When God asks us to do something, he doesn't require us to understand why he gives us specific instructions. He just wants us to trust him and obey.
Morning Prayer with Pastor Sean Pinder
Do Exactly What God Says
Good morning. This is Minister Jeffrey Zimmerman speaking to you today on the Morning Prayer broadcast. I'm so excited to bring you the story of Noah and the Ark. How exciting a story this is that Noah, even though he lived in a day when he was surrounded by people who were not obeying God, who were corrupt, who were wicked, Noah, obeyed God. He heard the word of God. He obeyed him and he accomplished a mighty victory. I can't wait to share this word with all of you today, but before we do, let's open up and worship this morning. ♪ Say the name, thank you, Lord Jesus. Of Jesus, say the name. Of Jesus, say the name. So precious. There's no other name I know. Come on, say the name, say the name. ♪ Of Jesus, say the name. Of Jesus, say the name. So precious. There's no other name I know. That can, that can come. Your fears and try your tears and wipe away your pain. Glory to God. When you don't know what else to pray. And you can't find the words to say. Guess what? Say the name. Good morning and welcome to another morning prayer broadcast. This is Jeffrey Zimmerman. Many of you know that my wife, Melanie, and I serve alongside Pastor Sean and Pastor Amy. We are so excited and honored to do that, to be able to serve with them in ministry and I am excited, of course, to be here with all of you today, the wonderful people of God sharing the word of God once again on our morning prayer time. So we're going to get right into it and before that we're going to have a word of prayer. Father, in the name of Jesus, we join our faith, Melanie and I, join our faith with your wonderful people today. God, we ask that you would bless them, encourage them, strengthen them, build their faith, Lord, to believe you for their miracle, for their breakthrough, whatever it is they need. Lord, meet them right where they are and let them know that you are here for them, that you love them. You're here to comfort your people today. And we thank you for it. We give you praise, honor, and glory in Jesus name, amen and amen. Today we're going to talk about do exactly what God says. Again, do exactly what God says. This is very important because how many of you know God gives us instructions, whether it's from the word of God, whether it's from a man or woman of God, or whether it's from some other source. God always has instructions for us. And it's important that we be able to hear Him and that we be able to do things exactly as He tells us to do them. And we're going to look at that in the life of Noah. Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 7, I'm reading from the New Living Translation. It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith, Noah condemned the rest of the world and he received the righteousness that comes by faith. So right here we see that Noah did three things. Number one, he obeyed God who warned him about things that had never happened before. We're going to see what those things are. If you're familiar with the story of Noah, you probably already know, but we're going to look at it. Number two, it says Noah condemned the rest of the world. Now this doesn't mean that Noah was judgmental or that he was critical of the world or anything like that. But Noah obeyed God. He did what God told him to do. And because of that, the rest of the world, which did not obey God, was condemned. And then the third thing Noah did, he received the righteousness that comes by faith. How did he do that? He did exactly what God instructed. Look at Genesis chapter 6, verse 9. This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time. Wow, isn't that something? The only blameless person. He walked in close fellowship with God. Noah was the father of three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. Nobody was listening to God. Everybody was doing their own thing, doing what they wanted to do, whatever popped in their head, that's what they did. They were out of control. God observed, verse 12, all this corruption in the world for everyone on earth was corrupt. It sounds kind of similar to what we look at sometimes today, amen? And then it says, "So God said to Noah, I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth. Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar inside and out, then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Leave an 18 inch opening below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side and build three decks inside the boat. Lower, middle and upper. Look at the specific directions that God is giving Noah about this boat, which we call the Ark. He is telling him how long to make it, how wide to make it, how tall to make it. He's giving him specific instructions about the door, about the roof, the inside, what it should look like, how to waterproof it so that the water wouldn't get in, you know, and cause it to sink. God has given him specific instructions. He didn't leave anything for Noah to guess. He didn't leave anything to his imagination. He said, "Look, I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die." This had never been done before, so this was brand new, you see? And he said, "But I will confirm my covenant with you, so enter the boat, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring a pair of every kind of animal, a male and a female into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. Pears