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It Is Written Canada

Chris Holland

Noah, The Real Story

Noah, The Real Story- Where It All Started #1

Noah, The Real Story- Where It All Started #2

Noah, The Real Story- God’s Grace

Noah, The Real Story- The Miracle

Noah, The Real Story- The Promise

Noah, The Real Story- A Tale of 2 Cities

It has stood the test of time. God's book, the Bible, still relevant in today's complex world. It is written sharing messages of hope around the world. Derek Redman was a track star for Great Britain. He was a champion runner and held multiple records. He was a part of the 1992 summer Olympic team. He had trained long and hard for that moment in his life. He was racing in the 400 meter sprint. He was a national record holder in that race. He had made it to the semi-final round. The gun went off and he began to sprint around the track. Less than halfway into the race, there was a pop and Derrick grabbed the backside of his right leg limped and took a knee. He had torn his hamstring, a most painful injury he had dreamed of completing this Olympic race, but the pain was excruciating. He stood up and he began to hop his way to the finish line. He was lame and in pain and as the crowd stood and watched through the background, a figure emerged and bypassed security. Derek's father, Jim came and drew next to his son and supported him and they went the entirety of the race. The father came to help his son finish the race. Friends, we too are wounded and lame, a race of people that are not functioning as we should. The father has come to our side and sent his son Jesus to take us across the finish line. We are in part two of our series on Noah, the real story. As we look at the passage in Genesis chapter six, we see that the earth had become a terrible place. In Genesis six, verses five through eight, the Bible says these words, 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. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth and he was grieved in his heart. 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 the birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And also in verse 11, it says this, the earth was corrupt before God and the earth was filled with violence. The earth was filled with wickedness, with evil, with corruption and violence. It was a sad place, but in the midst of all of it, this is a story of God's grace, a story of God's unearned favor toward humankind. Now, as we studied in part one of our series, we need to understand a bit of history before we can understand the story of Noah. In part one of our series, we saw that the author of all evil is the devil. He is the real reason for pain and suffering. He is the real reason for sin on this planet. We studied the history and background where the devil and where the devil came from. But how did evil enter into the equation of this planet's history? The story is a rather sad story. It is the story of a great deception and a lack of trust. Sometime after Satan was evicted from heaven and sometime after the creation of humankind, there is a story recorded of how evil came to this planet earth. In Genesis three, it records that story. Genesis three beginning in verse one. Now the serpent was more coming 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? And the woman said to the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, 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. Then the serpent said to the woman, you will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be open and you will be like God knowing good and evil. When God created humankind, he placed Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. There in that garden God gave Adam and Eve all the vegetation to eat. In fact, in Genesis 1 29, it describes the original diet that Adam and Eve would eat and God said, see, I have given you every herb that yields seed, which is on the face of the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed to you, it shall be for food. God provided Adam and Eve with a total plant-based vegetarian diet, yet there was one item that they couldn't eat. Genesis two 16 and 17 describes that one exception Genesis two 16 and 17. And the Lord God commanded the man saying, of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die. Adam and Eve had all the plants of the garden to eat from. But this one tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it was not to be eaten. We have no evidence what kind of fruit it was, and evidently it may not have been obvious that it was bad. The only indication of it not being edible was God's clear message that it should not be eaten. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a sign of allegiance by Adam and Eve obeying. They clearly defined their allegiance to God. Satan who had been cast out of heaven was here on the earth there in the Garden of Eden. He paid a visit to the first pair. He caught eve there in the garden and engaged her in dialogue. During this interaction, we see that there are a series of choices made by Adam and Eve that led to disastrous results. The first choice that Eve made was a choice to be in the presence of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God had told them not to eat it. One clear way of never eating it would be to avoid the tree entirely, never to go close to the tree. But by choosing to go near the tree, Eve availed herself to temptation which could lead to direct disobedience of God's explicit command. Now, before we're too hard on Eve. Don't we all struggle with this a little? We aren't satisfied to be way back from the edge of the cliff. We have to stand on the very edge. Friends, if we desire to live a life and have a life of victory over sin, we need to steer clear of sin, not even get remotely close. Here, the devil has engaged Eve in a conversation and he has