Author Archives: Tim Sorbo

Noah 2.0

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Hello Friends!

So my last post was…it was bad. Not that I said anything I didn’t think was true but I just didn’t say much. No substance, just fluff. My goal today is two-fold:

1. to add some substance to the fluff 

2. to challenge anyone reading to open their own Bible and begin reading

 

1. In the movie, Noah, there were errors. In the ark, there were 7 people: Noah, his wife, his oldest son and his wife, his two other sons, and the bad guy.

The bible says that there were 8 people; Noah and his three sons and their wives. See Genesis 6:18.

2. In the movie, the wife of the oldest son gives birth to twins while sailing on the ark.

The Bible, in Genesis 9:1, God says to multiply and fill the earth. There were no ark-born children.

3. The last discrepancy I want to make is about the Watchers. In the movie, these creatures were angels that came to earth to be with humans. The couldn’t show their true selves so God clothed them in rock and stone. They looked more like something you would find in a Lord of the Rings movie.

In Chapter 6 of Genesis, there is talk of the Nephilim. This can be better read giants. But they were not clothed in rock and stone.

 

There were more examples but for now, that seems like enough. On to the application.

Noah and the Ark is a literal story. It really happened. Besides being an actual event, it is also a symbol of something that is yet to come.

God wanted to destroy the world because of all the wickedness that He saw. He also saw that Noah was righteous. The Ark saved all the righteous people and destroyed the wickedness.

When Jesus arrives on the scene many, many years later, He is also an Ark. Because of the sin that all humans are born into, God wants to destroy that sin. He is holy and just so He can’t stand to look upon that sin. Jesus is the Ark so if someone is in the Ark when the flood (judgment) comes, they will be saved.

 

So by faith, you and I can be saved today. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

 

I challenge you to pick up your Bible and read the Noah account. Besides being a great story, it also gives us hope that God, who is loving and just, has made a plan for us. If you find yourself wondering or questioning, ask me or someone you trust. There is help and hope for you.

 

By the way, there is plenty of room for all of us. See you on the ark!

Noah, at least that was the name of the movie.

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My wife and I watched Noah last night.

I was excited because I am a big fan of the biblical story of Noah.

I was bummed because the movie didn’t portray the biblical story of Noah.

 

This movie was entertaining…if you have never read the real story.

But I have and the people responsible for making the movie missed it.

 

It would take another hour to cite all the examples of how the movie differed from the Bible.

But I only have two minutes.

 

I leave you with this. The Bible is absolute truth. It is never wrong.

Even if Hollywood makes a movie about the Bible.

 

So please, take time to read about the real Noah in the book of Genesis. It will do you good.

 

By the way, we had a code for a free Redbox rental. So the movie was free! Cool beans.

 

Thank you for your time,

 

Tim

Bad Words #2

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Welcome back. To understand what this post is about, it might benefit you to read Bad Words #1. It lays the foundation for the Bad Words series. This post is the second in that series.

 

In my life, I am meeting new people on a regular basis. There are over 40 couples for whom I have had the privilege of performing weddings this year. I am a waiter so I daily am meeting new people. Even at church, there can be new people weekly. Getting to know people is usually a good experience for me. But when people find out that I am a pastor, the tone can quickly change.

Here is what I mean. This statement gets directed at me: “You are a pastor so you must be really religious.” That is a nice thing to say but it is totally opposite of what I believe and understand, but at least it opens the door!

 

And so Bad Words #2 is…Religion.

Bad Words are defined as everyday or common words that can have a bad or negative meaning attached to them.

 

Here is how I respond, “No. I am not religious. In fact, I don’t even try to be religious.” This usually shocks people.

 

In general, people equate being a Christian with someone who is religious. If you go to church/mass/service once a week, you are set. When the offering plate comes by, it is good to drop a $5 or $10 in once in a while. Giving my time in a soup kitchen? Good deeds…Great!

 

For this author, religion is defined as man’s attempts to get back to God.

 

And that is why it is a bad word. The bible is very clear on this point. My salvation (becoming a Christian, being born again, etc.) is not based on what I do, but rather what God has already done.

 

Here is what the scripture says about this: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

 

My favorite analogy involves the Grand Canyon. I’ve been there and it is really breathtaking. God really created an awesome spectacle. Now imagine that God is on one side and you are on the other side. You really want to get back to Him. He would also really enjoy that. So you decide that you will build a bridge. For every good work you do, you get one toothpick. There is no limit to how many toothpicks you can earn. These toothpicks are the only materials you can use. Everyone has their own “bridges” that they are working on. Do you see the problem? One person would have to live many, many lifetimes to be able to earn enough toothpicks to build a bridge. Actually, I don’t think that it would be possible. But that is the point!

