Author: londavis@hotmail.com

Our text today is from the story of Noah and the Ark and is a reading from Genesis 7:7-9 and Genesis 8:14-16

The Bible says

Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him entered the ark because of the water of the flood. Of clean animals and animals that are not clean and birds and everything that creeps on the ground, there went into the ark to Noah by twos, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.

Later in the story, we read…

In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. Then God spoke to Noah, saying, “Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.

Look at the story. He was in that boat for a long time. 

Noah and his family were in the ark, living with the animals for more than a year! That is a long time to be traveling on a  boat filled with elephants, snakes, bats, dogs and every other animal you can imagine. 

 Noah and his family were on the ark for 377 days. 

A wise man once said, “No pain is wasted if you learn from it.” 

If we could ask Noah what lessons he learned from life on the Ark, what do you think he might say?

 I can think of many possible lessons, but let me share 5 of my favorites.

1. Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark. While the Bible does not specifically say how long it took him to build that boat, we know from Genesis 6 that it took at least 100 years. That is serious planning ahead.

2. Listen to God.

He gave specific instructions on how to build the boat. When God tells you how something should be done, follow his instructions. The Father knows best. 

3. Obey God now!

The flood was on the way. Noah didn’t work on the boat someday. Once you know what God wants, then nothing should cause you to delay.

4. If you can’t fight or flee – float!

Modern psychology tell us that we have a fight or flight response to life. When we feel threatened, then we either run or fight. Well sometimes we can’t do either. Some times we just have to float.

5. Don’t forget that we’re all in the same boat.

One bonus lesson.

6.  No matter how bad things look, there’s always a rainbow on the other side.

Lonnie Davis

Political correctness drives nearly everything today.  Did you know it was like that in the days when Jesus lived on earth. When the religious leaders were confronted with doing what is right and scary or doing what is politically correct and safe, they chose to do what was politically safe. Let’s read our text and it will be obvious. Our story begins after the resurrection of Lazarus.

Text: John 11:47-48

Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

Did you see it? When confronted with doing the right thing or doing the wrong, but politically correct thing, they ignored right. If you doubt this, notice how this story ends.

John 11:53 says, 

“So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.”

There were points to be made for being politically cautious. They feared that if Jesus were allowed to teach unchecked, he would build a great following and that might upset the Romans who would destroy them. They couldn’t have that so they decided to kill Jesus. It is hard to believe that they would make that kind of decision, but that did!

To choose righteousness when it scares us is a hard thing to do. It was then and it is now!

Truth must always be more important than fear.

Lonnie Davis

One more lesson from the great story of the resurrection of Lazarus. Today as we come to that graveside near Jerusalem, Jesus weeps for his friend and tells them to remove the stone. Here is what happens next in John 11:41-44

So they removed the stone.

 Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. “I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” 

When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. 

Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” (John 11:41-44)

From this amazing text we can see an important lesson on prayer.

Prayer must be prayed with confidence and boldness.

Jesus prayed for what was about to happen, as though God had already done it. He loudly prayed “I thank you Father” for something that had not yet happened. He wanted all the people around him to hear that God would answer his prayer. 

That is the way to pray. Pray asking and then know that God will do what was asked.

Our lack of confidence can make our prayer life weak. 

The story is told of a little west Texas farming community that was going through a great drought. Their fields were drying up and their crops were dying. As a last ditch effort the little community decided to get together at 8 PM at the local church and  prayer for rain. 

At 8 o’clock the church was full.  

The last person to enter the building was a little 7-year-old girl. As she walked down the aisle she was carrying an umbrella. As she walked past some of the older folks, someone said, “Isn’t she cute? She thinks it is going to rain.”

In our story today, Jesus knew that God would raise Lazarus from the dead and so he shouted with a loud voice for all to hear.

You and I need to use a loud voice with our prayers. I admit that the answer might sometimes be “No,” or “Not yet” or maybe “Here is something even better.” But the answer is often a simple “Yes.” 

Matthew 7:7, “Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you.” 

When you pray, pray loudly and bring your umbrella. God answers prayers.

Lonnie Davis

Our text today is taken from John 11:39-44. In this story we see that Jesus loved Lazarus, the bother of Mary and Martha. We know Jesus loved him because when Lazarus got sick, they simply told Jesus, “The one you love is sick.” Jesus knew who that was. In John 11, Jesus stands at the 4-day-old tomb of his dead friend. Standing and weeping beside the grave, Jesus told them, 

“Take away the stone,”

“But, Lord,” said Martha, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

There is something special in this story. More than anything, Martha wanted her brother back, but he was dead. Not only dead, but dead so long that by now he stunk. She remind Jesus of this. Did she think Jesus didn’t know?