lied about the character of God. God gave them every tree except for one, and as Eve defends her position, she makes two fatal mistakes. Number one, she takes the devil on on her own. Friends, we must never take on the devil in our own power because we will lose. But in the spirit of God and by his strength, we can always overcome him. The second mistake that Eve made was an overstatement of the facts. You see, God had told the pair not to eat of the fruit of the tree, of the knowledge of good and evil. But Eve, in speaking to the serpent states that God said not to touch it. We have no record of God ever saying such a thing. And once Eve had made the choice to overstate her case and essentially lie, she was entrapped in the snare of the devil, the devil then promised a higher state of being. If Eve would partake of the fruit she was promised to become like God. The devil was tempting eve with the same thoughts that he himself had given into to be God. The next verses are probably the saddest verses in all of scripture because like Domino's falling, the choices of Adam and Eve set into motion events and consequences that still affect all of us today. Genesis chapter three, verses five and six. Tell us the rest of this story. Genesis three, five and six. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree desirable to make one wise she took of its fruit and ate, she also gave to her husband with her and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were open and they knew that they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. Eve moves from a knowledge of knowing that the tree is forbidden for humankind to actually believing that it was good for food. Eve made a choice, a very clear choice, a choice to trust the devil more than God and friends. That is the choice that each of us make when we choose to sin. We choose to not trust God, but to trust in ourselves and ultimately the Devil Eve disobeyed God's command and ate the fruit, but it doesn't stop there. Eve also gives the fruit to her husband to eat. She wasn't satisfied with her own disobedience and chooses to involve someone else. That old adage comes true, that misery loves company. While the record of Adam's failure is not as plain, we can see choices that he made that led to his failure as well. So what can we say about Adam? Adam also made a choice there at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We have no record in the Bible of the voice of Adam, so we can deduce one of two things happening. Either he was being silent or he wasn't there. It would seem because he says nothing that likely he actually wasn't there by her side. However, either way, what we can say is this, that Adam was not taking his role as spiritual leader very seriously. Adam, as the husband was called to be the spiritual leader, protector and provider for his family. Yet he was absent When Eve brings the fruit to him, Adam is faced with a crisis. He knows what the result of eating the fruit will be. He knows that Eve will die, but she hadn't yet died. Maybe he thought God wasn't right. He was faced with a crisis. He was faced with a crisis of belief, a choice to obey his own feelings or the word of God. Adam was faced with a crisis of faith. Ultimately, he made a conscientious decision, a conscientious choice to disobey God and he also ate. Immediately the prayer noticed a change. The robe of Christ's righteousness no longer covered them and they were naked seeing their shame. They sewed fig leaves together for a covering. Friends Adam and Eve did what we all do. They tried to cover their own sin and all of these choices, they created a separation between them and God. God came to the garden as he had often done to spend time with this pair that he had created, but he was met with their absence. And verses eight through 13 of Genesis three, tell us the rest of that story. Genesis three verses eight to 13, And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, where are you? So he said, I, I heard your voice in the garden. And I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself. And he said, who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat? Then the man said, the woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I ate. And the Lord said to the woman, what is this you have done? And the woman said, the serpent deceived me and I ate the Bible. Now clearly outlines the origins of the problems of Noah Day. How did sin enter the world through the choices of Adam and Eve, all friends, how very sad the story comes down through history until today. The story of the Bible is the story of God seeking out the children that he has been separated from. The reaction in Adam and Eve is so disturbing. Friends, as God reaches out his hand of mercy, Adam blames his wife and ultimately God. And then Eve blames the serpent. You see, it's the blame game And this leads to several consequences. The serpent is cursed. The devil is promised that he would receive a death blow, but humankind is promised a savior, but the consequences are no longer residing. They're just in the garden and the promise of death it, it wouldn't come immediately to Adam and Eve, but slowly the pair would age and become old. However, the pair would experience death sooner than expected. Adam and Eve had children. Cain and Abel were sons that they had. Cain was a farmer and he tilled the ground, but his brother, Abel was a shepherd and he kept sheep. The Bible records their story in Genesis four. By this time, God required sacrifices and these sacrifices symbolized and foreshadowed the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The sacrifice was to be an animal. Cain and Abel both brought their sacrifices, their offerings. They brought them before God, but there was a problem. See, Cain brought fruit and vegetables, but Abel, he brought an animal sacrifice. Kane