Shut in with the Lord | Pastor Steve Gaines

all right take your Bibles and turn with me to Genesis chapter 7 and in just a moment we're going to start with verse 16 Genesis chapter 7 verse 16 the title of the message is shut in with the Lord shut in with the Lord back 17 years ago just before a worship service on a Sunday morning in Alabama I received a call telling me that my mother Dorothy Gaines had had a stroke and she was recovering she was not at the point of death she was going to be fine at least they thought so and so I preached three sermons that morning at Garden Dale's First Baptist Church and that afternoon we drove to Dyersburg mom had been at home she was in her easy chair and she just had a stroke she said everything just went dark and she fell down and she lost half of her eyesight in both eyes very rare consequently she could never drive again and she had to learn to cope with her eyesight and all of a sudden she couldn't live by herself anymore and she lived for another seven years I believe it was until she went to be with the Lord the last few years she was a shut-in and my mother who was so independent she had started a janitorial business she had 50 people employed she was used to doing whatever she want to do whenever she wanted to do it and she was really a strong strong personality that she became debilitated lost her independence and became a shut-in but you know my mom kept a really good attitude she kept smiling she said well I'll just get to know the people around here she lived close by with us we had a place there in Gardendale where she lived and she loved the people she lived with and she prayed she read her Bible she would tell other people about Jesus she'd go to church she'd come over to our house and she loved my wife she loved Donna who doesn't love Donna all right I don't know if one person that doesn't like Donna and if you told me you didn't like my wife that would say a lot about you is all I got to say I don't know anybody doesn't like my wife and my wife is a fantastic cook and my mother loved for my wife she loved to eat my wife's cooking any time she ate anything Donna made she'd say Donna that's the best I've ever had and Donna was holding my mother's hand on November morning Monday morning when my mother died the last hand that my mother touched on earth was Donna's the first hand she touched in heaven was Jesus my wife handed my mother off to the Lord I want to say something to you out there all you married kids don't you just love your parents love your spouse's parents not an Amen in the bunch I'll give you another shot don't just love your parents love your spouse's parents my wife loved my parents never a problem there I love her parents I'm their pastor I love them but my mom was a shut-in usually when you think of a shut-in you think of something bad but tonight I want to talk about being a shut-in with the Lord there are times when God will shut you in God will bring something in your life that you didn't see coming and all of a sudden this massive thing is upon you could be illness could be something in the family could be a financial situation and all of a sudden you've got one of two choices panic our hunker down does anybody know what that means hunker down and just be shut in with the Lord praying in the word possibly even fasting crying out to God as a man named Noah in the Bible who was literally shut in with the Lord we read about it in Genesis 7 verse 16 and those that entered male and female of all flesh went in as God had commanded them and the Lord shut him that is Noah in Noah is one of the heroes of the Bible Noah lived for the Lord when nobody else on the earth outside his family lived for the Lord can you imagine being the only godly family in the world the Bible says that the world was so perverted in the day of Noah sometimes we think it's worse than it's ever been I Got News for I think it was worse in Noah's day that it is in our day because the only family in the whole wide world that was righteous was the family of Noah he didn't he couldn't go to church except just having church at home he couldn't really be around anybody godly he didn't have anybody to pray with he didn't have anybody to share with only his wife only his children he was all alone just with them the only righteous one nobody else engaged in prayer nobody wanted to hear the voice of God nobody experienced fellowship and the anointing of the Holy Spirit nobody was concerned about doing the will of God seeking first the kingdom of God and we think we have it tough Noah had it tough Noah was the only one in the men's ministry Amen except for his boys God told Noah to build an ark for his family and for the animals and he obeyed there's some New Testament verses about Noah there's some Old Testament verses about Noah when Noah was commanded to preach to the inhabitants on earth and warn them of the wrath that was coming he did so for a hundred years I'll tell you how we know that 2nd Peter 2:5 says that he was a preacher of righteousness Genesis 532 says that Noah was five hundred years old when God told him to build the Ark Genesis seven six says that he was six hundred years old when the flood came for a hundred years he built that boat and simultaneously as he was building he preached righteousness to his peers who did not listen to him God's patient patients eventually ran out I want to say this to you God is a patient God but you can sin away your day of grace I don't know where the drawing line is I don't know where the line is when you cross it that's the last time but some of you even tonight I'm not trying to scare you I'm just trying to tell you the way it is some of you have heard the gospel for so many years and you've rejected it every time some of you have heard