The Coolidge examiner., 1937-04-22

"dlLCd VI AOd COIlCSIIlllS lIllllSS INV
seen as yet. moved with godly fear,
prepared an ark to the saving of his
house. Heb. 11:7.
PRIMARY TOPIC-The Meaning of
the Rainbow.
JUNIOR ToPIC-The Rainbows Mes
sage.
INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOP
IC-FolloWing Gods Plan.
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOP
fC-Deliverance through Obedience.
The ''book of beginnings" Gene
sis) has already brought before us
the creation of the world, the origin
of man, the entrance of sin into the
world, and Gods judgment upon
that sin. In chapter 4 we find the
first murder. Cain, who brought an
offering before God which was not
acceptable, murdered his brother
Abel, whose offering pleased God.
Strange it is that man has it in
his heart to hate those who expose
his sin by their godly life.
God does not leave himself with
out a witness in the earth. The
God-fearing line of Seth appears.
There are always those who have
not bowed the knee to the Adver-
sary. Consider the astonishment
of Soviet officials at the deep-seated
and widespread faith in God re-
vealed in their recent census.
But sin again lifts its ugly head
and ere long God is driven to the
necessity of judgment upon man.
kind. Read the terrific indictment
Of humanity in Genesis 6:5-7. 1t is
still true that the heart Of man
apart from Gods grace is "des-
perately wicked" (Jer. 17:9). Well
does a contemporary writer say
that even modern psychology has
unveiled the dismal and sinister
depths in human nature. Man can
no longer flee from reality into
the romantic refuge of his own
heart; for the human heart has be-
come a house Of horrors in whose
murky recesses man cannot erect
for his solace either a shrine or
a citadel. Man is bad; he is sin
ner. The depths of his meanness
are being unveiled in a ghastly way
in individual and social life in these
times. What a contemporary ring
there is about these old biblical
judgments on mankind! Gen. 6:5,
6; Isa. 1:6) What tremendous ar
raignment of sinful human nature is
Paurs prologue in Romans /"
Mackay).
So God sent a flood upon the
earth. 1t used to be fashionable to
doubt the story of the food, but
archaeology has joined hands with
geology and history to agree with
Scripture. The facts are available;
let us use them.
but Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord" and prepared an ark
at Gods command. Here again it
can be demonstrated that the ark
was sufficiently large to meet the
need of Noah and all his family,
with the animals and their food, and
with room to spare. 1t is significant
that the proportions of the ark were
those of a well-planned boat. God
knows how to build, and man does
well to obey his instructions.
The rain came, the fountains of
the deep were opened, and all the
living perished, except those within
the ark. What an instructive type
of our safety in Christ is the ark!
But our lesson concerns primar-
lily what occurred after Noah came
forth from the ark and presented
himself before God.
/. An Obedient Man (8:20-22).
To come before God with accept
able worship, man must come with
clean hands. The question is not
whether he is brilliant, learned, or
of high position. The one thing that
counts is obedience. When such a
man offers the worship Of his heart
before God, it goes up to him like
a sweet SAVIOR.
III. A Covenant-Keeping God (9:8.
I'D.
The beautiful rainbow in the cloud
became token of Gods promise,
and the visible assurance to "all
flesh" that the judgment of the flood
will not be repeated. Never again
will seed time and harvest, nor any
of the orderly processes of nature,
fail throughout the whole earth.
What a gracious God we have!
And what a pity that men presume
upon his goodness. Because he
"maketh his sun to rise on the evil
and on the good, and sendeth rair
on the just and on the unjust
(Matt. 5:45), men not only forget
that he is the giver Of all things
but assume that they may sir
against him with impunity. Let us
remind them that it is the clear
teaching of Scripture that "every
one of us shall give account OF him
self to God" (Rom. 14:12).
Cab. Norov