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The Example of Noah’s Faith

Sermon Preached by Pastor Joe Stoppelbein at Sonrise Baptist Church

Hebrews 11:7 7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

No matter what happens in life you need to have faith. The Bible is not a science book, history book, it is a book about faith. The Hebrews 11:7 reference is sometimes referred to as the Hall of Faith.

Romans 10:17 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The Beginning of Noah’s Faith is first described in earlier in the chapter (Hebrews 11:1-3). We see that Noah followed the Word of God. Faith comes from the Word of God. This is also known as biblical authority. Faith isn’t some hopeful outlook often misquoted, “well you just have to have faith.”We also see the Character of Noah. Faith operates in the world unseen. Noah had a test which reminds us of the story of Abraham. We also see the action of Noah. He had a reverential respect of God and his actions were moved with fear.

The Work in Noah’s Faith can be described by two main points. Primarily, true faith results in hard work. Taking the next step of faith requires work and it isn’t easy. Secondly, true faith results in detailed work as shown in Genesis 6:14, 22. As Christians we should strive to build our own Ark for a visual testimony to others.

Noah’s Faith had completely taken the world by surprise. The whole world mocked him. They thought he was crazy. Noah was the object of scorn. This is similar to the rejection and tribulations that Christians see today. The world thinks that we’ve lost it. They mock the promise of Jesus’s second coming. The condemnation of the world was one of many trials that Noah faced while building the Ark. It is better to be rejected by the world than to be rejected by God. Noah’s visual testimony showed that he believed in God. By believing in God he lived a Holy Life.

The Reward of Noah’s faith was twofold: his actions caused his family to be saved (Genesis 7:7) and his soul was saved. The greatest result of his faith is that what he believed had saved him. Faith starts and produces works. Belief dictates behavior. Living by Faith causes homes and marriages to be sanctified.

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Shamgar and the secrets to his success

Success Secrets of Shambar

The first question you may ask yourself when reading the title of this post is who is Shamgar and what secrets could he possibly know about success?

This is an excellent question to which I reply that he is man whose name is mentioned only twice in the Bible. Specifically he is mentioned in two verses in the book of Judges.

Judges 3:31 31And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.

Judges 5:6 6In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways.

Now that you have seen the two verses one might have a few more questions. What is an ox goad? What is the significance of the highways being unoccupied? How did he deliver Israel? What were his secrets for success?

These are all great questions for which will be concisely answered in this blog post. The answer to the first question is an ox goad is a farming tool. The Wikipedia definition illustrates that it is a type of long stick with a pointed end. It may also be referred to as a cattle prod.

The second question may be answered by thinking of a lawless Israel. The book of Judges illustrates a time period where Israel was without a king. The last part of the verse indicates that travelers didn’t travel on the main roads. The main roads weren’t safe. This is likely due to barbarians, looters, or other horrific men.

The third question should be the simplest answer of all! Shamgar killed 600 Philistines and what was his weapon? It was a farming tool! This shows that Shamgar had an immense sense of faith in God. Shamgar was likely not a skilled soldier due to his tool of choice. This is a great segue into the final question. What does Shamgar know about success and what are his secrets?

As cited by the book, The Three Success Secrets of Shamgar, “That’s what this book is about: one person making a difference in the world through God’s power by following these three simple secrets:

  1. Start where you are.
  2. Use what you have.
  3. Do what you can.”

The answer is exceedingly simple yet profound. I prefer not to go in too much more depth about the specifics because then you wouldn’t need to buy the book. However, I would much rather talk about the application of these three steps in Web Devotional and our personal walk with Jesus Christ.

For the first point, Start where you are, Web Devotional is now live! This is a great thing because it shows that there is a Start! I believe that this website will add value to Christians. It was created out of the desire to see us pray more fervently, to read the Bible more often, and to have a deeper relationship with our LORD Jesus Christ.

For the second point, Use what you have, Web Devotional is hosted on the most popular website and blog publishing platform in the world! It is also hosted in the cloud via Digital Ocean a tremendous company. These details are minor. The most worthy mention is that as Christians we have Jesus Christ as our personal savior, we have the Holy Spirit to lead us, and we have the Bible as God’s Holy word.

For the third point, Do what you can, Web Devotional is a place where Christians come for encouragement to keep applying biblical principles to their lives through daily devotions. My dream is that it creates a community of believers who are able to learn and grow together.

In conclusion, I want you to personally think about these two verses and the application mentioned above. How may these three secrets of success be applied to your life? What ideas do you have about these simple yet profound nuggets of wisdom? Please feel free to share your thoughts with us through the use of the contact form.

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We are currently reviewing devotional material to submit to the website. We are also looking for Christian writers who would like to get their content available to our readership. If you are interested, please use the contact form to get in touch with us. We look forward to meeting you.