how to be with Jesus and you've rejected it every time and you just say I'll do it later I'll do it later or maybe down the line but not right now and I want to tell you something I don't know when it's coming but you keep rejecting the Lord and the Lord will reject you there will come a day that you won't feel anything any pull whatsoever toward the Lord that's why the Lord said so many times he that hath the ears to hear let him hear some of you even tonight you know that God has been after you that's a good thing you ought to rejoice shut yourself up with him God will go a long time he's patient and long-suffering by nature but his patience has a limit and now it's time for the floodwaters to come we read in Genesis chapter 7 verse 11 it was time all the Fountains of the great deep burst open and the floodgates of the sky opened but just before that awful event God took care of his righteous children Noah and his family we know that there were seven others besides him according to second Peter 2 verse 5 boarded the ark along with all the pairs of all the animals and the Lord shut him in I submit to you that the phrase and the Lord shut him in is one of the most glorious thoughts in the entire Bible God shut him in so let's just keep that in mind and let's think a little bit about it tonight three things number one first of all why does God shut us in he shuts us in with himself to protect us to protect us go to Genesis chapter 7 look at verse 1 then the Lord said to Noah go into the ark you and all your household for I've seen that you are righteous before me in this generation it's one thing to be righteous before human beings it's another thing to be righteous before God Noah walk with God even when no one else was looking it was not a show it was a way of life he loved the Lord that's the way each of us should try to live our lives every day verse 2 take with you seven pairs of all clean animals wait a minute preacher I thought it was just two pairs no way I will get to that a minute the male and his mate and a pair of the animals that are not clean the male and his mate seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also male and female to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth no some species of animals boarded with seven pairs each while others boarded with one pair each why the species of animals that boarded that had seven pairs each were animals that God permitted to be used in sacrificial purposes of worship and once the ark had real and it on dry ground God was going to demand of them sacrifices and before the birds and all the other things could multiply they would have these animals of the seven pairs that were clean and they could be offered up to the Lord but the animals that boarded with one pair were not sacrificial animals they were just animals that would reproduce so that's why you had both verse four for in seven days God said I will send rain on the earth forty days 40 nights every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground it is a worldwide flood don't talk about a regional flood to me it was a world wide flood that would destroy all life on Earth and in the air verse five and Noah did all that the Lord had commanded it don't whatever you do don't just blow past that verse verse five tells us one of the key reasons that guy blessed Noah so much I want to say this to you God blesses obedience when you say that nowadays people say that's works that's works Montano listen to me God blesses when you do what he tells you to do and God will discipline you when you don't do what he says dude that's not works that's just common sense which we have lost common sense is not common anymore when you obey God good things happen that's what happened here Noah did all that the Lord had commanded and God blessed him he completely obeyed everything that the Lord told him to do if God said I want you to preach for a hundred years he preached for a hundred years if God said I want you to build a boat what's a boat a big boat what is it why do we need it he built the boat God said gather animals he gathered animals God told him get your family in the boat he got his family in the boat life was simple for Noah God said it he did it what did Jesus mother say to the servants whatever Jesus tells you to do do it whatever he tells you to do do it verse six Noah was 600 years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood of clean animals and of animals that are not clean and of birds and of everything that creeps on the ground - and to male and female went into the ark with Noah as God had commanded Noah and after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth in the six hundredth year of Noah's life in the seventh in the second month on the seventeenth day of the month on the day of all the Fountains of the great deep burst forth that is water was coming up from the earth water was coming down from the sky and the windows of the heavens were open interestingly Noah's father Lamech had died five years before the flood came we know that because Genesis 530 says Lamech lived five hundred ninety five years after he fathered Noah and we that when the flood came Noah was 600 years old so his daddy had died five years before that verse 12 and rain fell upon the earth 40 days and 40 nights on the very same day Noah and his sons Shem ham and Japheth and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark these three names are very important to Hebrew history and Canaanite history from these three boys would come the entire earth and I want to stop here and say everybody is biologically related because of these families there is only one race the human race we all go back to this boat well how did we get different colors we're all different shades of brown we are I