Category: Devotion

John 1:14
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.

The Word became flesh, not just a word but The Word. The Son of the almighty God, the second member of the triune Godhead, humbled Himself and came as a baby, to grow, fulfill prophecy, die on a cross to pay the penalty, and redeem us from the debt that made us slaves to sin, and rise again. The God of heaven and earth loved us this much.

Just as the Shepard’s found the baby Jesus, and worshipped Him showing adoration towards Him, we are also called to give Him all adoration. Adoration is “The act of paying honors to a divine being; the worship paid to God; the act of addressing as a God.” (Noah Webster) We do not just respect or acknowledge the existence of Jesus, but we are called to worship Him with all we have. 

We are told that the very heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1), that if we do not worship Him the very rocks will cry out in praise (Luke 19:40). When we realize the magnitude of what God did, for each one of us, how can we not worship Him with all we have. We owed a debt to sin that we could never pay, the only payment was our death. Christ, by being born and living as the spotless lamb, took our place. He was beaten, tortured, mocked, and eventually killed yet He looked at the very ones that placed Him on the cross and prayed, Father forgive them. (Luke 23:34)

As we reflect on the gift that began at Christmas and echoes, still today, throughout the lives of every Christian, we cannot help but bow in worship. We cannot hold back but we must give all we have in worship to Jesus.

Lord, I thank you for Your gift to us. I thank you that we are able to worship you with all we have and that Father you walk with us. I thank you that our debt was paid, and we can now live in the right relationship with the almighty, sovereign God. Let our worship and our adoration be pleasing to You. I pray we never waver or falter God but that we continually worship you with all we have to give, and we magnify Your name among all people! We thank You that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, and tongue confess that You are Lord! Guard our hearts and our minds through this Christmas season and always keep the reason for celebrating this season at the front of our minds. In Jesus’ name.

 

Sources:

• https://www.crosswalk.com/special-coverage/christmas-and-advent/what-are-advent-readings.html
• The Chosen Christmas Special, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paOjgZZDads&ab_channel=TheChosen
• Reformation Study Bible ESV
• http://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/adoration

John 3:16-19
16 “For God so loved the world,[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

Love is a word that is carelessly tossed about in our society. I love that new song, or I love that restaurant, or I love that new coat. We tend to cheapen the word by overusing it for everything. Yet, love, in its true form, is something we all seek after and desire. It is an emotion that God created us to need in our lives. Love is needed in our lives at our very core because God is love. While many tend to look everywhere but Jesus for the love, they know they need, the only love that can fill that desire, that void, is the love of Jesus Christ.

In Ephesians 5:25 Paul writes for husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church. In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul emphasizes the necessity of love in the life of the Christian. Paul writes that we can do all manner of good works, spiritual practices, and wherever we feel led but if we do not have love doing so then whatever we do is worthless. As followers of Christ, we are called to show the love of Christ to everyone we come in contact with. What is the love of Christ though?

Jesus taught that greater love has no man than that he gives up his life for his friend. (John 15:13) In Ephesians Paul continues the call for husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. (Ephesians 5:25) The love of Christ is not the shallow love that our society knows, it is a soul level love. It is a love that cannot come from anything of ourselves but can only come from Christ working in us. It is a love that prays for our enemies and those that persecute us. (Matthew 5:44) It is the love that John wrote in chapter 3 of his gospel, “For God so loved the world, that he gave His only Son…” (John 3:16) It is a love that sacrifices all, gives all, endures all, and in doing so it never fails. That love came down for us and now walks with us in everything we do and everywhere we go. Let us show that love to those around us always!

Father let the love of Christ always shine in our lives to everyone around us. Especially at this time when we celebrate Your Son coming to earth, let us not get caught in the trap of commercialism and desires that are not from you, but Lord let us demonstrate the love and grace you have shown and given us to every person we come in contact with. Let the words of our mouths and the actions from our heart be filled with your grace and mercy. We thank you Father that Your love for us is so incredible and that it is never ending. Walk with us and let our lives be lived entirely in Your love and for Your purpose. In Jesus Name

“Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, love divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead,
Love incarnate, love divine;
Worship we our Jesus:
But wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token,
Love shall be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and to all men,
Love for plea and gift and sign.”

