(Genesis 7:11; 8:4; 37:2; 47:28; John 3:17)

Posted on September 17, 2017, 10:30 AM

First Baptist Church, Earlville, New York, J. B. Stopford, Pastor

TODAY’S SPECIAL: “A Speeding Funny”

A police officer in a small town stopped a motorist who was speeding down Main Street.
“But officer.” the man began, “I can explain!”
“Just be quiet,” snapped the officer. “I’m going to let you cool your heels in jail until the chief gets back…”
“But officer, I just wanted to say….”
“And I said to keep quiet! You’re going to jail!”
A few hours later the officer looked in on his prisoner and said, “Lucky for you that the chief is at his daughter’s wedding. He’ll be in a good mood when he gets back.”
“Don’t count on it,” answered the fellow in the cell. “I’m the groom.”

INTRODUCTION

I’m reminded of the Beatles’ old song which started out, “Well, she was just 17, you know what I mean, and the way she looked was way beyond compare. So how could I dance with another, and I saw her standing there.” 17. I met a man in the cancer ward at the hospital who also was born on June 17th as I was – except he was born in 1923. But wait, there’s more! This past Wednesday, I sat across the breakfast table from an elderly lady who was giving me her “cancer experience.” She was telling me about her birthday in June, when I asked this 75 year old, “what day?”. Of course, she said, “June 17.” I told her that I was born on her 10th birthday. Finally, a week ago I met John the weekend night security officer. We got talking about the 17th. He was born on the 17th of one month, married on the 17th of another month. He said that he is a “17 man.” And then he defined “17” as being from the root word, ‘seven’, which in Scripture is the number of completion or perfection – especially as it relates to the Lord. Thus “17” means “complete and total victory over the enemy; it represents God’s unconditional love“

With much anticipation, I thought about the verses that have the word “seventeen” in them. And how about the verses that are the 17th verse in any given chapter? Do they have significance? This has been a fun message to research – I hope it will be fun for you to hear. But the fruit has also been challenging for me – and I hope so for you, too! PRAYER

#1. THE FLOOD (Gen. 7:11; 8:4)

a. Gen. 7:11. God’s perfect timing – the 17th day of the month, the rains came and the springs burst forth
b. How did we get here:
Gen. 6:1-3 – because of man’s grieving his Creator, he was given a time frame of 120 years.
What did Noah do FIRST? Build the ark? (Gen. 6:14) NO! He built character (Gen. 6:8-9) by walking with God! Point: before God asks us to do something special for Him, He asks us to develop our foundation, our character, our walk with Him.
What did Noah do for those 120 years? Built AND preached (2 Pet. 2:5 “preacher of righteousness”)
b. The Savior uses Noah and his time frame as a vicious and very descriptive example of the signs of our times (Luke 17:27)
c. When did the ark finally settle down? See Gen. 8:4 – on the 17th day of the month! What does the Scriptures say? It rested! What did Jesus say? “Come unto Me and rest! (Matt. 11:28-30)
d. And to top it all off – Noah is in the great faith chapter of Hebrews 11:7-8. He was a man who lived “in holy fear” – not being afraid, but all things he did were out of complete respect and surrender to his Lord. Do we?
Let’s draw some conclusions:
God’s timing is perfect – it is no accident the day of the month the floods started; and it is no accident the day of the month the ark rested on Mount Ararat. Psalm 18:30: “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless.” David knew by experience God’s way is perfect because His Word is without error. There is an huge connection: want to know His way? Get in His Word!
God’s rest is perfect. Do you know how to rest, to “rest in the Lord”? You begin by being obedient to what Jesus said, “come unto Me”. His rest for eternity, and His rest for today, is perfect!

#2. JACOB’S LIFE LINE (Gen. 37:2; 47:28)

a. This story is about a father and a son. First, the Heavenly Father giving Abraham the promise of a land and a multitude of people. We learned 2 weeks ago that Abe passed that promise down to Isaac, who could quote to his dad about the promise of a Lamb – the Messiah! And Isaac passed “the blessing” down to Jacob. And Jacob – soon to be renamed “Israel” – received “the blessing” directly from God Himself.
b. But it is one thing to SAY something. It is quite another to SHOW it! At this point, everything has come to a halt. HOW is God going to fulfill this promise of “the blessing”?
c. Gen. 37:2 tells about Joseph at age 17! And Joseph becomes the instrument through whom “the blessing” will bear its fruit in of all places, Egypt – the land of idols and worldliness.
d. Let’s move forward to Gen. 47:28. How long did Jacob/Israel live in Egypt before he died? 17 years! God gave Jacob quite a life-line – look at Gen. 48:11. He never expected to see Joseph again – and now he’s seen his grandchildren!
Point: in the fulfilling of His promises, God is also the God of surprises! He loves to surprise His children – and He loves when His children walk closely with Him.

CONCLUSION John 3:17

“17” is a unique number in Scripture. It is not used lightly, is it? We’ve learned that God’s timing is perfect. He likes His children to rest in Him. And He likes to bless His children’s lives with His uniquely and lovingly prepared surprises.
But there are also many chapters in Scripture that have a 17th verse! And following John 3:16 is John 3:17: “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” How did God demonstrate His love: He sent His Son. How did the Son demonstrate His love: by going to the cross so that He could save only those who trust in Him. Thus this majestic 17th verse is showing that there are not many gods to be worshipped – there is only One. And there are not many ways to Heaven, there is only One – and His Name is Jesus.
“17”. And did you notice today’s date? God does not make mistakes. He gives complete and total victory over the enemy – first eternally through the cross, and then daily through our fellowship with Him. And He is the God of unconditional love – which makes one wonder: if He loves us unconditionally do we see and love others the same way?
“17”. It’s a good number. It is a vivid reminder that God wants our trust. Do you love Him? Do you trust Him through the cross and through His Word?