asked my granddaughter one night are you white she said no I'm kaki I said there my wife she said no you're red I said it's because I take prednisone there's not a white person in here you're not white that's why am i white no I'm not white and you're not even your khaki and you're not black you're a shade of brown and we all came from Noah and we're all connected and the world wants to divide us because the world is being led by the enemy our archenemy the devil he wants to divide us racially he wants to divide us religiously he wants to divide us in every weekend but I got news for there is unity in the Lord Jesus Christ there is unity in the Lord Jesus Christ quit talking about my people and start talking about God's people amen amen if you don't like that I'm not trying to be mean but I'm just telling you you're gonna get that heaven and find out God said I made all of you and you're all connected biologically Pam was the father of Canaan Genesis 922 and the Canaanites would be driven out by the sons of Israel Shem was the ancestor of the Israelites he's a descendant a descendant of Shem had a son named Nahor who had a son named Tara who had a son named Abraham Abraham came from Shem and Abraham would have a grandson named Jacob whose name would be changed to Israel who would have 12 sons the 12 tribes of Israel and all of them were descendants of Shem they were shemites which is where we get the word were submitting I mean have you ever heard of anti-semitic anybody anti-jew anybody that that's where they're anti descendants of Shem that's what they're saying we don't like the descendants of Shem we don't like the Jews Adolf Hitler was anti-semite he was anti descendants of Shem anti-semitic I don't think we ought to be anti anybody I think we oughtta love everybody even if they don't love Jesus we didn't love them you know if they push you out you're their circle make your circle bigger and get them back in yours amen don't don't go there now verse 14 they and every beast according to its kind all the livestock according their kind every creeping thing that creeps on the earth according to its kind every bird according to its kind every winged creature they went into the ark with Noah two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life and those that entered male and female of all flesh went in as God had commanded and the Lord shut them in what a beautiful picture of God protecting Noah and his family God protecting life the Lord shut them in there many times you know I I think back when our kids how many of you ever think back when your kids were young and you think about an event that could have totally changed the trajectory of your family does anybody ever think that I think about a time at a baseball field at Gardendale Alabama our son was playing Little League baseball how many of you had a child that played Little League baseball anybody then I know who has eaten more hot dogs and that nasty fried chicken that they have those chicken strips that they have at those baseball games so I can remember one night Grant was a catcher he was warming up and he had a bat Lyndsay our oldest daughter was about seven or eight Allie was there Bethea Bethany had just been born and so I'm holding a little baby Bethany grants playing baseball and grants over there with the bat just warming up swinging and stuff and all of a sudden he doesn't see anybody around him how many of you know that boys are like that he's not paying attention and he swings a just-just-just as practice swing as hard as he can a big wooden bat and he missed Lindsay's head by that much it would have probably killed her if he had hit her in the back of it she was standing there he didn't see her he wasn't paying attention he swung it as hard as he could and it barely missed her head I screamed at him you know what he did he goes oh well you know that's what kids do you know and Lindsay said I said Lindsay she said no big deal dad it was a big deal though and I have fought it and and when I walked Lindsay down this aisle for her wedding I have no idea why that that thought came to my mind it could have been so different but aren't you glad that God sometimes just shuts us in and protects us amen I didn't know that my daughter needed protecting but God did and somehow God put an angel and shut my little baby girl in and made that bat miss her head by one inch you say I don't believe God did that you believe whatever you want to I also know that God protects us with salvation once we repent of our sins and believe in Jesus were protected from eternal separation from God Jesus said he holds us the moment we get saved we're in his hand Jesus says I pray this every day John 10 verses 27 and following jesus said my sheep hear my voice I know them they follow me I give eternal life to them they will never perish no one will snatch them out of my hand the father who has given them to me is greater than all nobody can snatch them out of the Father's hand I am the father 1 Jesus said I got them in one hand the father's got them in the other hand aren't you glad that if you're saved you're under double locking key amen I'm telling you God's got you your shut-in with God and we can believe that and stand on that Noah was shut in with the protection of God 2nd Peter 2:5 God did not spare the ancient world except for Noah the 7 others in his family Noah warned the world of God's righteous judgment so God protected Noah when he destroyed the world of ungodly people God shuts us in to protect us God also secondly shuts us in to punish other people those who are sinning and won't repent God gave the people on earth time to repent he gave him a preacher to preach the message a hundred years time was enough to repent but they rejected him God's patience ended and he