was right,

and he says he walked with God. And we also

know that he was a preacher of righteousness. And God

told him to make an arc. And that is the

title of my message this morning is safe. Safe in

the ark. Safe in the arc. God said, make an

arc for you and your family, because there's this, there's this,

I see this wickedness, and I am going to destroy

the world. And Noah believed God because he was a

righteous man. He said, I will establish my covenant with

you in verse eighteen, and Noah did in verse twenty two.

In the last verse, I read verse five twenty two

of six, and that says, and Noah did according onto

all that the Lord commanded him. And I'm just blessed

by this obedience of Noah. In fact, civilization today is

blessed by the obedience of Noah. He did all that

the Lord commanded him. And it's easy for us to

read this in less than five minutes. This hundred years

in less than five minutes and think that that, Well,

Noah went out and built an arc. He just went

and did that. But there's one hundred year process here.

There's a going, and there's a collecting to gopher wood,

and there's getting the pitch, and there's he's building that

security for his family. The world is still wicked, and

I think it's easy for us to be dissensitized the

almost by the debauchery around us. We get used to it,

but it's still wicked before God, and God is still

calling the righteous to him. And I believe it's impossible

to raise a family with godly values unless we're providing

an ark of safety for a family. And it's also

worth taking time. It's not something that when our first

child comes along and we decide, hey, we're going to

have an ark of safety for our child and then

we just go on living our life. It's something we

need to be dedicated to it, like Noah was building,

finding the holes, putting pitch in it. You know, it

seems like the easiest way to find a hole would

be to put it in the water and see if

it works. You know, you'd want to test it. But Noah,

we see his diligence. He didn't have that privilege. He

didn't have the water, but he kept looking for looking

for leaks and putting pitch. He pitched it within and without,

he kept patching. So this morning, I'd like to think

about safe in the art or security of the home,

a place of safety. And I was just blessed by

that song we third song we sang this morning, especially

near to the Heart of God, starts out, there's a

place of quiet rest near to the heart of God.

I'm just going to read of what we saying again.

There is a place of quiet rest where sin cannot

mo less near to the heart of God. There is

a place of comfort, sweet where we are savior meet

near to the heart of God. There is a place

of full release, where all is joy and peace, near

to the heart of God. And I believe that applies

to our personal lives. And I believe as God's will

so that it applies to our homes this morning. For

Timothy five, a's is But if any provide not for

his own, especially for those of his own house, he

has to deny the faith and faith and is worse

than an infidel. And I believe that it's easy for

us to apply that quickly to the basic needs to food, clothes,

and shelter. If we're not providing for our own we've

denied the faith. But I believe there are there are

other aspects. That's the physical aspect, But we are we

providing the emotional needs? Are we providing emotional security? Are

we providing spiritual security? Is our home a haven of security?

And as I was as I was considering this question,

I just my mind just kept going back to the

fruit of the spirit, and is our is our home?

And here again I believe the fruit of the spirit

is something we produce individually. But is our home a

production system of the fruit of the spirit. And so

I would just like to look at that as a

as a test for ourselves as we go through and

considers those aspects of what fruit are we bearing in

our homes? And one thing I think is important as

we think about this is is who's responsible and who's

responsible of whether we're providing fruit or showing fruit in

our home, whether we're bearing fruit. Well, I think in

a in a home setting, a father is primarily responsible,

But there is a a father in every home. And

sometimes maybe we think, oh, we're just we just got married,

we don't even have children yet. We can just we

can work quit but we don't need to worry about this.

We can just live with each other and get along

and enjoy that until we have children, then we worry

about it. Or maybe we are one of the children,

and maybe we feel like as was talked about in

Sunday school this morning, maybe you've come to the place

you realize mom and dad aren't perfect. Maybe things feel

a little bit broken, but we still we can be

We can be the healing element in the home by

producing fruit. And I am I'm here to acknowledge that

probably in some respect, we're probably all broken. We all

have things we can we can improve on, and the

best thing we can do is face them and not

make excuses for them. So I think this is we're

all responsible. Galatians five twenty two is where we find

the fruits of the spirit listed. But the fruit of

spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

Against such there is no law. So I'm looking at

the fruit of spirit specifically in the home this morning.

So the first one is love, and this is love

as a commit meant not an emotion. Ephesians five, verse

twenty five to twenty seven says, husbands love your wives,

even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself

for it, that he might sanctify it and sanctify and

cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

that he might present it to himself a glorious church,

not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but

that it should be holy and without blemish. And first

Peter quote Proverbs. I believe it is that love covers

a multitude of sins. Have love within yourselves. Husbands love

your wives. And I think this is this is something

that it's easier to say, then do We can give

verbal easily give verbal affirmation of love and commitment, But

what are the what are the daily manifestations of love?

