My son lined up all his animals the other day to board that big ark. And there was Noah standing there clothed in bright faith. He couldn’t have hid his faith if he wanted too. His faith was 510 feet long and 50 feet tall. Every soul that passed by him in those decades of building would not be able to avoid the message of judgment and salvation this preacher of righteousness taught. Even more, the knowledge of his big faith would have spread far and wide. You don’t build a giant boat on dry land with no way to bring it to water without causing a little bit of a stir. I imagine every soul on that known earth heard of the salvation he preached.

Now we also know that after all those years, when the promised floods came, none had heeded his message from God except 7 family members. Yet all those years of ridicule and hard hearts, stiff necks and deaf ears, never caused him to cease the message God had filled his heart with.

“As in the days of Noah, so shall it be at the coming of the Lord”. We often take this scripture and focus on the negative side. The fact that the people in Noah’s day were swimming in sin, living their own selfish will, having no regard for God.. it was a rebellious generation.. and what about those nephalim (giants)?! All the while we miss the potential for the positive side. What if the days of Noah ENCOURAGED us to have faith as big as the ark in the midst of lawlessness. What if we began to have big faith like Noah, letting our light shine before all men, not hiding it under a basket. What if we lived and breathed our faith so that even through ridicule and deaf ears, we preach the message God has put on our hearts. What if we build our ark with the instruction that God has given us with the hope that before the final “flood” comes, the souls of men lined up would out number the animals? What if no one came but we preached anyway? What if instead, we strive to have big faith “as in the days of Noah”? What if we focus on the positive side so that we stand firm with our hammer and build in faith until the Lord comes, rather than focus on the negative side that bends us towards defeat before we even pick up our hammer?

We often make too much of witnessing. We make it all about ourself. Our discomfort. Our anxieties associated with speaking and stepping out in faith. What our eyes see brings discouragement. What if I don’t have all the answers. All the scripture memorized? I thank God for the realization He gave me in that He’s not asking us to become teachers of a book and of morals and of a God who saves as much as He’s asking us to give our testimony! Our testimony! What has God done for us? A testimony is a personal experience and the person who has that experience is qualified to testify of that experience! What did He whisper in our ear this morning that we can shout from the roof tops today? Being a good steward of the things He gives us doesn’t just refer to money and belongings, but much more, it refers to spiritual blessings. What He teaches us in the quiet and loud moments of each day, that we are to testify about!

I believe there’s a lesson in the manna they ate in the wilderness. Jesus is the bread of life and we know that they who ate of the manna all died.. but He who eats of the bread of life shall never die. They gathered manna every morning and not just for themselves but also those in their tent. The bread of life isn’t meant for us to gorge ourselves on, it’s meant to be shared. Just like when Jesus and the disciples fed the multitudes. One boys lunch fed thousands. He had a little and God was able to do much with it.

Also that manna that was gathered each day had to be eaten that day or it would be overtaken by worms. I believe the message God speaks to us each day is meant to be shared that day. Not only shared but WE are to EAT it too! Not just sharing nice words but we are to be partakers of them. When we eat something it becomes part of us. We dare not tell others to do the thing God has spoken to us without first being partakers of the crop! We dare not tell our brother of the speck in his eye while we have a plank in ours.

I used to think I had to be victorious in something to be able to speak about it but I see now that if I just yield to God the day He speaks, and I agree with Him that it’s good and true, I can wait on Him to make it real in me. As I abide in Jesus in my yielded heart state, He WILL bear fruit in me in due season.

So God help us to first become like Mary and sit at your feet so that we can bring what you have whispered to us and serve it up to the whole household like Martha. Not begrudgingly but with the joy of having a great treasure that we can share with those around us.

Just as a life of faith is not based on sight but on the truth of the word of God, so is testifying of Him. When my thoughts tell me a thing is too big and I can’t do it.. yet God says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.. and I chose to believe His word over what is seen and felt by my natural man, THAT is walking by faith and not by sight. THAT is how we are called to live like every moment of the day! Believing what He says over what we see and feel in the natural. Well in the same way we are to witness of Him. Not only when we feel energized, excited, outgoing etc.. but EVEN when we do not feel like it. Even when discouragement is knocking. Even when fear is knocking. We testify by faith and not by sight! Our feelings are temporal and we aren’t to be ruled by them.

So family of Christ, even when we don’t feel like it, testify anyway by faith! In one ear the enemy try’s to thwart you and in the other, a still small voice says “speak”. We can’t serve two masters. Which voice will you heed? Who’s name will you proclaim? The enemies name by relenting and thereby testifying that the devil is greater than God? Or will we listen to our Father and our Lord and testify of His name and that truly, greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world. Never forget that our enemy is a defeated foe.

Now church of Christ, let us get out there with our bagged lunch and trust that our God will use the little He’s given us to feed the multitudes! May we be able to say, in regards to our faith, “as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be at the coming of the Lord!”

Father, help our unbelief. Help us to walk by faith and to testify by faith. Help us to be first to partake in what you have whispered to us so that we may shout it from the roof tops with a sure heart, that even if we don’t “feel” like much or able to make any difference, we will chose to serve you this day instead of our fear. And as we do this I trust you will teach us that perfect love does cast out fear. For this life isn’t about us. Your testimony isn’t even about us. It’s all about You and others. And that’s what love is. Sacrificing ourselves for the life of others. Not living for self and the fears that try to steer us but rather living for you despite it all. May you perfect our faith and love, thereby casting out all fear. Amen