We can’t earn our way back to God – that’s religion! (Bad Word!)

 

But there is hope and it has a name: Relationship. Relationship is God’s provision for us to get back to Him.

 

Back to the analogy. God sees your heart. He understands that you truly desire to get back to Him. So He makes a way. Jesus is sent from heaven to earth, lives His life, and is then crucified on a cross. God, in his power, raises Jesus from the dead! That cross now becomes a bridge. God places it over the gap[1] that separates you from Him. So now you have a decision. You must let go of your own life and embrace the cross. God loves you so much that He gave His own son to die for our sins. We can’t earn that – it is a gift. What will you choose today?

 

Choose God today and you will find life. By the way, toothpicks are only good for picking food out of your teeth anyway. =-)

 

 

 

 

 

[1] That ‘gap’ exists because of sin. Sin is what separates us from God.

32850 pounds.

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Have you ever laid landscaping block? I have. The picture here is not my house but it is very similiar to the project that my wife and I completed earlier this year.

wall_landscape_6

Because my brain works in odd ways, I thought it would be fun to total up the number of pounds that I lifted during this project. We purchased the blocks, capstones, and bags of sand from a local store. Here is a breakdown of the blocks and their respective weights:

1. 90 Large block, 70 lbs 

2. 30 Small block, 17 lbs 

3. 55 Capstone for large block, 56 lbs 

4. 20 Capstone for small block, 13 lbs 

5. 16 Bags of Sand, 50 lbs

 

But I didn’t move each block once. I figured that I had to lift each of these items 3 times. Once from the store to my van, another time from the van to the yard, and the final time, from the yard into its position.

So I did the math.

90  x 70 x 3 + 30 x 17 x 3 + 55 x 56 x 3 + 20 x 13 x 3 + 16 x 50 x 3 = 32850 lbs

When I hit total, I was astonished! That is a ton of work…wait, no! It is over 16 tons of work! How cool is that!

So what? Why is that worth writing about?

Let me tell you. I can never lift that much weight by myself. Ever. In fact, no one person could. It is simply too heavy. However, I can lift one block at a time.

 

I CAN DO ANYTHING, if I move one block at a time.

 

My prayer for today is this, “Dear God, help me to move one block today so that your will can be accomplished in me and through me, amen.”

My Haiti Experience; Chosen…part 2

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The last post left us with smooth sailing along with Jonah. He was on his way to Tarshish. That was the west, the wrong way. Let’s pick up the story.

When we make choices that displease God, I think His heart gets heavy. Yes, we can make the Almighty Creator feel sad. He loves us and has the best life in mind for us. So why don’t we trust Him? Now we find Jonah in a boat heading west. He paid the fee and is feeling sleepy, so he goes below deck and naps. (1:4) But then the wind kicks up. A storm starts blowing and howling. It is described as “a violent storm.”(1:5) Even the sailors were afraid, and Jonah is found sleeping! It was bad enough that the captain had to find Jonah and ask him to pray, but he didn’t know that Jonah was in no spiritual condition to pray! (1:6)

Let me just ask one question. But before you finish reading this article, take a moment to answer this question in your own mind and heart; “Is it ever worth it to run from the Lord?”

So let’s skip to verse 17 of the first chapter. I know I jumped over some important ideas in the chapter, so when you have time, it makes a great read. This is an important verse so I will include it here. “Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”

I think God got Jonah’s attention.

At the beginning of the story, God chose Jonah to go to Nineveh. Nineveh was a physical place with a spiritual purpose. I think that any place can be significant in God’s eyes. May I suggest that God has a reason for the fish even though Jonah was supposed to go to Nineveh? It comes to this: God chose Jonah and then sent a fish to get Jonah’s attention. Here are my thoughts on why God used the fish.

jonah2

1. It was to save Jonah’s life. He would have drowned if God did not intervene.

2. It was to serve Jonah a lesson. The intensity of our disobedience is directly related to the intensity of God’s discipline.

3. It was to show Jonah love. He could have let Jonah drown, but he didn’t. He could have called another prophet to Nineveh, but he didn’t. He could have sent fire and brimstone to destroy the wicked city, but he didn’t. Instead, God demonstrated His love for Jonah.

So here is where the “rubber meets the road.” God has chosen you and me for His purposes. If you find yourself in the fish, turn your heart back to God. Here are the first few words of Jonah’s prayer: “From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.”
God will answer. So stop going west (away) from God and head east (toward) Him.