Are we seeking the good of each other? We're putting

others first? Or do we feel like our wives or

our children are just there to serve us and we

put so much into them, we're providing for them they

should be serving us. Or are we seeking to serve others?

Serve each other? The second fruit is joy. Rejoice evermore

or rejoice always. Philippians and Thessalonians Philippians four forces, rejoice

in the Lord all the way. And again I say rejoice.

And it's some. It's easy sometimes when things are going

well to rejoice, isn't it. It's easy to maybe even

when things are going well for us and not for

someone else, to encourage them to rejoice. But what about

when things aren't going so well? James one two says,

counted all joy when you fall into various temptations or

when you fall into trial, when you have trials, then

you count it joy, for it could be good. Just

turn to that, my brethren, count it all joy when

you fall into diverse temptations or various trials, knowing this

that the trial of your faith work with patience, It

develops you. And the truth is that everyone faces trials.

We do face trials, and it's sometimes it's easy to

look at to only think about our own and fail

to note that others face trials too. And but it

is such a testimony when people are going through trials

and they show this, they have this, this demonstration of

joy and peace, and it's not that they're giddy or

I don't think we need to go looking for trials.

I think we tend to find plenty without looking for them,

but we will face them. And I think it's also

joy comes in in helping each other and encouraging each

other in our facing trials. The next one is peace. First,

we just read about about this this joy bringeth patience

or worketh patients. Well, that'll actually come a little more

in the next one, but peace comes with that great peace.

Have they that love thy law and nothing shall offend them?

And that's I just think of Noah on this there

spending one hundred years building the arc and they've never

seen rain before, and I'm sure we've we've tried to

wrap our minds around this. Imagine what it'd be like

to build this, effectively a skyscraper that was made to float,

and they've never seen water. But he's preaching righteousness and

he keeps on building, and it says, great peace of

they that love the law and nothing shall offend them.

And I suppose I'm just would imagine that the neighbors

probably had some things to say to know that could

have been offensive. Maybe weren't so nice and mocking him

and this loving the law and having peace. It's not

you know, sometimes I've heard and maybe I should say

sometimes I've said I hate conflict. I do not like conflict,

and I have aired in avoiding conflict to the place

that it increases conflict, and so peace is not achieved

by avoiding conflict. Hating conflict is not going to bring peace.

But being honest and facing conflict, now I think it's

a good. Also, there is an aspect where we should

hate conflict, because I've noticed sometimes at the same time

I'm saying, hey, I hate conflict. I don't mind making

a little bit now and then, especially if it's at

the expense of someone else, and that's the conflict we

should hate, it's making it in others. I'd like to

read some verses from Hebrews twelve. Hebrews twelve Versus eleven

to fourteen. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to

be joyous, but grievous, neither nevertheless afterwards to yield with

the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Wherefore lift up the hands that hang down in the

feeble knees. See, you don't trip those that's creating conflict.

You're helping those that are conflicted and make straight paths

for your feet, that which is laying be turned out

of the way, but let it rather be healed. Follow

peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man

shall see the Lord. And so for ourselves this chastening.

It doesn't seem pleasant at the time, but it says

it brings, and it's not joyous but grievous. But afterwards

it brings a peacible fruit of righteousness to those that

are exercised thereby. But it goes on as that we

are chasing, we're also making it ease peaceful for others

as we go, and looking for ways to make it

peaceful for others. Follow peace with all men, and holiness,

long suffering, or patience and forbearance. And that's I read

verse three of James, knowing this that the trying of

your faith work with patience. The next verse is, but

let patients have our perfect work, that you may be

perfect and entire wanting nothing patience. We endure pain when

we have a goal that's worth it, and sometimes in

the moment of pain or of trials, it's easy to

lose sight of the goal and start focusing on the

pain rather than than the long term benefits. Let patients

have our perfect work gentleness still and James. The third

chapter of the seventeenth verse is with the wisdom that

is from above is first pure than peaceable, gentle, gentle

and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits,

without partiality and without hypocrisy. And are we gentle? And

you know, I think sometimes it's easy to actually when

we know we're right, When we know we're right, it's

it's easy to forget to be gentle. And especially when

we know we're right and someone else is wrong. And

maybe especially if our children have done something foolish or embarrassing,

and it makes me angry because well, truthfully, because of

my embarrassment. But lism that from above is gentle and

Ephesians five four. And this word also has the idea

of kindness, and this be kind one to another's Ephesians

verse thirty two. But I'd just like to read that

in context. It starts out in verse thirty and grieve not,

and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you

are sealed unto the day of redemption. And then it says,

how to not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, let

all bitterness, wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking,

be put away from you with all malice, and be

kind one to another, tenderhearted, and forgiving one another. And

I just think that is so beautiful. I should finish

that forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake

hath forgiven you. And I think that is so beautiful.

