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Hymn
There Shall Be Showers of Blessing
D. W. Whittle
There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.
There shall be showers of blessing,
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain. [Refrain]
There shall be showers of blessing:
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing,
Come and now honor Thy Word. [Refrain]
There shall be showers of blessing:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call! [Refrain]
Scripture Reading
Genesis 9:1-29
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”
Message
The Promise of Blessing After Judgment
▣ Introduction
Trials, tribulations, suffering, and disasters all contain God’s good plan. Therefore, if we are victorious in faith, we will come to know God’s will and receive His blessings.
▣ Main
1. God gave many new blessings to Noah’s descendants.
1) Ge 9:1 He blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.”
2) Ge 9:2 He gave all of creation into their hands.
3) Ge 9:4-7 Prohibiting the eating of anything with lifeblood, He promised to give them everything and conquer all.
2. God gave an eternal promise to Noah and his future generations.
1) He gave the promise to Noah, his family, and their future generations (Ge 9:8-9).
2) He blessed all the animals that came out of the ark (Ge 9:10).
3) He established the promise of the rainbow (Ge 9:11-17).
(1) He promised He would never judge the world with a flood again (Ge 9:11).
(2) He promised this would be the sign of the covenant for all generations to come (Ge 9:12).
(3) The covenant of the rainbow was God’s covenant with the world (Ge 9:13).
(4) The covenant of the rainbow signifies that God is the sovereign ruler over all creation, and this is the covenant that all posterity must always remember.
3. Noah’s mistake and Ham’s greater mistake (Ge 9:20-29)
1) Noah made a mistake (Ge 9:20-21).
(1) Noah planted a vineyard.
(2) He became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent.
2) Ham committed a greater mistake (Ge 9:22).
(1) Ham saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside.
(2) Ham was therefore cursed (Ge 9:25).
(3) The reason: The one who relayed the Word in that age was Noah. Ham lost hold of this and reached a state where he could no longer receive the Word of God. This ultimately led to the Gospel being cut off.
3) Shem and Japheth received the blessing (Ge 9:23).
(1) Shem and Japheth walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body.
(2) 1 Pe 3:8-12 He commanded us to be like-minded, sympathetic, loving to one another, compassionate, and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but on the contrary, repay evil with blessing.
▣ Conclusion – Absolute sovereignty, absolute plan, absolute covenant, absolute journey, absolute goal
There is always God’s absolute plan and a historic blessing behind tribulations and suffering. In the midst of all trials and difficulties, we must always believe in God’s absolute sovereignty and seek His absolute plan. At this time, you will be able to see God’s absolute covenant and go on the absolute journey of covenant fulfillment. With this, you will stand in the place that saves all people and fulfills God’s absolute goal.
Forum and Prayer