The culture, the ark and the Bible

God’s grace is great and extended to mankind, this is true but His grace is not extended forever . God has had enough and His wrath is being poured out righteously with His  judgment too those who have rejected Him. Our call as sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father is to share with mankind His love, His truths, His coming again. The job of mankind is either except Him or reject Him, but either way their choice is made and God is sovereign over them.

Rom 1:18-32 -18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

You see the key words starting out here are "The Wrath of God is revealed"

We can see around us what God's wrath is, the depravity of mankind. Man is turned over to his own wicked desires evil has become good and good evil. When you read through these verses you see the wrath of God and the consequences of man's rebellion. 

We can look back at the account of Noah as see how God works. While reading the account of Noah: God has brought some details to mind that are easily overlooked, because we are not reading about them they are lost in the flood if you will.

Genesis 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. ... 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 "Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. ... 17 "And behold, I Myself am bringing flood waters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 "But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark--you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. ... 22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.

Genesis 7:1 Then the LORD said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. ... 4 "For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made." 5 And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him. ... 10 And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth.

Matthew 24:36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 "For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 "and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

You've probably read the story of Noah over and over but when you put it with the words of Jesus in Matthew , there is a new light shining on them. You see Noah lived in wicked times, so wicked that God was not happy with mankind and destroyed them except for Noah and his family, but what you don’t see is Noah engaging the culture, he didn't get sucked into the name calling, the backbiting, the games the world plays, he just did what God told him to do, as a matter of fact the Bible says twice that “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did. “

Are we to do the same? Yes!

Noah figured out that what God said was going to happen, and even though he had never seen rain or knew what it was he built the ark according to the directions God gave him. It took him over 100 years to build the ark day and night he was faithful God. We know he was ridiculed and laughed at for his obedience but the Bible says “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did. “

Don’t stop reading yet and think I have thrown in the towel on standing up for what is right, I haven’t God has just said to me to approach things His way and not mine, and it is not easy to do in this culture when you see death coming to those who refuse to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

God’s way is above our ways and Noah knew this, he preached while they built the ark to all who would listen, the Bible said he found grace with God and was considered righteous in the eyes of God, and he was a preacher. Jesus said the culture was one of drunkenness and foolishness and people only cared for themselves they lived life as they wanted without God.

And we see that today in our society more and more, the irony is this:  man is foolish and rebels against God always has and will because we are slaves to sin, before Christ calls us and sets us free. We have no free will until Christ gives it too us. Without Christ we are held in bondage and have no way of escape, after Christ is in us we do have the choice to not sin.

But when man sins it is because of our nature, but when we try to override the laws of God, the law of morality we are saying that we are above God, that our ways are greater and we have crossed a line that God will not tolerate.

When politicians live in immorality today and promote a culture of greed through laziness telling the masses we will provide for you, when politicians say it is okay to murder children and destroy the lives of women by the millions through abortion and they try to legislate marriage as an open act to whomever we please, man with man woman with woman we have trampled on the words of God and have set ourselves to be god and God says He is a jealousy God and will not tolerate idolatry.

When the serpent came too Eve in the garden remember what he said

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 "but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' " 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

See verse 5 for God knows you will be like Him, and from that first bite of deception mankind has wanted to be god,  the devil has deceived us into his own lie where he says he will raise his throne above God’s and be seated, and mankind has been drawn in.

We need to be as Noah, and don’t fight the world,  that is what they want to show everyone that we are hateful bigots serving a bigot for a God, even though that is not truth they use all the can to deceive one another into believing their own lies.

There are churches out there that have embraced the world’s philosophy, and excepts whatever comes their way as truth, some do it for money, some do it for numbers, but all do it for their father the devil who is the father of lies.

The Bible says this

2 Corinthians 3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted--you may well put up with it!

And run we should, we should stay busy like Noah doing what God tells us, and when history is written may it be said of us  “Thus we did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did. “

One day soon Jesus is coming back, those who are His disciples will leave with Him and never face the judgment of God, and those who have rejected and mocked God will face the fury of a righteous God whose anger will burn against them forevermore for they have condemned themselves already.

Just for a quick side note here also, you see in chapter 7 of Genesis the Bible says twice that God left the door of the ark open 7 days before He shut it waiting for anyone else to join Noah and his family, no one came and the population of the earth was wiped away except Noah and his family.

When Jesus breaks the sky and calls us home there will be 7 years of tribulation God will receive unto Himself all those who persevere through this time of judgment and receive Him into their lives.

If you don’t know who Jesus is, or if you’re not sure what it means to be forgiven and set apart and receive Jesus into your life as Lord and Savior you can, it will not be an easy road many claim to be followers of Christ but few are.

But know this we are all sinners and fallen short of the glory of God, but yet while we are sinners Christ died for us, and in His death and resurrection He gives us life, abundantly and eternally for all those that call upon His name, and confess Him as Lord and Savior. Christ alone is our way to God the Father. Once we are in Him, and He in us, we are forever His, nothing can separate us one day He will return and call us home, what a day that will be. Ask Jesus to change you confess to Him you have sinned we all have,  believe in your heart and mind and confess Him before your family friends and wherever you go and you shall be saved.