punished them because they rejected his grace and His mercy look at Genesis 7 verse 17 the flood continued 40 days on the earth the waters increased they bore up the ark it rose high above the earth the waters prevailed they increased greatly on the earth the ark floated on the face of the waters you've got eight people on top of the rest of the world that have drowned what a stark telling contrast and the waters prevailed so mightily verse 19 on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered it's a worldwide flood verse 20 the waters prevailed above the mountains covering them 15 cubits deep and all flesh died that moved on the earth birds livestock beasts all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth and all mankind everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died he blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens they were blotted out from the earth only Noah was left and those who were with him in the ark and the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days God's wrath was comprehensive I mean everybody got wiped out only Noah and his family had lived righteously before the Lord they the only one left standing I can imagine the people that made fun of them where are they now where are the drunkards now that made fun of Noah where are the blaspheming atheists that made fun of preacher Noah where are the adulterers now where are the homosexuals now where are the fornicators now that laughed at righteous Noah where are the murderers where are the Liars where are the prostitutes where are the thieves they were dead and they were separated from God in hell already because they rejected the grace of God God had warned and Noah had responded Hebrews 11:7 says by faith Noah being warned by God above about things not yet seen in reference prepared an ark for the salvation of his household and that's what every man in this room ought to do you ought to prepare a spiritual art for your the salvation of your household you need to be a man of God that prays over your family every day you need to lead your children to Jesus Christ you need to lovingly lead your wife and be a man of God you need to build and art a spiritual cover over your family and lead your family sir that's what you need to do more than you need to bring home a paycheck you need to build a spiritual Ark for the spiritual well-being of your family that's what you're supposed to do and all of us that are granddad's that's what we're supposed to do we're supposed to be praying over our children praying over their spouses praying over our grandchildren praying over their future spouses praying over the future generations so that when we die we have left it all at the prayer altar and we have also done everything we can to try to set a good example and to teach them in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ if you're still breathing God wants you to pour into your family and to absolutely build an ark for them he built an ark for salvation of his household by which he condemned the world and becoming an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith likewise Noah had warned the people that they respond to disobediently they paid for it God shut knowing his family up I'll say this to you God is not mocked what you sow you will reap and if you keep on disobeying the Lord and rejecting him there will come a day when he rejects you God shuts us up to protect us God shuts us in to punish others and then God shuts us in for one more reason to preserve life go to Genesis chapter 8 very quick and look at verse 13 to preserve life in the six hundred and first year in the first month the first day of the month the waters were dried up from the earth Noah removed the covering of the ark he looked and behold the face of the ground was dry and in the second month on the twenty seventh day of the month the earth it dried out then God said to Noah go out from the ark you and your wife your sons and your sons lies with you bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh and birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth that they may soar maaan the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth so Noah went out his sons and his wife and his sons wives with him every beast every creeping thing every bird everything that moves on the earth went out by families from the art then Noah built an altar to the Lord he took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar those were from the seven pairs and when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma of the Lord said in his heart I will never again curse the ground because of man for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth now don't forget that this is after the flood God is saying we've got sinned down in our hearts don't tell me that people are innately good people are innately selfish guys people are innately it is born in the warp and the wolf of our soul we are self-centered self focus sinners that's what we are not that we're all bad but we've got that sin so deep in us we can't save ourselves we need salvation and the Bible says neither will I God says neither will I strike again I will not strike down again every living creature as I have done and while the earth remains seedtime and harvest cold and heat summer in winter day and night shall not cease God spared mankind by shutting noah in and are with his family with those animals the lord shut him in and the whole world was saved isaiah said in isaiah 54 verse 9 for this is like the days of noah to me when i swore that the waters of Noah would not flood the earth again so have I sworn o Israel that I will not be angry with you nor will I rebuke you now why do I bring this up because when God saves you he shuts you in with Jesus and