Faithfulness of God

Come sit with us this evening, to pursue our questions and meditations drawn out by Bisch’s sermon.

The Sermon Itself>

  • I used ChatGPT to transfer the raw transcript of the sermon into an easily readable format
  • Here’s the whole sermon, including a link to the video> < CLICK HERE > oh, click and see… its true to the message he spoke!

Tools Used>

I’d like everyone to know the tools I’ve used for preparing for tonight’s group session.

  • notes in my little notebook I carry with me to church
  • Otter.ai > an app that records the message > gives a word-for-word transcript of the audio > and then provides a summary > and also retrieves things that I ask it to such as “main points” or “scriptures mentioned”
  • ChatGPT> a tool that helped me to format my way of processing, into a more cohesive format. It also re-formatted the transcript into a “chapter book excerpt.
  • Here is the raw transcript for your reference> <CLICK HERE>
  • At some point I wouldn’t mind discussing the pro’s/con’s of Artificial Intelligence and my own personal use of it. But for now I’ll just say that its upsetting to my wife, and I always listen to her heart. I am now limiting my interaction with ChatGPT as to how it helps me. But most importantly the way its helped me, is I noticed that I was running to ChatGPT to help me hear my own heart. I found a disparity – a glaring one – in how I approached home group… and its because of this difficulty/impasse with my son-in-law that I realized it. Matthew 7:1-6 Tells me – who judges – to first look for it in myself… so I realize that my attitude (it hurts me to say it) has been “I have to have all the answers…” when I approach leading a home group… yet I want to hear all of your hearts. But its because I’m used to being the 4th of five children, that has to fight for my voice to be heard amoung the others… in the kind of talks that I thrive in, they can get as nasty as a boxing match… to the outside observer… but I absolutely love my opinions and notions to be challenged… iron sharpens iron.

Laurence’s Meditations

So I’m wanting to think over and meditate on the sermon notes that Otter.ai took for me, they are appended to the end of this document, “Sermon Notes” and I have a couple of scriptures so far that came to mind as I was listening,

Main Sermon Points

  • Introduction to Genesis 6 and Personal Story
  • Faithfulness in the Story of Noah
  • The Concept of Faithfulness
  • Covenant and Faithfulness in the Bible
  • Challenges of Faithfulness
  • Opportunities vs. Assignments
  • Overcoming Distractions and Comparisons
  • The Importance of Daily Faithfulness

Questions within Conversation Below

  • In 2 Timothy 2:11-13
  • how do we reconcile this apparent contradiction?
  • This paradox… isn’t disowning the same as being faithless?
  • Genesis 6:
  • and also, everyone knew there was a God… how could they not?
  • Yet they acted like there was no come-up-ens coming… no day of reconciliation?
  • Are the scriptures clear about why God took such a drastic step?
  • Noah and his kin were brought through to the other side of the Flood’s work of cleansing… the seed?
  • how many years of life before the call to build the ark?
  • Jesus answer in John 12 to the request of the Greeks who want to go see Jesus
  • Jesus answer seems so “out of left field” How do we reconcile that?
  • John 12:24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
  • Yes, I can see that Jesus is talking about who, here? Himself, I can see that, but is it exclusively him? Or does it include us?
  • 1 Peter 3:18
  • Romans 6:3-4
  • Colossians 2:12

Scriptures, Meditations and Questions from Laurence

  • Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
  • 2 Timothy 2:11 Here is a trustworthy saying:
    If we died with him, we will also live with him;
    12 if we endure, we will also reign with him.
    If we disown him, he will also disown us;
    13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
  • John 12:20-33

Questions>

Scriptures, Meditations and Questions from Laurence>

Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

Hebrews 11:7 NIV

11 Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

2 Timothy 2:11-13 NIV

20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. 23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. 27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

John 12:2-33 NIV

So some questions… If we disown him… he will also disown us… if we are faithless, he remains faithful… how do we reconcile this apparent contradiction? This paradox… isn’t disowning the same as being faithless?

And Noah’s actions are said to have condemned the world, its an ominous statement. And in Bisch’s sermon he pointed out that it was about 120 years that Noah was building an boat, the Ark… none had even known RAINfall… to mediate on that… there was no hiding the Ark… everyone saw him… and also, everyone knew there was a God… how could they not? Yet they acted like there was no come-up-ens coming… no day of reconciliation? Are the scriptures clear about why God took such a drastic step?

my mediation on Hebrews 11:7 has been on-going for years… one aspect is that to wipe out everyone on the earth would have been to completely start over from zero… yet, one would think, that because the earth itself had been altered by the presence of these that drifted away from God… the earth itself would have to be ditched… and do it all over again… so maybe this is where we have God being faithful to himself… he disowned those who disowned him, but Noah and his kin were brought through to the other side of the Flood’s work of cleansing… the seed? goes into the ground, and dies… all that Noah and his kin knew, would have been wiped out… how many years of life before the call to build the ark? They’d have had homes, and fields, and favourite things… and “you can’t take it with you” but maybe they took this and that… but the ladies’ homes… there’s no mention of storage crates… so in that sense they were like a seed that died in the ground… and that exchange is an interesting one…

  • John 12:20-33>
    • Jesus answer seems so “out of left field” How do we reconcile that?

Noah’s Ark compared to Baptism>

  • 1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— 20 to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

Baptism compared to death/resurrenction>

  • Romans 6:3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
  • Colossians 2: 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.