Poem by Christina Georgina Rossetti

Sources:

• https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/love-came-down-at-christmas/
• https://www.crosswalk.com/special-coverage/christmas-and-advent/what-are-advent-readings.html
• Reformation Study Bible ESV

Matthew 2:10-11
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Joy – “The passion or emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good; that excitement of pleasurable feelings which is caused by success, good fortune, the gratification of desire or some good possessed, or by a rational prospect of possessing what we love or desire; gladness; exultation; exhilaration of spirits.” (Noah Webster)

Every year we sing joy to the world, but do we understand what that really means? I love Websters definition of joy, “The passion or emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good……exhilaration of spirits.” Imagine the joy of the magi when they saw the star in the sky. While different thoughts vary on who they were it is now thought most likely these were part of a mystic order in what would probably be modern-day china. They were “guardians of an age-old prophecy that a star of indescribable brightness would someday appear “heralding the birth of God in human form.” 

Can you imagine spending your entire life searching for this star from prophecy and having so many generations before you that had been looking for this star, when Matthew says they “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” I don’t think our minds can even comprehend how great this joy was. The prophecy was fulfilled! This joy was so great that this group traveled for 2 years before finding the Christ child. 

As we celebrate the birth of Christ how much more should we have this joy, because we have the expectation of good. We rejoice because Christ came down to provide a ransom for our sins. We rejoice because we are not alone, but Jesus is with us always. We rejoice because we know this world is not our home, we are strangers in a strange land, with a heavenly home we are journeying to. We rejoice in the family that God has surrounded us with. Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

“Father God, we thank You and praise You today for the miracle of Your Son’s birth. Thank You for bringing great JOY to the whole world! Thank You for giving us the assurance that because You came to us in the form of a human, we who believe in Jesus can know with absolute certainty that we’ll spend eternity with You. We thank You, Lord, for the many reasons we have been given a merry Christmas. And we rejoice for each blessing. New life. New love. A home. A job. New opportunities. Second chances. And more. We know, Lord, that You bring the sun and the moon and set the stars in motion. You tell the ocean where to stop and the snow when to start. And we thank You for the mighty gift of Your creation.

Thank You, Father, for spiritual leaders and faith-filled friends who keep encouraging us when we are close to giving up. And although we have many reasons to rejoice today, Lord, we also know December 25th can be not-so-merry for a whole host of reasons. We pray for those who are experiencing loss during Advent: relational, financial, spiritual, and physical. We pray for those who are coping with loving a prodigal and our friends and family members whose hearts are far from You. We pray for those dealing with unemployment and addictions and chronic sickness… and unending pain and frustrations of all kinds. Thank You, Lord, that You are The Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace, even in the midst of our not-so-merry circumstances. Finally, Lord, we ask You to grant us peace. Peace in our homes, peace in our churches, and peace in our hearts, when the world all around us spins out-of-control. Help us to stay focused on You, this Advent season and always. Thank You for loving the whole world enough to send the greatest gift, Your Son, so that we might truly have a very merry Christmas. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
~Steph Raquel, from “A Christmas Prayer for the Merry… and Not-So-Merry, Prov. 31 Ministries

Sources:

• https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/12-advent-prayers.html
• https://www.crosswalk.com/special-coverage/christmas-and-advent/what-are-advent-readings.html
• http://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/joy
• https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/bible-scholar-brent-landau-asks-who-were-the-magi/

Isaiah 40:3-5:
3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level and the rough places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together,
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

When I hear the words of Isaiah 40:5 I cannot help but think of the work of George Frederik Handel and his great masterpiece “Messiah”. Many know the most famous of the songs from the oratorio, “The Hallelujah Chorus.” “Messiah” was written by Handel to tell the story of the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ. The very first chorus in the entire work is the musical quotation of Isaiah 40:5. As the choir sings for the first time the beauty of both the music and the prophecy is seen.

The book of Isaiah contains many of the prophecies that tell of the coming Messiah that would save the nation of Israel. While Israel waited for a great political leader that would free them from Roman captivity, God’s plan was not of earthly gain but of a heavenly nature. Verse 3 prophesies regarding John the Baptist. A voice that would prepare the way for the Messiah, a voice crying in the wilderness. The heralding of the King of Kings declares the glory of the Lord revealed to all humanity, Jesus! 

Prophecy is so important in the story of Christ. There were many throughout history that may have fulfilled some of the prophecies given regarding the Messiah. There was only one and has only ever been one that fulfilled all the prophecies. Christ came and everything that had been foretold many years before came to pass, and was fulfilled in His time on earth. Christ was Emmanuel, God with us! The God of all creation came to earth and humbled Himself for us. There is no greater narrative. There is no greater demonstration of love. There is no greater grace, than what God shows us.

We reflect on the past birth of Christ and the future coming of Christ and we must herald Him King of Kings and Lord of Lords in our lives. As the scriptures are sung in the Hallelujah Chorus of Handel’s masterpiece, He, Jesus, shall reign forever and ever, and we get the privilege of living our lives for His glory to prepare the way of the Lord, for his return, to gather us to Him. The glory of the Lord was revealed to us, through Jesus, and we now prepare for the return of the King.

