Gtcotr/ws092221
This evening it is my hope to conclude our study of the Gospel of John as we read the last verse together. We have learned so much from this elder Apostle. He was such a man of love and grace. He knew and understood Jesus better than any of the other disciples.
John 21:25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.
You know, God did so much to get you to this point. More than we can imagine and more than will ever be written upon this earth. He has a lot invested in you and it could be that you are one of the biggest reasons your ancestors made it through all the things which would have otherwise taken them out.
God is more intricately involved in our lives than anyone could ever imagine. The lengths God went through to orchestrate the moments in which we live and the opportunities we have been afforded are fathomless. It is often difficult to imagine, with all that is going on in the world at any one time, that God knows my name, He knows my every thought and the intent of my heart, and He even knows the number of the hairs on my head at any given moment. (Hebrews 4:12; John 10:3; Luke 12:7)
That kind of detail and the abilities God possesses with such ease seems absolutely impossible … and it is except for God. His designs cannot be duplicated, and His ways are past finding out. Yet God gave us knowledge of Himself, and He calls us His children. We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. All that God has is mine, and it is reserved for me at just the right time. (Romans 11:33; Romans 8:17; 1 Peter 1:4)
There are times when I may think things are ready or when I think I am ready but only God knows when the time is ripe, and when everything will work together as He planned. He is the Master Planner. Scriptures tell us the blessing of the Lord will make a person rich and will add no sorrow. (Ecclesiastes 3; Romans 8:28; Proverbs 10:22)
One
day, when the world was filled with wickedness and evil had spread across the
earth, Noah was instructed by God to build an ark for the salvation of all who
would enter in. This ark would be a boat made out of gopher wood. At just the
right time, some 120 years later, animals from everywhere came to the ark two
by two until all things were just as God planned, and then God shut the door by
His own hand. He told Noah:
· Genesis 6:16 “You shall make a window for the ark …”
Genesis
6, 7, & 8, records the account of Noah and the Ark.
· Noah and his family, plus all the animals, were in the ark for 7 days when it began to rain and the fountains of the deep were unleashed.
Genesis 7 NKJV
11 ¶ In the six hundredth
year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on
that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of
heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.
·
It
rained for 40 days and 40 nights
·
Waters
prevailed over the earth for 150 days (7:24) I don’t know if that is inclusive
of the 40 days of rain or not.
·
But,
when it stopped raining, it took about 100 days for the waters to subside
(8:4&5)
·
Noah
waited 40 more days and sent out a raven and a dove. (8:6)
·
Then
Noah waited 7 more days and sent the dove again (8:10)
·
Then
he waited another 7 days and sent the dove a third time (8:12)
·
Then,
on the first day of the first month, which was the first day of the New Year –
Rosh Hashana – Noah looked out of the window God told him to make and he saw the
surface of the earth was dry. (8:13)
·
Then
God had Noah wait almost two more months, until the 27th day of the
second month, before God saw that the earth was really dry. (8:14) Sometimes what
looks right to us is not quite right from God’s standpoint. He sees a little
deeper and farther down the road.
· All in all, we are told Noah and his family, and the animals, spent 365 or 366 days … one whole solar year … on the ark. Don’t you know they were ready to get off that boat.
There is a difference between things looking dry to us (man) - things being dry on the surface - and things looking dry to God … really dry. Noah had a window God gave him to see through, but he could still not see what God saw.
Genesis 8
13 ¶ And it came to pass in
the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day
of the month, that the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed
the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was
dry.
14 And in the second month,
on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dried.
15 Then God spoke to Noah,
saying,
16 “Go out of the ark …”
It looked dry … vs … it was dry! Not everything that looks dry, is dry!
If Noah would have gotten off the ark when things looked good to him, from the window God told him to make, he would have no doubt bogged down in the miry clay instead of enjoying his new day. He and his family and the animals would have had such a difficult time enjoying life while trudging through the mire of their new day. Despite what he saw from his God-given position, Noah was very wise to wait for a specific word from the Lord before taking such a giant, life changing step for him and his family. What to eat for dinner is a little different than a life changing family decision. The critical giant steps of life need to be taken with great prayer.
God is the God of dreams, the God of seeds, and the God of the harvest. But only God knows when it is time to take the next critical step.
When the mercy of God is ripe, the fruit will be sweet and without sorrow.
Proverbs 10: 22 The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.
God consults us and informs us and directs us according to our benefit and not according to our desire. Noah wanted off the boat, but he didn’t want back into a world without God. Where God points, He provides. But God is not obligated to pay for something He didn’t order.
Back to our conclusion of the Gospel of John this evening. I don’t know how many weeks we have been studying this Gospel but this evening we hope to conclude. So, let’s read this last verse again as we close.
John 21:25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.
1.
You don’t know what you don’t know.
a. But we do know what we
do know, and we know what the Bible says.
b. We don’t know
everything, but we know enough.
c. Hopefully we know
enough to wait on the Lord. He sees things so much better than we do. His
timing is perfect, and our dreams are secure in His hands.
d. Remember, not
everything that looks dry, is dry!
2.
The world cannot contain a full account of the
works of God.
a. Angels
i. Earth was made from
rocks and dirt and water and minerals and such.
ii. Humans were made from
the dust of the ground.
iii. Space was made from
plasma and electricity and whatever else we haven’t fully discovered yet.
iv. From what were angels
made?
1. Maybe light? (2
Corinthians 11:14)
2. Fire? (Psalms 104:4;
Exodus 3:2; Revelation 10:1))
3. Spirit? (Hebrews 1:7
& 14)
v. The first Adam was
made a living soul … the second Adam, Jesus, was made a life-giving Spirit. (1
Cor 15:45)
vi. Anyway … God doesn’t
tell us all that much about the creation of angels or when that took place
according to our imagination of time.
b. God doesn’t tell us
about life on other planets.
c. He didn’t divulge what
it was like before He made the earth
d. There is just so many
things we don’t know that God has done to get you to this place in life.
e. He even guided Noah
and his family through the flood so that you would have the chance to be here
today.
f. And, God is doing more
today, things we may never know, to give us a hope and a future that is out of
this world. (Jeremiah 29:11)
3.
Amen
a. The last word in the
Gospel of John
b. The best-known word in
human speech. Amen in every language.
c. “Believe” “Affirm”
d. An expression of absolute trust and confidence.
Greek/English
Lexicon:
The word "amen" is a most
remarkable word. It was transliterated
directly from the Hebrew into the Greek
of the New Testament, then
into Latin and into English and many
other languages, so that it is
practically a universal word. It has
been called the best known word
in human speech. The word is directly
related — in fact, almost
identical — to the Hebrew
word for "believe" (amam), or faithful.
Thus, it came to mean "sure"
or "truly," an expression of absolute
trust and confidence. (HMM)
When we don’t know everything … we still know God … Believe, hold firm, and be faithful to Him. There is so much more to it than the whole world could ever contain.
Let’s get into the habit of Amening God. When we hear His Word spoken and His will proclaimed, let’s make sure to say a hefty amen right behind it so as to ensure everyone knows where we stand on the issue of God’s Word.
We may not know everything, but we know enough. God is a good God with a wonderful plan for our lives. He loves us and He will never hurt us or let us down. Amen!
Can
I get an amen? Do I hear an amen? Will somebody give the Word of God a big
Amen!
