Radical Obedience, Eternal Impact - Treasures of Faith - Week 3 Day 6

TODAY'S TREASURE

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.

Hebrews 11:7

Transcript

Radical Obedience, Eternal Impact

Chuck and Sharon Betters

Today’s Treasure

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.

Hebrews 11:7 

The Hebrew Christians lived in a culture similar to Noah’s, as do we. As a result, we are all under tremendous pressure to “blend in” and conform to popular culture. But true faith cannot be hidden. It’s unlikely God will instruct any of us to build a physical ark, but in his letter to another group of early believers who lived in a period of persecution, Peter described how to live boldly and confidently, 1 Peter 1:13-20:

• Prepare your minds for action.
• Exercise self-control.
• Always look forward with hope to the coming of Christ.
• Be obedient in the present.
• Resist the lure of temptations.
• Enjoy intimacy with God.

Living out such a practical faith is as foreign to some of us as a worldwide flood was to Noah. We can imagine some of the early believers’ protests to these instructions because we hear the same protests today.

• “You’re asking too much of me.”
• “I’m just so busy; I don’t really have the time to focus on this right now.”
•  “This might lead to trouble with my friends or my spouse. I don’t want to rock the boat.”
• “You don’t know what I’ve been through; my past makes that kind of obedience impossible.”
•  “Why can’t things just be like they used to be?”
• “Come on, now. Who can be that ‘holy’ in this day and age?”

Noah could have used some of these same excuses, but he didn’t. Instead, he believed that if God called him to do something, then God would also equip him to do it.

People struggling to experience genuine faith must learn to put their hope fully in God’s promises rather than the comforts promised by this world, and their obedience will forever mark them as strangers in our culture. It is something we need to both expect and be prepared for.

Radical obedience often begins in the most ordinary moments—an ache in your spirit, a conviction in prayer, a quiet but unmistakable nudge from the Lord. When Noah heard God’s warning, he didn’t delay. He didn’t demand a second opinion. He believed God and built.

Faith like that seems otherworldly. But Noah wasn’t superhuman. He was a man living in a morally decaying society, surrounded by people who mocked righteousness. Yet he listened to God and responded. The ark wasn’t just a vessel of preservation. It was a visual sermon to a watching world, an embodiment of God’s mercy and coming judgment.

Noah’s faith altered the future. He not only saved his family from physical destruction but also preserved the line through which Jesus would come. His obedience didn’t just change history—it impacted eternity.

Radical obedience is rarely comfortable. It means standing when others sit, speaking when others are silent, loving when others withdraw, and staying faithful when others walk away. 

Noah’s story reminds us that God uses ordinary people to build extraordinary legacies. We don’t have control over the outcome of our obedience.  But we do have control over our response. And that makes all the difference.

LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT

You may think your obedience doesn’t matter—that your small acts of faith go unseen. But God sees. He uses your “yes” to pave the way for eternal redemption. That conversation you’ve been dreading? That decision to forgive? That moment of courage in the face of ridicule? These are the cypress planks of your ark.

Radical obedience won’t always make sense. But it’s never wasted. God promises to complete the work He begins in you, and through you, He may rescue more than you can imagine. Step forward today, not because the world affirms your obedience, but because the Spirit empowers it.

You are building something far greater than what your eyes can see.

PRAYER

Lord, I want to live with a faith that moves. Help me say “yes” when You speak, even when the path is hard. Use my life as a vessel of hope and rescue. Let my obedience point others to the safety of Your love and the certainty of Your promises. Amen.

MORE…

Adapted from Treasures of Faith by Chuck and Sharon Betters with permission from P&R Publishing.

Treasures of Faith for $4.00 each! And the Leader’s Guide for $2.00. Supplies are limited.  ORDER LINK 

You can also hear Chuck’s Treasures of Faith sermon series on the Help & Hope app, your favorite podcast platform or the MARKINC website.

PS – If you remember reading or studying Treasures of Faith, I wouldn’t mind you leaving a rating or review on Amazon! We were unable to determine why, but the reviews on our Amazon book page were removed and can not be restored.