In Living Color
Part 1 of "Broken For Us"--First Sunday of Lent
The BIG Idea:
As we explore the story of Noah, God makes a covenant to never destroy the entire earth again. We must remember that the Good News of Christ Jesus is for all people and all people need to hear the Good News!
8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, 9 Now behold, I Myself am establishing My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you;10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, every animal of the earth. 11 I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be eliminated by the waters of a flood, nor shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth. 12 God said, This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations; 13 I have set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall serve as a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. 14 It shall come about, when I make a cloud appear over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud, 15 and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the rainbow is in the cloud, then I will look at it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth. 17 And God said to Noah, This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth. Genesis 9:8-17 (NASB)
Noah's name means rest and comfort.
Noah was 480 years old when he was commanded by God to build the ark and 600 years old when the flood waters overtook the earth.
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, held for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; - II Peter 2:4-5 (NASB)
2 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3 For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5 But as for you, use self-restraint in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. II Timothy 4:2-5 (NASB)
Notice the common progression of sin in Noah's time and our time.
- The entrance of sin (Genesis 3:1)
- The extent of sin (Genesis 6:5-6)
- The effect of sin (Genesis 6:7)
Sin NEVER has a good ending.
Our sinfulness grieves God.
Notice the consistency of God's answer to sin in Noah's time and in our time.
- God had a servant leader (Noah then and Jesus now)
- God had a plan (The Ark, a Christ figure to deliver us from the rising waters of life)
- It was made of wood (the image of the ark and the image of the cross)
- It has the shape of a burial chamber (the ark and a tomb portraying death)
- It was covered in pitch (same word translated as atonement in the Hebrew)
- The was one window (one source of light from Heaven)
- There was one door (one way of Salvation in Jesus)
A Biblical Covenant is a binding agreement between God and God's people.
Covenants are a key theme in the Bible and are central to God s plan to restore humanity.
Three times in the Bible that God places a witness in the sky to speak to the heart of humankind.
- The Rainbow (God's pledge and promise. God is a Covenant keeper.)
17In the same way God, desiring even more to demonstrate to the heirs of the promise the fact that His purpose is unchangeable, confirmed it with an oath,18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to hold firmly to the hope set before us. Hebrews 6:17-18 (NASB)
20 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Romans 4:21 (NASB)
- The Pillar of Cloud by Day and Pillar of Fire by Night (Speaks of God's presence, power, and providence.)
21 And the Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from the presence of the people. Exodus 13:21-22 (NASB)
- The Star (speaks of God s position and pre-eminence. God is the All in All!)
2 Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him. Matthew 2:2 (NASB)
He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. Colossians 1:18 (NASB)
In the story of Noah, the rainbow is a sign of a covenant with God.
A rainbow is seen when light of different colors is refracted through a single medium (water.)
13 Jesus answered and said to her, Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life. John 4:13-14 (NASB)
Rabbinic teaching has taught the meaning of the colors in the rainbow for thousands of years.
- Purple speaks of royalty.
13 I direct you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep the commandment without fault or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which He will bring about at the proper time He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. I Timothy 6:13-16 (NASB)
- Blue speaks of Heaven.
No one has ascended into heaven, except He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. John 3:13 (NASB)
- Green speaks of New Life.
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind. John 1:3-4 (NASB)
- Yellow speaks of Light.
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life. John 8:12 (NASB)
- Orange speak of Warning.
2 But He replied to them, When it is evening, you say, It will be fair weather, for the sky is red. 3 And in the morning, There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening. You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but are you unable to discern the signs of the times? 4 An evil and adulterous generation wants a sign; and so a sign will not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah. And He left them and went away. Matthew 16:2-4 (NASB)
Do not be amazed that I said to you, You must be born again. John 3:7 (NASB)
Rainbows need two things to occur: a storm and sunlight.
The sunshine of His resurrection shined through the drops of His shed blood and produced the rainbow of God's eternal grace. Unknown theologian journal entry
Rainbows reflect God s grace in our lives. They show up AFTER the storm just like PEACE becomes a part of our lives AFTER salvation.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1 (NASB)
Rainbows cannot be stopped, caught, or touched.
Covenants are NOT contracts. In a covenant, one side will give the most.
The bow represents the very glory of God!
When we go through difficult times, when we feel we are being tested by life, if we hold on to our trust in God, we WILL see the full effect of God's grace, mercy, and love.
God desires for us to return to God in repentance, and live life anew.
Questions for Reflection:
How easy or how hard is it for you to admit that there is sin in your life? Why?
Has anyone ever told you that you should apologize for something? Did you take their advice? Why or why not?
What does the word repentance mean?
How does the idea of God repenting, or changing God's mind, make you feel?
Have you experienced the rainbow after your storm, as in a sense of peace with God?
Have you chosen to trust the rainbow during your storm as the peace of God?
Have you realized the rainbow before the storm?
What does God desire for all of us in this sacred and holy season of Lent?