Video of the Academy of Ancient Music performing
“And the Glory of the Lord” from Handel’s “Messiah”

This Christmas, Lord, come to the manger of my heart.
Fill me with Your presence from the very start.
As I prepare for the holidays and gifts to be given,
Remind me of the gift You gave when You sent Your Son from Heaven.

The first Christmas gift, it was the greatest gift ever.
You came as a baby born in a manger.
Wrapped like the gifts I find under my tree,
Waiting to be opened, to reveal Your love to me.

Restore to me the wonder that came with Jesus’ birth,
when He left the riches of Heaven and wrapped Himself in rags of earth.
Immanuel, God with us, Your presence came that night.
And angels announced, “Into your darkness, God brings His Light.”

“Do not be afraid,” they said, to shepherds in the field.
Speak to my heart today, Lord, and help me to yield.
Make me like those shepherd boys, obedient to Your call.
Setting distractions and worries aside, to You I surrender them all.

Surround me with Your presence, Lord, I long to hear Your voice.
Clear my mind of countless concerns and all the holiday noise.
Slow me down this Christmas, let me not be in a rush.
In the midst of parties and planning, I want to feel Your hush.

This Christmas, Jesus, come to the manger of my heart.
Invade my soul like Bethlehem, bringing peace to every part.
Dwell within and around me, as I unwrap Your presence each day.
Keep me close to You, Lord. It’s in Your wonderful Name I pray.

– Renee Swope, “The Manger of My Heart” from Proverbs 31 Ministries

Sources:

• https://handelhendrix.org/learn/learning-resources/gcse-set-works/and-the-glory-of-the-lord-from-handels-messiah/
• Reformation Study Bible ESV Isaiah 40:3-5
• https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/12-advent-prayers.html
• https://www.crosswalk.com/special-coverage/christmas-and-advent/what-are-advent-readings.html

Isaiah 9:2, 6-7
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

What is hope? We say we hope for so many things in our lives and the lives of others. We hope that we get that job we want, we hope that we get a nice car, we hope that neighbor that revves the engine of his truck at 1am moves…. we hope for so many things both good and bad but what does hope truly mean?

There are several different definitions for Hope but in this instance, we use the following definition, “Confidence in a future event; the highest degree of well-founded expectation of good; as a hope founded on God’s gracious promises; a scriptural sense.” (Noah Websters Dictionary) While we look back at Christ’s birth we hope in a savior that is coming again to bring us to Him. While the world crumbles around us we have hope in the knowledge that this is not our home. We are strangers in a strange land, but Jesus is preparing an eternal home for us.

Hope is something that we cling to, that we embrace. Hope is our eternal rest. We know that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever and that He keeps His promises. (Heb 13:8) That He who started a work in us will be faithful to complete it. (Philippians 1:6) and that if we sow and we work the harvest we will reap it at the proper time. (Galatians 6:9). 

Hope deferred makes the heart sick (Proverbs 13:12) but we can rest peacefully in the Hope that we have in Christ. As we continue to celebrate and remember Christ’s birth and His second coming, we have hope in a risen savior who loves us. A God that demonstrated His love for us that while we were still dead and depraved in our sin, Christ came to earth and died for us (Romans5:8), so that we could be born a 2nd time and be adopted into the family of God. What peace it is to have the hope of Christ in our lives.

“Father, just as You sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus,
me to clear the path in my heart, too. Show me the distractions in my life that block me
from all-out worship of You this Advent. Lord, I await Your coming! As I celebrate the first Advent––the first coming––I look toward the day where I will see You face to face
 I imagine what it will be like. Give me a heart, Lord, that looks for Your coming on a daily basis. Help me to live my life where I’m constantly seeking Your presence.
My offering to You today is my righteous life for I know I am only clean because of Jesus.
Show me today how I need to be refined, purified, forgiven.
Give me the strength to ask for forgiveness and to then change my ways.”
~Sarah Martin, from “The Awe & Wonder of Advent: Day 18”

 

Sources:

• http://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/hope
• Reformed Study Bible Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 (ESV)
• https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/12-advent-prayers.html

What is Advent? We see the proliferation of advent calendars at the stores at Christmas time, normally involving chocolate, or perhaps cheese or even wine. Commercially it is looked at as a countdown to Christmas, with most calendars beginning on Dec 1st and Ending on Dec 24th. The true meaning of Advent and its origins is actually more spiritual than chocolate candies.

