Last Sunday @ Hoosier Harvest Church I spoke about Noah for our Biography series.  Here is the message in blog form.

Noah was called to build an ark that would save humanity and animals.  The ark is a picture of the vessel God used for His purposes.  So what lesson can we learn from Noah and the ark? If we are not careful we can look past the story of Noah and mark it off as a kid’s Bible story.  So here are some thoughts on Noah’s story…

The ark is a picture of our LIFE.  Our lives are the vessels that God uses for His purposes.  The ancient story of the ark is a modern picture of our life.  Here are 5 Ark Building lessons that relate to building our life.

LESSON #1:

Genesis 6:14a – “So make yourself an ark…”

We are RESPONSIBLE to build.

Noah did not have a Bass Pro Shop down the road.  He could not just go shop for an ark, he had to build it.  He didn’t stumble upon it in the woods.  God did not supernaturally make an ark appear out of the air.  No, Noah was responsible to BUILD the ark.  I think in life we hope that one day we will wake up with the life we’ve always dreamed of living.  Maybe one day we will “stumble” upon our purpose and dreams.  Life is not about stumbling into our purpose though it is about building our purpose.  Your future is what you make it, not what makes you.  Living a successful life is not automatic.  There is no auto-pilot that leads to success.  As a matter of fact the only thing that comes automatically without any work is failure.  It takes WORK to build our life the way God has called us to live.  Understand that Noah was RESPONSIBLE to build the ark himself.  Don’t wait for something to magically appear in your life, go out and work your field to produce the harvest you are believing for.  Work like it depends on you and pray like it depends on God.  You can never fail with hard work as you are trusting God.  God will say, “Well done good and faithful servant” to those who DID well and were FAITHFUL, not to those who did nothing and we’re faithless.  Why would He say well done if we weren’t supposed to do anything? Remember Noah didn’t have a local lumber store to get all the wood.  He had to cut down the trees from scratch.  That is HARD WORK that payed off in the end.

LESSON #2: 

Genesis 6:15 “This is how you are to build…”

Build with the right TOOLS

God was VERY specific to Noah about HOW to build the ark.  Noah was to use cypress wood (gopher wood for you Evan Almighty fans) and the dimensions were spelled out perfectly.  We have to build our life with the right tools and the right materials.  We can build our lives successfully on all the wrong things.  I have a confession to make, I HATE those build it yourself shelves, desks, tables, etc…You know, those 8 foot tables that come in a 6 inch box.  You have to use all the cheap screws, cam locks, rods, etc…I don’t think I have ever built one of those things without having gotten half way through to find out what I thought was part A was actually part R, and part T was part B.  AWWWWW!!! It brings out the WORST in me.  If we build our lives with the wrong tools and the wrong way we will miss out on the life God has called us to and waste precious time.  Make sure you are building your life on EVERYTHING that is written in God’s word.  His word is the tool and principles we need in order to live the life He designed for us.  Don’t use the wrong tool for the right job.  Your gifts and talents are tools that you can use to live the life God has called you to live.  Don’t waste your gifts and talents, build your life on them.  God gave you those gifts to USE, not store on the shelf of your life.

LESSON #3:

Genesis 6:19-20 “You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.  Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.”

God PROVIDES as we build.

Noah was responsible to build the ark, but God said the animals will COME TO YOU.  As we are faithful to build our life, God will provide all we need.  The animals didn’t come right away for Noah, they came when the ark was finished.  You and I have to step out first then God will bring the provision.  If we always wait till we have everything we think we need we will never step out.  2/3 of God’s name is GO.  God is a God of stepping out of the boat and trusting Him for our needs.  Remember Abraham and Isaac? God provided the ram after He tested their faith.  Remember Peter stepping out of the boat? He had to step out in faith to get to Jesus.  What areas in your life are you waiting on something to happen, when you need to step out in faith? Noah had to step out in faith before he saw what God would do.  Get going in your dreams and calling as see how God will bring you what you need.

LESSON #4:

Genesis 6:21 “You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”

PREPARE for the future.

Noah had to store up food in advance for his family and the animals.  God told Noah to prepare.  We are called to prepare our lives for when opportunity comes.  If you don’t sweat in practice you WILL bleed in battle.  When your time of opportunity comes (which it will) it is too late to prepare.  Only those that prepared in advance will be ready when their time comes.  Joe Frazier the Heavy Weight boxer said, “You can map out a fight plan or a life plan, but when the action starts, it may not go the way you planned, and you’re down to your reflexes – that means your [preparation:]. That’s where your roadwork shows. If you cheated on that in the dark of the morning, well, you’re going to get found out now, under the bright lights.”  Success is when preparation meets opportunity.  Remember it wasn’t raining when Noah began to build the ark, he prepared in advance by building.  If he would have waited for the rain he would not have been ready for the flood.  What are you doing today to prepare for your tomorrows? I read this quote in my study time, “You can be an overnight success after 20 years of hard work.” So true, those that prepare are those that will be ready for when their time comes.  Wisdom prepares itself.  The Bible says the ant stores up food in the summer to be ready for winter.  Those that plant in the spring will receive the harvest in the fall.

Proverbs 20:4 “A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.”

LESSON #5:

Genesis 7:4-6 “Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights,and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made. ” And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.  Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth.”

Be PATIENT

It took Noah over 100 years to build the ark.  WAIT…did you get that? 100 years faithfully committed to build.  Talk about patience.  He could have tried to cut corners, second guess himself, got tired, slacked off, made excuses.  No, Noah did ALL that God had commanded him to do.  Not some, not 93%, all that God commanded him to do.  We have to be patient for God’s timing.  We have to be faithful to build while we are patient for the promise to be fulfilled.  Patience is not a virtue it is a requirement! It is not optional when it comes to God’s timing.  During our “waiting time” don’t give up, don’t let go, don’t get lazy, don’t cut corners, don’t second guess, just keep on keepin’ on.  God is faithful to complete what He began.  The rains came and Noah was saved because of his faithful patience with God’s promise.  You, my friend, are building your life to be the vessel that God WILL use for His purposes, BE PATIENT!!! Little by little and day by day is how we get to where we are called to go.