of every kind of bird and every kind of animal and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground will come to you to be kept alive and be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals." Then verse 22 is the key. So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him. Can you imagine what would have happened if Noah had not done everything exactly the way God told him? The ark might not have been sea worthy. It might have leaked or it might have broken, you see, or there might not have been enough room for the animals. Or what if he had decided, "Well, I don't want to take that animal. I don't like that animal." So I'm going to leave that one here. He could have messed up the whole thing. So God knows exactly what he's doing, you see, when he tells us what to do. And he expects us to do it exactly the way he tells us, because why? He's looking out for us. He loves us, you know? He's not trying to crash on you or ruin your good time. No, he's trying to protect you. He's trying to keep you from something that's common. Amen? Watch this. When Noah was 600 years old, this is chapter 7 verse 11. On the 17th day of the second month, all the underground waters erupted from the earth and the rain fell and mighty torrents from the sky. And basically, the rain continued 40 days and 40 nights. Watch this. Let's go down to verse 16. Noah took everything into the art that he told him to. He took his family. He took the animals. Just as God, verse 16, had commanded Noah, then the Lord closed the door behind them. There is only a small window of opportunity to obey when God tells us to do something, amen? We have to do it when God tells us to do it. Jesus said we have to work while it's still day. The night's coming when no man can work. We have to move when God says move. We have to do what he says when he says to do it. You see, the Bible says Noah was moved with fear. You know, he did what God told him and it's a good thing because he and his family were the only members of humanity that survived that worldwide flood. He didn't even cover the tops of the mountains. Think about that. Mount Everest was underwater, amen? So this was a flood. But as we know, Noah and his family survived, and I just want to encourage you today, if you're listening to me and maybe, you know, God has given you an instruction. You know, whatever he's told you to do, you remember what Mary said? She said whatever he tells you to do, do it. And that's really the key to victory in the Christian life. Whatever God tells you to do, do exactly what God says, exactly the way he tells you. Don't try to figure it out. Don't try to add your own thing. You know, it's very important. Father God, in the name of Jesus, we lift up your people today. God, and as we close today, we ask that you would just be with your people, let them hear your words clearly, let them understand what you're saying to your people today, and then let them do it exactly the way you say it, Lord God. Give us ears to hear and hearts to respond. And Lord, if there's any listening today that have not received Jesus as their Savior, today is the day of salvation. If you haven't accepted Jesus as your Savior right now, pray this simple prayer. Just say, Father God, I thank you for sending your Son Jesus to die from me on the cross. They put him on the cross, they buried him in a borrowed tomb, and three days later he rose from the dead. And now he is seated on your right hand, O God, and soon and very soon he is coming again in power and glory. Lord Jesus saved me from my sins. I turn my back on the world, the flesh and the devil, and I will follow you all the days of my life. Jesus' name, amen and amen. If you have prayed that prayer with us today, just type underneath the video, I just surrendered my life to Jesus. Thank you for listening, God bless. Listen, Saints, before you go, I want to ask you this. I want you to become a partner with this ministry. If you have never given, or if you only gave one time, and you know this ministry, this morning prayer broadcast, the Thursday night life, the Sunday morning services, it's been a blessing in your life, we are asking you. Partner with this ministry, partner with us. Pray about it and say, Lord, is this something you want me to do? Ask God to partner with us. What is a partner, Pastor Sean? A partner is somebody who is committed to standing with us as often and as much as they can. Give monthly if you can, give weekly if you can. We cannot do this without you. God designed us to work together to fulfill and accomplish His will. God will bless your life for helping get this broadcast around the world. We love you. We will never take you for granted. In Jesus' name. Given this offering right now, visit us online, SeanPinda.net/give. You can also give through the ministry PayPal account that addresses PayPal.me/SeanPindaMinistries. You can also give through the ministry's Zella account. The ministry's Zella email address is info@SeanPinda.net. You can also give through the ministry cash app account. The ministry cash app address is the dollar sign, Sean Pinda Ministries. You can also text to give all you have to do. Text the letters SPM to the number 45888 and a link will automatically be sent to you. You can also mail your donations into the ministry. Just remember to make your checks and money orders out to Sean, Pinda Ministries, PO Box 2726 McKinney, Texas 75070. And never forget, main pastor Amy, we love you. We'll never take you for granted. We appreciate you. God bless you. [Music]