Advent is derived from the Latin “adventus” which means “coming.” This is a translation of the Greek word “Parousia” which is usually used, in theology, to reference Christ’s second coming. Advent originally had little to do with Christmas but was thought by scholars to be a 40-day period of fasting and penance leading to new Christian baptisms for the Feast of Epiphany. It is believed by the 6th century that Advent had been tied to preparation and anticipation of Christ’s second coming by the Roman Catholic Church. It was not until the middle ages that Advent was linked to Christ’s first coming and birth.

Advent stretches across the 4 Sundays prior to Christmas. During this time, we, as the Church, look back at Christ’s birth and His first coming, while also looking ahead to Christ’s second coming, and the redemption and peace that will be brought to earth. The first two Sundays are dedicated to looking ahead to Christ’s triumphant return, while the last two Sundays are dedicated to remembering His birth. Often these 4 Sundays are broken down into 4 topics: Hope (or promise), preparation (waiting or prophecy), Joy (peace), Love (adoration).  

These topics culminate into the final topic on Christmas Eve of Adoration: the worship and adoration of an almighty, sovereign, God that put-on flesh and humbled Himself to be born as a baby. To walk through the same trials and temptations that we walkthrough, and to ultimately pay the ultimate sacrifice for our sins on a cross. Then, to rise again, with the keys to death and hell in His hands, so that the gap between us and God could be bridged, and we could have a right relationship with God again. With this hope, preparation, joy, love, and adoration are all found in the perfect work of Christ. I pray we keep this joy in our hearts as we walk through this season of celebration and as we not only look back at Christ’s birth but look ahead to His second coming for His church.

“Father, I want this holiday season to be filled with light instead of darkness.
Please help me discard my emotional masks and
be real before You as well as my family and friends.
Father, help me make this holiday season an offering
of praise to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
~Mary Southerland, from “Turning Christmas Chaos into Christmas Joy” from Girlfriends in God

 

Sources: 

• https://www.christianity.com/christian-life/christmas/what-is-advent.html
• https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/advent-bible-verses/
• https://www.crosswalk.com/special-coverage/christmas-and-advent/what-are-advent-readings.html
• https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/12-advent-prayers.html
• https://uribrito.com/remember-the-sabbath-day/

Joseph probably had his life all planned out. He was set to marry, have children, settle into his carpentry business. It would be a good life. Then Mary gave him some news that rocked his whole world. He could have handled it in any number of ways, but Joseph was a good man who did not want to publicly disgrace his bride. His first thought was a “quiet” divorce. But after the angel appeared to him, Joseph was obedient and followed through with the marriage. 

You see, God not only chose Mary to be Jesus’ mother, but he also chose Joseph to be his earthly father. Nothing about it would be easy, but Joseph willingly took on the responsibility of raising Jesus as his son. 

Think about that. What if Joseph had taken on the task grudgingly? What if he had resented that he had to raise someone else’s child, or that Mary’s firstborn was not from him? What if he gave his other children more love and respect than he gave Jesus? He was obedient to God by doing what the angel instructed, but he could have done it unwillingly and with a poor attitude. But instead, Joseph worked to provide for Jesus. He loved and cared for him, as we see when Jesus went missing as a child, and Joseph was worried and frantic looking for him (Luke 2:48). 

There is not a lot written about Joseph in the Bible, but his was not a minor role. He had one of the most important jobs anyone could ever have. His obedience and willingness serve as an example to all of us. 

It is important that we are obedient to what God calls us to do. We can either do it willingly as Joseph did, or we can do it grudgingly. God’s purposes will be accomplished either way, but how much happier will we be if we serve Him joyfully? God loves a cheerful giver. In this season of giving, let’s give God our best, our willing hearts. 

Psalm 100:2 NASB “Serve the Lord with gladness! Come before Him with joyful singing.”

There was a video that came out roughly 15 years ago demonstrating “inattentional blindness.”  You may remember the video.  

In the video, there were two teams of 4.  One dressed in white shirts and the other dressed in black shirts.  The video challenges you to count the number of times the white-shirted team passes the ball.  After 30 seconds, the video reveals that the white shirt team passes the ball 13 times.

However, there was a surprise question, “Did you see the moonwalking bear?”  And most certainly, the first time I watched the video, I did not see the bear.  I was counting passes, but as the video played again, ignoring the passing this time, plain as day, a man in a bear suit does some horrible break dancing right in the middle of the screen and I was too busy distracted by something else to see it.

It reveals something about human vision.  What scientists understand is that we have a small area of real focus and most of our vision is peripheral or low res.  We save our limited focus on the things we perceive to be important or occupying.

