Literal world-wide flood

  Our Sr. Minister of the Word gave the Noah lessons all three days of our Summer Spectacular.  Several hundred adults were there many of them visitors.  I enjoyed it.  In part, I enjoyed it because I got an answer to one of my questions:  Does this church believe in a literal world-wide flood about 4500 years ago?

The short answer is yes, but we are not discussing the age of the earth or how long man has been on the earth.

He did a good job of sticking up for the fact that the genealogy is of real people who lived 900+ years (as opposed to clan leaders or other mumbo jumbo).  He did a good job explaining the local/universal debate and defending the universality of the flood.  These were the reasons he gave:
1.  It is the simplest reading of the text.
2.  Why else would God insist on a boat instead of migration?
3.  The year long duration of the flooding/drying process seems out of league with a smaller flood.
4.  God promised to never do this again, but there have been many catastrophic floods since then.
5.  Jesus and Peter use the flood of Noah's day as an example of God's ability to judge the whole world.
He also mentioned the flood traditions from around the world, and how there would have been plenty of space for all of the kinds of animals.  He also pointed out that there would have been only one doggish animal not coyotes, wolves, etc.

Here are some other nuggets of interest that I gleaned.
Enoch means dedication.  He started walking with God the year Methuselah was born.  Methuselah's name means when he dies judgement comes.  Methuselah long life shows God's grace.  (FYI, Methuselah died the year of the flood.) 

We must have a supernatural worldview not a purely natural one.  This is the most rational explanation of the marvels we see around us.

The source of trust is what you are trying to build.  What are you trying to build with your life?  What does it show that you trust?  Build something now that will survive when judgement comes.

Obey even when it doesn't make sense.  For example, how can being dunked under water have anything to do with my spiritual life?

Faithful move upstream in a downstream world.  Sometimes this might involve moving upstream against even religious people. 

God shows he remembers us with deeds (wind to recede the waters), signs (olive branch in the dove's mouth), and his Word (speaks to Noah, gives covenant).

True faith looks for a way to respond to grace.