you are now in Christ he baptizes you the Spirit of God does into the body of Christ and you are in Christ you are shut up in Christ does anybody remember Stevie Wonder you are signed say with me sealed and delivered and don't say I'm Yours at the end are okay God has taken you and thrust you into Christ you are shut up in him and God is preserving you and he will take you he has got you in his hand the father is holding you and you are shut up in Christ 44 years ago this month I got shut up in Jesus Christ I got shut in with Jesus Christ I am in him he is in me and from that time on it's been by far the best time of my life and every morning I wake up and I know that I'm in the hands of Almighty God and I go shut myself in that jesus said go into your inner room and shut your door every morning I get up and I almost run I go make a beeline to my Bible because I believe I need to hear from God more than I need to hear from any man and I shut myself in and I read the word until it reads my soul and I pray back to the Lord and I all day long since that I am shut up and shut in with Jesus he's got me that is how you need to live your life shut in with Jesus Christ doesn't mean you don't talk to people I talk to people all the time my wife said you talk to a stump you talk to everybody I'm one of these guys I don't like to go through the drive-thru at the bank I like to go in and see everybody amen I just like people but I want to tell you something I won't tell what I like more than people I love the Lord I love to be shut up with him so that when I do go see people I want to have the anointing of God on me amen hey guys picture yourself just for a minute what would it be like if Jesus just said to you let's go home let's go to your house let's just spend some time together and then what I'll do is if you do that I'll walk with you all day long and while you're asleep I don't ever sleep go look at Psalm 121 I don't ever sleep so you'll be shut in with me even when you're asleep and we'll talk all day you can talk to me anytime you want to in fact I will Orcas orchestrate your steps I will bring people into your pathway that need here about me I'll bring people into your pathway that will bless you I will ordain your steps the steps of a good man are ordained by the Lord I will shut you in I will walk with you I will carry you through storms I will carry you through all of life will just be shut up together and then one of these days just like my mother you might be a shut-in somewhere somebody might be holding your hand and they'll just hand you off to me and you'll be with me forever do you know what the Christian life is being shut in with Jesus you know what heaven is being shut in with Jesus it's all about being in Christ amen let's practice the presence of God and thank him that at all times even if we're in the crowd of several hundred people simultaneously we can be shut in with the Lord amen amen let's thank God for his word tonight amen now every time you do that I have to remind all these guys they're not clapping for me we're clapping for the word amen we're not clapping for Steve Gaines who cares about Steve Gaines it's the word that's important and we thank God that we can be shut up in him tonight if you don't know him let him baptize you into the body of Christ and you'll understand why we can say taste and see that the Lord Jesus is good there's nobody like Jesus we push one thing at Bellevue we don't push Bellevue we don't push Southern Baptists we push Jesus at Bellevue all right we're at Jesus Church if you want him he'll save you tonight if you don't know the Lord we're about to sing our final song and I'm gonna ask you even if you got chilly over there don't you walk out of here there's a whole lot more than chillie right here alright don't you leave chilly can wait you said well I turned it on too bad you're gonna lose alright it's gonna burn up too bad we're about Jesus here even above chilly and so I want to encourage you if you don't know the Lord to come our pastors will be here guys come on right now let's all stand up and we're gonna sing worship the Lord and while we're worshiping if you need the Lord if you need to know that you're saved come our pastors are gonna be here they're gonna be receiving you and then if you've already been saved you need to go public you need to be baptized come set up a time to do that and then if you'd like to join a church you say I want to join a church that believes that we need to be close to Jesus shut up with Jesus shut in with Jesus all-time walking with the Lord through life come come and join Bellevue Baptist Church if you just need prayer tonight you come and by the way on Sunday night we practice something that is biblical we pray for people to be healed and we anoint them with oil like you're commanded to in James chapter 5 if you want to read about it it's in your Bible James chapter 5 verses 14 through 16 and if you want one of our pastors to do that they're right over there and the life from raise your hand right over there they're right over there while we're singing you just slip over there we believe in medicine and miracle amen god can either heal you through medicine miracle or both we're not telling you quit taking him in I took my meds this morning alright but I'm also praying every day to be healed all right so you come let them pray with you you come for any decision you have father in the name of Jesus bless this time bless this song bless this worship Lord let people come and be shut up in the Lord Jesus Christ in Jesus name amen

Channel: Bellevue Baptist Church

Views: 1,242

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords:

Id: c3mezlfS2EY

Length: 38min 27sec (2307 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 17 2020