It’s how we deal with the extreme complexity of our modern world:  We pick our focus and everything else outside of focus becomes low res or peripheral.  It is how we keep our sanity in daily life.  If the internet has proven anything, it has proven that we cannot handle too much information.  We do not process it well. We were never meant to be all-knowing.  That is only left to God.

Our problems are this way:  We detect the obstacle, the pain, and the challenge.  We hyper-focus there and sometimes, we don’t see a way out.  But with this understanding of how we view life, sometimes the answer can be right in front of us, but we just can’t see it.

How many times has Jesus looked at Pharisees, Sadducees, and teachers of the Law and revealed to them that they were blind?  It’s not that they couldn’t see physically, but this blindness is based on focusing on the wrong thing but missing the greater thing.

If we could be honest, how often, as we look back on our lives, have we suffered from the same blindness?  Do we remember the seasons where we focused on what we wanted, knowing now it had nothing to do with what we needed?  Was the right thing in plain view, but maybe we just didn’t see it?

The end of the dancing bear video has a simple message that means so much more in light of what we are studying:

“It’s easy to miss something you are not looking for.”

It’s the warning of Jesus to the world.  We will miss the Gospel or receive it.  It will come into view or we will focus on the wrong thing.  It will all come down to what we are truly looking for in our lives.

Have you ever wanted something to happen so bad but when it didn’t happen, you almost became depressed?  It was as if life was against you and the result was the nothing you started with.  Many look at life as the great defeat with lost hopes and dreams and even losing people they loved whether through death or the ending of a relationship.  It’s enough to destroy a person if the person allows life to do such a thing to them.

The Bible declares through the Gospel that there is a greater dream that is available for every person.  The idea of life after death, a good one, where no matter what happens in this life, the hope Christians hold to is one where when this life completely disappoints us, whether in success or failure, there is something greater coming.

What we read in Matthew 25 is that there is going to be a time of waiting.  We are called to live life now, not for ourselves, but for Christ.  But in that living, we are waiting for the renewal of all things.  

The question is: What does it mean for a Christian to faithfully wait for Christ?  Three major answers come to mind:

Holding to faith: Knowing that faith is the lifeblood of the believer.  In the context of Matthew 25, the bridegroom is not yet seen, but faith becomes the confidence that we will see Jesus.

Holding to hope:  Hope is learning to see what is in us before we see what is around us.  At some point or at multiple points in our life what is around us will attempt to rob our hope.

Staying true:  As we look at the virgins in this chapter, the world around us will tempt us from our relationship with God.  We have got to stay true to Christ while tempted not to.

These are practical means by which we wait, holding in faith to the return of Jesus.  Waiting in a Christian sense is far from sitting idle and doing nothing.  It is living out the Christian life and staying true to the one who has saved us.

Dreams in this life may come and go, but there are things that cannot be taken from you as we look to Christ. In our context today, faithfulness and hope are things you cannot be robbed of.  You can only give them away.

I could never tell you for sure what you will face in your life, but I can tell you for sure that God loves you, Jesus is returning and in the end, no matter what you lose here, what you have in the end is all you will ever need or want if you are in Christ… so we wait.

Matthew 24:37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Eating and drinking and marriage are normal things and normal occurrences.  But our day is going to be interrupted.  Jesus will enter the scene and break up our day and the future. But understand something about these words.  It is almost a picture of a people distracted with day-to-day life.  They are caught unaware.  Life’s struggles, demands, schedules and pace keep them from what God wants them to focus on and they are caught unaware when Jesus returns.

The use of days of Noah in this analogy is one where Noah represents Christians who are ready. In the days of Noah, there were two parties represented in this:  the people unaware and Noah.  Noah now represents the person who knows the season and represents one who follows God with all his heart.  It is a picture of every Christian who lives their life with a sense of urgency.  There is no room in faith for casual Christianity.  

We will never casually prepare well for a catastrophe.  That is not how we prepare.  It is intentional effort driven by real concern. Jesus declares that every generation is intended to be living with the urgency the end brings, yet we do not. We get lost in the day when we should not.  We open our phones and computers, and we confuse information with wisdom when the two are dramatically different from each other.  We prioritize one life over another.  We act like this life is all there is and death is the end when the Bible declares that this life is temporary and eternity is forever and we often choose to place our focus on the wrong life.

Noah is distinguished from the rest of the world in that he lives a different life following a different set of rules.  It also shows that while Noah was one person, most of the world will not be ready when Jesus returns.  Only Noah and his family enter the ark.  

The warning of Jesus is to live with the sense of urgency that the Christian life brings.  Every Christian in every generation should prepare for the day when Jesus catches the whole world off guard. It is in this mindset that the Christian is prepared for the day when Jesus changes everything.