20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. 21 The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. Genesis 8:20-21

In faith, our inside must match our outside. What is internal should never stay buried inside of us. If we internalize a thought, a feeling, or inspiration, it should never end its existence as a transient, fleeting intuition. If we recognize we’ve done something wrong, sinned, this regret should never end as just a feeling. If we are grateful for something God has done in our life, it should never end with a cursory thought. Whatever spiritual enlightenment we experience, it must always translate to action.

After forty days in the ark, God tells Noah to “come out of the ark.” He tells Noah to bring out his wife, sons, and their wives. He instructs Noah to bring out every kind of living creature so “they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful.” It is an emotional and life-changing moment. Noah is feeling and thinking many things. He is so thankful to God. He is filled with the Holy Spirit and love for God and mankind. Unlike many of us who stop there, Noah moves these thoughts to action. He takes some of the clean animals and birds and “he sacrificed burnt offering on it.” God is so pleased with the aroma, He vows never to destroy all living creatures.

Now, if God knew this altar Noah built was an empty gesture, it would not have pleased Him. But God knew it was an extension of what was stirring inside of Noah. Many times, we find ourselves making “altars to the Lord” with no heart or inspiration. We go to church, read the Bible, and sing hymns, but they are nothing more than empty gestures, arising from habit and nothing real. Or we can feel and experience something genuine but never make altars. Our godly feelings and intentions never translate to action. Either way is a recipe for destruction.

If we are moved or inspired, make sure to connect it to action. If you are grateful to God, as an expression of your gratitude, do works. Move your body. Move your lips. Move your money and possessions. We must be like Noah, who steps out of the Ark after forty days and is so inspired, he builds an incredible altar that moves God to the point He promises never to destroy humankind again. Can you imagine God being this pleased with us? Can you imagine the infinite blessings He would shower upon us?

Our inside must match our outside. Just like a healthy seed needs both its outer coating and inner embryo, we need both sides to be healthy Christians. Our faith needs works or it is a dead faith. And we must never be superficial and create altars with no inner connection. Let us live as complete Christians from this day forward!

Korean sermon https://soundcloud.com/yhpaik/1981-5-22-short

English Reading https://youtu.be/gvyWisfxqFk