Sometimes there is a little of Martha in all of us. We want God to do something, but it just seems to big to ask. Even when God says he will do something, we seem reluctant to think that he is up to the task.  Instead of reminding God of how big the task is, we just don’t ask. By the way, Martha didn’t ask either. 

This calls to mind Ephesians 3:20 where God is identified as the one who “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.” Sometimes we don’t ask or think. James told us, “You have not because you ask not.”

Jesus didn’t chide her for her faith failure, he just preformed the miracle of raising a four-day-old dead man. Our text continues.

“Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

The world and worldly Christians may doubt the ability and power of God, but we must never doubt. 

As Jeremiah wrote of God,  “His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23).

He is not only faithful to you, but great is his faithfulness.

Lonnie Davis

Our Scripture for today is Psalm 102:25-27.

Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end.

These are encouraging words. They tell us about the nature of God. God does not change.

The God who met with Moses at the burning bush, knows us. 

The One who led Israel in the wilderness with a pillar of fire by night, leads us with his light.

The One who sent the angel to lead Peter by the hand out of a midnight prison, still leads us.

He has not changed. 

In this crazy world of change, it is wonderful to have something that stays the same. It is even more wonderful to know that something is God.

The world has changed a lot in the last 100 years. 100 years ago, the life expectancy for men was 47 years. There were only 8.000 cars in America and 114 miles of paved roads. If you were lucky enough to have one of those cars, you bought your fuel at the drug store. 

Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Coffee was fifteen cents a pound. Sounds good until you learn that the average wage was only 22 cents per hour.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph. My granddad lived in Beaumont, TX and had one of those cars. He told me that people called him, “That reckless McCain kid who drives through town at 15 miles per hour.”

Only 6% of all adults were high school graduates. Most doctors had no college degree. Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

So if the world has changed that much in the last 100 years, how much will it change in the next 100 years. Don’t dismiss that as unimportant because many of our children’s children will live in that world.

The only reason I do not fear for that time is because I know the God who knew Adam and Moses and Paul and me, will still be around for them. I do not know what the world will be like in 100 years, but I know what God will be like.

As Isaiah wrote, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary.” (Isaiah 40:28).

Lonnie Davis

In our scripture today, Jesus is just arriving at the house of Mary and Martha. It was four days after their brother Lazarus had died. As you can understand they were in a state of heartbreak. As we begin our reading, Jesus is just getting to their house.

John 11:21-25

Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. “Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” Jesus *said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha *said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,

May God bless the reading of his word.

There is an adage that reads, “You are you are in a squeeze.” Of course this means that we don’t really know ourselves until we are under pressure. When death visits a family, the squeeze always comes with it. In this time of stress, Mary learns that there are three kinds of faith.

#1. There is faith for yesterday. 

Mary told Jesus, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ She believed that Jesus could have healed if he had only been there. 

#2. There is faith for tomorrow.

When Jesus told her that her brother would rise again, she responded with the great faith she had for tomorrow. She said, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

3. Faith for today.

What she was missing was the faith for the present moment, the faith for today. She can see that things would have been good last week, or someday at the great resurrection. What he needed was a faith that knows that Jesus can handle today.

Don’t be like Mary. Don’t just believe that God will help you someday. Have a faith that says God will be here for you now.

So which of those three faiths do you need to work on, faith for yesterday, faith for tomorrow, or faith for today?

I know which faith I need to work on.

Lonnie Davis

My old Grandad, Zack McCain will never be known by my own kids, at least not in the way I knew him. He was a good man and the anchor for the whole extended family. My mother told me the story of when someone told my silver-haired grandaddy that God could use him. He replied, “God can’t use me.” 

From time to time, most of us have felt that way. The light on ourself shines very brightly to us. As I remember that story, I read today Scripture:

– Revelation 22:16-17

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” 
And let the one who hears say, “Come!” 
Let the one who is thirsty come; 
and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

From Genesis 3 and man’s fall to Revelation 22, when the pen of inspiration was put down, the Bible tells one story. It is the story of whosoever will may come.

Jesus put it in these words.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” -Matthew 11:28-30

One writer beautifully pointed out that God’s call has always been to all. A call for whosoever will. 

 Jacob was a cheater, 
Peter had a temper, 
David had an affair,
Noah got drunk, 
Jonah ran from God, 
Paul persecuted and jailed Christians, 
Gideon was insecure, 
Miriam was a gossip, 
Martha was a worrier, 
Thomas was a doubter, 
Sara was impatient, 
Elijah was moody, 
Moses was an excuse maker, 
Abraham thought he was too old
Lazarus was dead. 

