WOW Factor for Men

(www.mensgroup.org – “Original Study”)

Description:
In this lesson, we see Noah created an ark to save his family. Noah wouldn't have been successful if he had not been obedient to God. We will review the importance of obedience as WOW factor number two.

Message from Marsh: “Noah is one of the Bible’s most interesting characters. He was 500 years old when he started building the ark. This might suggest that it is never too late to obey God. Consider that today.”

Marsh

Founder/President

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Lesson 3 - Noah Obeyed God

STARTING PRAYER: A suggested opening prayer for small group members or individuals to invite God to connect as we seek Him in His Word. Feel free to add your own words, “in prayer.”

Father, we know our obedience to You is crucial. Help us confess our disobedience and obey You more completely every day.

OPENING QUESTIONS:

1. What is the ratio of disobedience and obedience to God in your life?

2. What do you consider a good definition of obedience?

SCRIPTURE PASSAGE:

Noah did exactly as God commanded him (Genesis 6:22). So Noah did everything as the LORD commanded him (7:5). Then God said to Noah, Leave the boat, all of you-you and your wife, and your sons and their wives. Release all the animals-the birds, the livestock, and the small animals that scurry along the ground-so they can be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth. So, Noah, his wife, sons and their wives left the boat (8:15-18).

LESSON:

Noah could have been told by God to build an ark and never say another word. Noah had to obey with very little information. A farmer living in a land that had never experienced rained. God gave him the chance to trust Him more by giving him directions down to the details. What type of wood (cypress), what dimensions (450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet tall), need of a roof within 18 inches of the top, a door in the side, lower, middle, and upper decks, rooms in it and coated with pitch inside and out, according to Genesis 6:14-18. This was a test of his obedience to God’s instructions.

Noah didn’t let his concerns or questions, whatever they may have been, cause him to ignore any of God’s directions. He was totally obedient, doing everything he was told to do it. This task took him 100 years, from the age of 500-600. Interestingly, nowhere in the text is it recorded that God told him how long it would take to build. Another test by God is obedience for as long as necessary. To build an Ark under those circumstances with a perverse society surrounding him and certainly some doubts from his family, was true obedience to God.

Some define obedience as doing exactly what you are told to do immediately, with the right heart attitude. We have already read the passages above, which verified Noah did commanded. But let us review the three key emphasis of the definition:

Doing exactly what you are told to do. There are persons in Scripture who didn’t do as told, and altered the final outcome, like King Saul when he met with Samuel after a war with the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:13-23), and Ananias and Sapphira who kept back part of their land’s purchase price and then lied saying they had given all. Both were disobedient and paid the penalty for it. Exactly means accurately and precisely, it does not mean as you see fit under your circumstances.
Immediately means right now, no hesitation, no time to think about adjustments and do it instantly.
The right heart attitude says that at your core, you are responding in obedience with a right attitude. Your response isn’t passive-aggressive or begrudgingly. The heart is rejoicing in your obedience.

Noah is obedient, and that obedience reveals itself in his actions, and those actions continue to happen for 100 years.

Noah’s actions illustrate the nature of obedience. It must happen whether we know what the downstream result will be. Obedience demands faith and trust. The one who has asked us to obey knows the future and has determined a way through the future. Obedience is linked to a determination to do what has been asked. God is bigger, operating outside of time and the missteps of humans. He has an overall plan to carry out. He wants you to be a part of it.

When the rain started to pour down on Noah’s boat, the people outside yelled to Noah for help, but he had to rest in his obedience and trust in God’s plan. He could not open the door because God had closed it (Genesis 7:16b).

Inspired, the Psalmist said of the Holy Spirit, "God is with those who obey Him" (Psalm 14:5). This closes the book on obedience. This is the second powerful act that Noah did in the WOW factor. He obeyed God.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What strikes you most about the obedience of Noah?

2. Picturing yourself as Noah for a moment. What would be the hardest part of his obedience to God to carry out?

3. What is your response to the definition of obedience used here?

APPLICATION:

1. When it is hard for you to obey God? Why?

2. What would be your next step in your struggle to be obedient?

CLOSING PRAYER:

Father, You know our hearts tend to wander from Your commands. Help us always consider them as coming from a loving God who always has our best interest in mind. Help us narrow the gap between hearing the commands of God through His Holy Spirit and carrying them out.

Suggested Additional Resources:

Currently, there are no additional resources available for this lesson. We encourage you to explore the core material and engage in discussions with peers to enhance your understanding. If you would like to suggest additional resources that would complement this lesson, please send an email to mensgrouptopics@gmail.com and we will be happy to consider adding them here.

Note: All verses used are from the 2011 New International Version (NIV) of the Bible unless otherwise indicated.

Continue to Lesson 4 – Noah Worshipped God

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