SETBACK OR SET UP?
WHEN NO ONE UNDERSTANDS YOUR GOAL

LESSONS FROM NOAH’S LIFE

1. I MUST DARE TO BE DIFFERENT FROM THE WORLD.
5 The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. 6So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. 7And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing – all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.” 8But Noah found favor with the Lord. Genesis 6:5-8 NLT

…Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. Genesis 6:9 NLT

● It’s not about being different so that you can be noticed.
In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:16 NLT

● Noah’s faith set him apart from the others.
By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world. As a result, Noah became intimate with God. Hebrews 11:7 The Message

2. I MUST LISTEN TO GOD, NOT THE VOICES OF DOUBT.
11 Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence.12 God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt.13So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth! 14 Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. 15 Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 16 Leave an 18-inch opening below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat – lower, middle, and upper.” Genesis 6:11-16 NLT
● Noah walked with and listened to God.

It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before… Hebrews 11:7 NLT

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 NIV

3. I MUST DO EXACTLY WHAT GOD TELLS ME TO DO.
17 “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat – you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 19Bring a pair of every kind of animal – a male and a female – into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. 20Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. 21And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.” 22So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him. Genesis 6:17-22 NLT

1 When everything was ready, the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous. 2 Take with you seven pairs – male and female – of each animal I have approved for eating and for sacrifice, and take one pair of each of the others. 3Also take seven pairs of every kind of bird. There must be a male and a female in each pair to ensure that all life will survive on the earth after the flood. 4Seven days from now I will make the rains pour down on the earth. And it will rain for forty days and forty nights, until I have wiped from the earth all the living things I have created.” 5So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him. Genesis 7:1-5 NLT

● Direct disobedience
● Delayed disobedience

4. I MUST NEVER GIVE UP ON THE DREAM GOD GIVES ME.
● The Disciples didn’t understand Jesus’ goal.
31 Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus said, “Listen, we’re going up to Jerusalem, where all the predictions of the prophets concerning the Son of Man will come true. 32 He will be handed over to the Romans, and he will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon. 33 They will flog him with a whip and kill him, but on the third day he will rise again.” 34But they didn’t understand any of this. The significance of his words was hidden from them, and they failed to grasp what he was talking about. Luke 18:31-34 NLT

3All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance – an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. 1 Peter 1:3-5 NLT

Next steps for me today…
● Focus on your relationship with God.
● Realize God is using the tension of life to prepare us.
● Trust God completely with your life.