EVERY CLOUD HAS A RAINBOW

The scriptures here indicate that a common theme of finding grace is found in Noah's day and our time in the church as believers.

• Believers have a high priest to come to.
• Jesus is His name.
• And we can come to the throne of God.
• There we will FIND GRACE.

Noah FOUND GRACE when trouble of the flood came.

God's throne is there for us to reach towards when we have a time of need.

Something else is similar in Noah's story, here.

Gen 9:12-17  And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:  (13)  I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.  (14)  And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:  (15)  And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.  (16)  And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.  (17)  And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

God would send clouds over the earth.

• And in every one would be a rainbow set in that cloud.
• The first time CLOUDS EXISTED, according to scripture, was when the flood was to occur.
• Before that, rain did not fall, but rather a mist watered the earth in a heavy dew.

This rainbow is associated with God's grace.

• Because Noah FOUND GRACE TO HELP him in the time of trouble of the flood, and wound up standing by a RAINBOW when the flood was over, and blessed by God, we see a connection with the New Testament.
• FINDING GRACE is associated with A RAINBOW in Noah's day.
• And FINDING GRACE is mentioned in connection with coming to God's throne in the time of need.
• Noah's day mentioned the RAINBOW in association of GRACE.
• Our day mentions the THRONE in association with GRACE.
• REVELATION PUTS THEM BOTH TOGETHER!

Rev 4:2-3  And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.  (3)  And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

After the storm the RAINBOW REALLY SHINES.

• It's with the cloud and God set it there.
• But we do not see it until the storm is over.

Clouds come and go in our lives.

• Clouds are times of troubles.
• They are dark times when there would otherwise be light.

But in the cloud is a rainbow that indicates WE WILL NOT BE DESTROYED.

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Temptations that confront us and face us are like these clouds.

• But like the clouds, with the temptation will always come a way of escape so we can bear the temptations.
• That means we can PASS THROUGH THEM successfully without being defeated.

We read God will not allow us to suffer above what we are able to bear.

• Just as God would not send a cloud that would destroy the people of the earth.

Now, the clouds came at one time in Noah's day and DID destroy mankind.

• But every cloud since then would never destroy man because AN EVERLASTING COVENANT WAS MADE.
• God would remember the covenant and not destroy man again with a flood.

Grace is something we need to LOOK FOR AND "FIND".

• It alone saves us.

Ephesians 2:8-9  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

And we can apply that not only to first being saved from sin, but also in being saved from destruction.

Noah could not save himself.

• He had to get help from God.
• Without God's help in the form of instructions to make the ark, Noah would never have survived the flood.

But Paul tells us to GO TO THRONE FOR HELP in the time of need.

• Grace is in one place alone.
• At the throne.
• That is why the rainbow is around the throne in Revelation.

Eze 1:4  And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

Eze 1:26  And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

Eze 1:28  As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

Ezekiel saw a cloud come.

• And although every cloud has a rainbow attached to it, this cloud had a rainbow as well, but was a VERY DIFFERENT CLOUD.
• If you continue to read about this cloud, it had fire infolding itself inside it.
• And Cherubims were there and a crystal firmament with a sapphire throne on it.
• And the rainbow was there in the cloud around the throne.

Jesus is there as KING OF KINGS, with POWER OVER ALL in every cloud that comes your way.

• HE is your way of escape in every temptation.
• They say every cloud has a silver lining, but truthfully we need to recognize that every cloud has a rainbow!
• Every cloud has A WAY OF ESCAPE FROM DESTRUCTION!
• Every temptation and danger and calamity has AN ESCAPE!

AN EXIT DOOR.

• JESUS IS THE DOOR!

In the storm you have to go to the throne.

• Everyone tries to battle their own way through the storms of life, and not many go to the throne in the storm.
• FIND GRACE in the time of need!
• Go to the throne in the time of need.
• A rainbow means the storm is over.
• Going to God's throne will end your storms.
• TRUE FAITH that He is there to HELP YOU will cause you to escape from the storms.

Noah found a covenant with God when he passed through the flood.

• And on that mountain called ARARAT (the curse is reversed) Noah got the covenant and a token of the rainbow was established to indicate that covenant every time a cloud would come.

In every trial you face, there is victory.

• There is power.
• God's throne is there for you!

God remembers the covenant with you.

• But it so often happens that believers forget the covenant.
• They forget they can go to the throne.
• They handle the storm themselves.

Jesus was with the disciples in the ship when the storm came.

• They forgot who they had with them!
• And they feared.
• We often forget who is with us in this storm!
• And we fear and fret.

Hebrews 4, where we read about finding grace to help in the time of need, spoke to us about entering the rest.

• In Hebrews 3, the REST was compared to Canaan where Israel was supposed to enter.
• Just as they did not enter into Canaan due to UNBELIEF, we do not enter our rest due to unbelief.
• And at the end of ch. 4 we read about HELP.
• To enter this rest we need HELP!

God was with Israel in that storm of unbelief!

• When they saw the giants and the well walled cities in Canaan and DOUBTED they could enter in as God said they could, GOD WAS WITH THEM.
• They forgot that, though.
• And just as much is God with us in EVERY STORM sitting on His throne.
• Sitting on his throne means he has power over that storm.
• We might not be able to face giants or well walled cities on our own, but God has power over all of that, and He is right there with us in that storm ON HIS THRONE OF POWER!

The picture of his throne in a storm means there is POWER of God in that storm.

• But the trick is for us to GO TO THAT THRONE RIGHT THERE IN THE STORM, and FIND GRACE TO HELP.
• People always try to be the big-shots and not require HELP!
• There is a help and a way of escape in every cloud of temptation.
• It's GOD ON HIS THRONE!
• But YOU HAVE TO REACH OUT FOR HIM FOR HELP.

We forget but God is always there REMEMBERING HIS COVENANT.

We have got to remember it, too!

David found five smooth stones in the valley in a river, when he set out to face Goliath.

• The Spirit flows in the valley, too!
• Valleys are dark times just as clouds depict hard troubles.
  
• But there is a rainbow in every cloud!
• The Spirit moves in the Valley too!
  

This is interesting because the throne in Ezekiel 1 as well as the throne in Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4 has CHERUBIMS around it.

• They are the 4 beasts in Revelation.
• And there were cherubims at the entrance of the Garden by a flaming sword.
• That sword is the WORD and speaks of Christ on the throne.
• Only the high priest could approach this throne in the holiest, but now ALL of us may approach.

The jewish high priest feared and trembled when he approached the mercy seat/throne.

• We can come BOLDLY!
• In the storm we can have boldness!
• We only fear in storms since we think they will destroy us.
• But we come IN FAITH knowing that we will not be destroyed since the THRONE IS THERE WITH US!
• We need to believe the word so much that this is how we come to God!

The throne tells us more.

• Jesus is seated above all powers in this world and the world to come.
• WE ARE SEATED WITH HIM!
• When we see a cloud, know there is a rainbow in it.
• And know that the throne is by the rainbow.
• And know Jesus is on the throne.
• And KNOW THAT WE ARE SEATED WITH HIM.
• Climb up in that throne with Jesus!
• RIDE WITH HIM!
• REST!
• Relax and take it easy and REST with Him in HIS POWER OVER THE STORM!

Talk about having victory!!!

Praise God!