FIVE ATTITUDES TO AVOID WHEN COOPERATING WITH GOD
Session Five: A Stubborn Heart 5.11.22
Avoiding: 5. Unbelief
Matthew 13:57-58 NRSV And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house.” 58 And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.
Mark 6:5-6 NRSV And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went about among the villages teaching.
Luke 22:68 NRSV and if I question you, you will not answer.
Christian Life Lessons
1. Unbelief is not generally the “inability” to believe; it is usually the refusal to believe.
· Wickedness
Psalm 78:56-58 NLT But they kept testing and rebelling against God Most High.
They did not obey his laws. 57 They turned back and were as faithless as their parents. They were as undependable as a crooked bow. 58 They angered God by building shrines to other gods; they made him jealous with their idols.
· Weakness
Mark 9:14-27 NLT When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. 15 When the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with awe, and they ran to greet him.
16 “What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked. 17 One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. 18 And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.” 19 Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” 20 So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. 21 “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. 22 The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” 23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” 24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” 25 When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. “Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!” 26 Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.
2. Faith is not automatic for every Believer, but it is natural.
TYPOLOGY: THE ARK MAY 11, 2022
DEFINING BIBLICAL TYPOLOGY
Typology: a person, office, place, institution, event, or thing in salvation history that anticipates, shares correspondences with, escalates toward, & resolves in Jesus
THE ARK AS AN EARTHLY TYPOLOGY
There are many that view the ark and flood as a picture of end time events.
Enoch is seen as a picture of the rapture of the Church, the flood as the Tribulation judgments, and the ark as safety for those who convert during the Tribulation period.
Remember: Enoch was saved from the Flood, while Noah was saved through the Flood.
THE ARK AS AN ETERNAL TYPOLOGY
1/ Noah’s culture is a foreshadow of end times culture.
Like end times culture, Noah’s culture was filled with wickedness and depraved minds.
The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. Genesis 6:5, NIV
“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” Matthew 24:37, NIV
2/ Noah is a foreshadow of Christians.
Like Christians, Noah was saved by grace, not works.
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Genesis 6:8, NIV
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV
Like Christians, Noah had a responsibility to enter in.
Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark...” Genesis 7:1, NIV
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” John 3:36, NIV
3/ The flood is a foreshadow of the coming judgment.
Like the final judgment, the flood separated the righteous and the unrighteous.
“I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. But I will establish My covenant with you.” Genesis 6:13; 18, NIV
“He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.” Matthew 25:31-33
At the Judgment Seat of Christ, Christians give account.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. 2 Corinthians 5:10, ESV
At the Great White Throne Judgment, non-Christians give account (Revelation 20:11-15).
4/ The ark is a foreshadow of salvation in Christ.
Like salvation in Christ, the ark required a plan.
“This is how you are to build it…” Genesis 6:15, NIV
The Father planned salvation. For (the Father) chose us in (Christ) before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. Ephesians 1:4, NIV
The Son executed salvation. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son… John 3:16, NIV
The Spirit reveals salvation. The mystery of Christ…has now been revealed by the Spirit… Ephesians 3:4-5, NIV
Like salvation in Christ, there was only one way into the ark.
“Put a door in the side of the ark…” Genesis 6:16b, NIV
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6, NIV
Like salvation in Christ, the ark was atonement.
“Make rooms in the ark and cover it inside and out with pitch.” Genesis 6:14, ESV
Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Romans 4:7, NIV
Like salvation in Christ, the ark offered assurance of salvation.
And the Lord shut him in. The only people who survived were Noah and those with him in the boat. Genesis 7:23b, NIV
For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:9, NIV
5/ The earth is a foreshadow of a new beginning.
Like the new creation of Christians, Noah experienced a new creation.
Genesis 8-9
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV
OTHER TYPOLOGIES
Like water purged the earth of evil, so water baptism symbolically purged us of sin (Genesis 6:7; 1 Peter 3:21).
Like Noah prepared many rooms for animals, so Jesus is preparing many rooms for His people (Genesis 6:14; John 14:2).
Like salvation was made possible through an instrument of wood in the ark, so salvation is possible through the wood of the cross (Genesis 6:14; Philippians 2:8)
Like Noah was invited by God to salvation, so we are invited by God to salvation (Genesis 7:1; Matthew 11:28).