didn't follow God's instructions. He followed his own way. Kane became angry because God wouldn't accept his offering. Kane in fact, was so angered by God not accepting his offering that it led to the first murder ever recorded in history. In Genesis four and verse eight, the Bible says this. Now Kain talked with Abel, his brother, and it came to pass when they were in the field that kain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him. Kain chose to take his brother's life. After murdering Abel, God asked Kane what he had done. God had to punish Kane. Kane was marked and he was forced to leave the very presence of God. Kane settled in the land of nod and and there he began. A people, the descendants of Kane would become a people who were vehemently opposed to God instead of turning from his sin. Kane seemed to pass it on eventually to a people who would become wicked, evil, cropped and violent. In Noah's day, the story of Noah and the sin of Noah's day begins with the sin of Adam and Eve, and then their son came. The environment of the days of Noah was created by choices. Choices throughout generations to not do right and to not choose God. Friends, we have a choice. There is a war raging over each one of us. Will you make a choice to be obedient to God and follow him or will you choose selfishly to follow your own ways? God is calling to each one of us today like Derek Redmond's. Father, God is drawing near to you. He knows you're broken. He knows you're in pain. He, he knows you're struggling. He wants to assist you. He wants to take you by the hand. He, he wants to put his arm around you, support you, and walk you all the way to the finish line. He's calling you and he's calling me to break the cycle of sin, to break the cycle of pain. Friend today, let the cycle of evil, let the cycle of sin stop with you today. Do you wanna choose to follow Jesus in his way and live in the path of righteousness by making that decision? Friend, you won't regret it. Would you like to accept the grace and mercy of God today and follow him today? Would you like to say that you want God alone to rule on the throne of your heart? Do you want to say that you desire God and God alone? Listen to this song, and as you listen, may your prayer be that you would choose God and God alone Created all these things from the, the glory is God and God Lord Reveals the truth of all we call Lord and all the best of won't change the master plan. It's God and Gods and God is universe is let everything that Leaves Reserve, its whisper for and eternal, oh hearts will never turn Of And and is to take the let. Everything That leaves Reserve its to For Is reserve. Its jeru, express For God and God Let everything That leave reserve is God and God alone. Do you want God to reign supreme in your life? Do you want him to sit on the throne of your heart? All it takes is to ask. The cycle of sin can stop with you. It doesn't need to continue on. It doesn't matter what your background is. It doesn't matter what your past is it. It doesn't matter what you've done. God offers the opportunity to wipe the slate clean and to begin again. It's a new life. The Bible refers to it as being born again. Jesus desires us to reenter a relationship with him. Back in the Garden of Eden, we were separated from God by sin. When Jesus came to this earth, he was the bridge to reconnect us. And the Bible is a story of God's seeking as he sought it for Adam that day, asking, where are you? He wants you and he wants you to be in his life. He wants you to have a relationship with him today. Do you want to choose God and God alone? If that's your desire, let's pray together. Heavenly Father, we want to stop the cycle of sin. We no longer want to serve two masters. We want to serve you and you alone. So today we invite you into our heart. We invite Jesus into our heart. May Jesus reign supreme. May you reign supreme in our heart. Lord, give us victory over sin. Wipe away the past. Help us to be born again, to be born anew and live a life with you. Please send your Holy Spirit to give us the strength to do so. This is our prayer in Jesus' name, amen. Friends, the story of Noah is grounded in the story of sin and the origin of sin. The story of the great controversy between good and evil. I'd like to offer you a special signs of the Times Magazine called The Great Controversy. This offer will be a magazine that will help you build your spiritual library and give you encouragement to choose Jesus and to follow Jesus. Here's the information you need to get the offer today. To request today's offer, just log on to www dot. It is written Canada ca. That's www dot. It is written Canada. Do ca and select the TV program tab for Canadian viewers. The offer will be sent free and postage paid for viewers outside of Canada. Shipping charges will apply. If you prefer, you may call Tollfree at one eight eighty eight call I I w. That's one eight eighty eight. Call i I w call Anytime. Lines are open 24 hours daily. That's one eight eighty eight. Call i I w. Or if you wish, you may write to us at it is written Box 2010 Oshawa Ontario, L 1 8 74. Friends, thank you for watching. I wanna encourage you to go to, it is written canada.ca. There you'll find resources to help you grow in your faith in Jesus. I hope you'll join us again next week. Until then, remember it is written. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

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Noah, The Real Story

Noah, The Real Story- Where It All Started #2

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Other Teachings in Series

Noah, The Real Story- Where It All Started #1

Noah, The Real Story- Where It All Started #2

Noah, The Real Story- God’s Grace

Noah, The Real Story- The Miracle

Noah, The Real Story- The Promise

Noah, The Real Story- A Tale of 2 Cities

Sound Doctrine