God used all of them.
He even uses me…and you.

Lonnie Davis

If I were to tell you that today’s scripture is about forgiveness, you mind might go to how God forgives us or how we ought to forgive one another. That is not what we will discuss in this story of forgiveness. Let’s read Matthew 27:3-5

Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!” Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.

So when we read this verse, a person might ask what it has to do with forgiveness? We all understand how much we need God to forgive us or even how much we need to forgive those who hurt us, but this lesson is about a different kind of forgiveness. It is about our need to forgive ourself. 

We all have probably done something that we feel guilty about. We may have hurt someone else. Once you have confessed the sin to God and made things right with others, you must learn to forgive yourself. Unless you do, then you will always be emotionally and spiritually damaged.

Let me illustrate this with a true story from Shoeless Joe Jackson. Have you ever heard of “Shoeless Joe Jackson?” Shoeless Joe was an amazing baseball player in the first part of the 20^th century. Unfortunately he allowed himself to get mixed up in the Chicago White Sox scandal. Players took money to fix the World Series. Several players, including Joe, were banned from baseball for life.

After leaving baseball, In 1922, Shoeless Joe Jackson returned to Greenville and opened a dry cleaning business. Later he and his wife opened a place called, “Joe Jackson’s Liquor Store.” They operated that place until his death. One day the famous player, Ty Cobb and sportswriter Grantland Rice entered the store. Jackson showed no sign of recognition towards Cobb. After making his purchase, Ty Cobb finally asked Jackson, “Don’t you know me, Joe?” Jackson replied, “Sure, I know you, Ty, but I wasn’t sure you wanted to know me. A lot of them don’t.”

Baseball historians argue about how much Shoeles Joe was really involved in the scandal, but no one can question that Joe never forgave himself. When you don’t forgive yourself, you will always be emotionally stunted. 

Lonnie Davis

Our text today is about the death of Jospeh. It is found in Genesis 50:24-26.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.” So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten..

What a way to go! At 110, he died with his around him. He died with the privilige of the palace at his command. He died knowing that his family would be okay and their future would work out right.

It was not always so for Joseph. If we were to write a book about Joseph, our chapters might look something like this:

Chapter 1 – Joseph is hated by his brothers.
Chapter 2 – In the Pit with Joseph.
Chapter 3 – Joseph is a Slave.
Chapter 4 – Joseph in Prison. 
Chapter 5 – Joseph befriends the Pharaoh.
Chapter 6 – Joseph harshly meets his brother’s again.
Chapter 7 – The Family is Reunited
Chapter 8 – The death of Jospeh

So you see, his life wasn’t always like it was at the end. There were many chapters to his life, hard, cruel, and painful chapters. Along the way he was betrayed by his brothers, his slave owner, and those who he helped while in prison. But, in the end those were just chapters to get to the good chapters. 

I said all of this to help you (and me) realize that we all have chapters in our lives. There are easy and fun chapters. There are also the dark and hard chapters. We must not stumble of the hard chapters and miss the joy of the good chapters to come. 

If you are in a hard chapter right now, hold on. A different chapter is coming. At the end of your book on you, “All things work together for good (Romans 8:28).

Back in the days of my counseling chapter, while people were waiting for some word of wisdom, I would tell them that I had a book that told their whole story. Then I would hand them a book full of blank pages. I would tell them they are writing their own book and how it ends is up to them.

Today, you are writing one of your chapters. Whether it is a hard or fun chapter, do not mistake it for the end of your book.

Lonnie Davis

Do you remember the Jesus’ story of the Prodigal Son? Let me read a few verses of it for you. It is from Luke 15:14-20.

After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country…So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. When he came to his senses, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father.” So he got up and went to his father.

Why did I give this story the title of “The Pig that Got the Permanent Wave?”  When I was a teenage preacher, my preacher told me this title and I never forgot it. This title reminds me of one of the great lessons from this parable. When life tumbled in for the prodigal, he knew he had to give this up. He waved goodbye to the pigs and went back to his father. 

I love this thought because it is the way out of a problem that all of us should learn. When we mess up, we need to just fess up and do the right thing. He decided to go back to where life had been good and he just went!

There were no 15 sessions of counseling or endless talking to his friends. He knew the right thing to do. He knew what worked before and he just did it! He said goodbye to the pigs and went home.

You’ve heard people say, “People won’t change until they hit rock bottom.” The prodigal hit rock bottom. Then he followed the advice of “The first thing you do when you hit rock bottom is to stop digging.” He stopped digging and went home.

So what do you need to wave goodbye to? Just do it! This would be the point of Jesus’ story for you.

Lonnie Davis