And we forget I think sometimes the power of gentleness

and kindness to the undeserved, because we didn't deserve it,

but Christ, God, for Christ's sake hath forgiven us. Going

on to goodness, Galatians six ten says, as we therefore

have the opportunity tunity, let us do good unto all men,

especially to them that are of the household of faith,

doing what's good, what's right faith. Psalm one nineteen eleven

says that word have I hit in my heart that

I might not sin against thee? And are we people

of faith? And I believe what's in our heart flows out.

It's not our profession, it's not what we say. It's

what's in our heart. And our profession of faith doesn't

put us in the arc, you know, once the door

was shut, I'm sure that, I'm sure that, as it

says in the Bible that every nie shall bow. I'm

sure that all of those outside the arc had an

opportunity to realize they were wrong, and they had a

desire to be in the arc, but their heart was

not there. They did not have the faith to be

in the arc when the door was open. Meekness or humility,

the willingness to put others first. Again, this is even

if we are the dad or older, or are stronger.

This can be shown by deferring power even when we

don't have to or need to. Or maybe it's dad

doing some of the menial tasks, or the older's children

not just leaving it for the younger ones, even if

we can make someone else do it. Remember David's brothers

out there. The story of David's in Goliath is who

did you leave those few sheep with? See that there's

a lack of meekness or humility on their part. Temperance

or self control is the last one here. Let your

moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

I think temperance is often linked to substance abuse and

that type of thing, but there's there's many addictions, there's

many areas in life. We know that we need to

practice self control. We need to practice self control financially,

and we had that in Sunday School this morning. I

mean neither poverty nor riches. Either one can be a

detriment to the security of the family, and maybe both

have the Both negligence and the chasing of wealth have

the same net result in the insecurity in children. It

can be in food. In our lifestyle. Do we have

the ability to say no because we can see where

things go? That's temperance. We see beyond the moment. We

know that buying a horse involves a fence and hay

and riding and care, and it's a lot more than

just a horse. So security, how is how is your arc?

How is my arc? This morning? There is have I

met the basic needs of the family? The family is

a is a social unit and I are we meeting

those needs? Are we eating together? Are we praying together?

Are we playing together? And then how does this that security?

That social unit interact with the church, which is another

social unit. And sometimes it can feel like it can

feel like they're at odds with each other. But I

think if we if we look at them at accurately,

we the this social unit should be benefiting should they

should be benefiting each other as we exist together. But

then how do we reconcile whether family or church is

more important? And it comes down to some pretty practical things.

Sometimes I'm not I'm not quite sure I know that

answer exactly, but I do know that if we're if

we're just going to be selfish and say well, we

have our family and we're not going to give to

the church, that is going to have its reward. And

I believe it's also if if we just are saying well,

we're just going to give our lives to the church,

we're just going to be we can be gone all

the time, or the church community, that can go too

far too and I think both can be can be

a lack of both can cause a lack of security.

But I think maybe a healthier way is to is

to be able to I know we often say up

here that when you're asked to do something by the church,

you shouldn't say no, and I actually I agree with that,

And on the other side of my face, I'm going

to say that there's a time to say no. There's

a time to say no for the sake of the family,

But don't say no all your life. Don't say no

all the time. Don't make no your de fault. But

if you're in a place where it's not best for

your family, be real about it. But also there's plenty

of times to be willing. So at what point was

Noah and his family safe? Was it when God saw

that Noah was different? Was it when he started building

the arc? Was it when God shut the door as

we went on? Was it when when he built the

altar and worshiped after the flood? Finally safe? I believe

that Noah was safe as he obeyed God and as

he did all that God come demanded him to do.

Know one, his family was safe and they found security.

And you know, as we're living life with a godly

family in this society, the world might compliment us, the

world might deride us for some of the crazy things

we do, but guaranteed they notice, they notice that if

we're if we're a preacher of righteousness, and if we're

building an arc of safety for our family, the Lord blessed.

Let's have a song