Sunday, November 24, 2013
pm
THE REAL NOAH
Exactly how accurate the movie will be in details, or even in
the major plot, remains to be seen.
But the Bible is true, and with that in mind, tonight I would
like to take a few minutes to examine the REAL Noah and note some
lessons we can learn from him.
We read about Noah in Genesis 6-9.
Because of wickedness and evil, the Lord determined to destroy
the world by flood. But Noah
found grace in the eyes of the Lord (6:8).
He warned Noah that in 120 years the world would be destroyed and
instructed him to build an ark.
He obeyed God and as the floods came he, his wife, his 3 sons
(Shem, Ham and Japheth) along with their wives were saved in the ark.
We read that it rained for 40 days and nights and Noah stayed in
the ark for a little over a year, as the waters receded and the earth
was replenished. After
leaving the Ark, Noah sacrifices to God and the population of the world
begins again. This is a
brief summary of Noah’s life.
Now let us notice some lessons to be learned from this great man
of faith.
a.
Noah and his family were
saved. 1 Pet. 3:20-21 tells
us they were “saved through water.”
b.
Grace – Gen. 6:8 says,
“Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”
When it comes to salvation, grace is God’s part.
He does what we cannot.
Ultimately the reason Noah was saved was because of the grace of
God. God warned him of the
flood and gave him instructions.
c.
Faith – Noah believed
God. Heb. 11:7 says, “By
faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with
godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he
condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is
according to faith.” Noah’s
salvation would not have come had he ignored the warnings and
instructions of God. But he
believed and acted upon that belief.
d.
Obedience –Again, Heb.
11:7 says he prepared an ark. Noah obeyed God.
He ACTED based upon his faith.
Note that he was NOT spared UNTIL he complied with God’s
instructions.
If you examine the account you find that he complied with every command
he was given. At least 4
times in the account we read that Noah did “according to all that God
commanded him.” Gen. 6:22,
7:5, 9, 16
e.
In the broad picture,
this is the SAME way we are saved – by God’s grace, our faith and
obedience. Again, I invite
you to read 1 Peter 3:20-21
a.
When you read the
account the Lord gave very specific details that He expected Noah to
follow. He told what type of
wood (gopher), the size of the ark (450x75x45 feet
- a cubit being approx. 18 inches), that it was to be three
decks, covered with pitch (tar), one door and one window, etc.
(Gen. 6:14-16).
Furthermore he was given instructions FOR the ark, to gather animals (2
of each) and food for himself and them (6:19-20)
He went in when told and he went out when told.
In all this we read, “Thus
Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.” (Gen.
6:22)
b.
We learn from Noah the
need to follow God’s instructions exactly.
So many today want to trivialize God’s commands, especially the
details. But a study of
God’s word, especially the examples of His demands show just how exact
He is (cf. Rom. 15:4)
c.
When God specifies how
to do something, we must respect His instructions.
That is why it matters HOW we worship God, how we are saved, what
the work of the church is, etc.
a.
2 Pet. 2:5 describes
Noah as a preacher of righteousness.
For 120 years, Noah built the ark AND he warned the people of the
coming destruction. Sadly,
the people did not listen.
b.
What is it to preach
righteousness? The word means to do what God requires or what is right.
c.
In addition to this let
us not forget that God IS righteous – He does what is right.
He has provided the way for our salvation – thus we can have hope
even though we are sinners.
Rom. 3:21-26
Furthermore He has warned us, over and over.
We have the example of the flood, but we also have many other
passages. Rom. 2:4-5, 1 Pet.
2:23
d.
We need to be preachers
of righteousness –
i.
Not everyone can be a
public preacher, but we can all teach – 1 Pet. 3:15 – be ready to give
an account.
ii.
We need to preach the
gospel – Rom. 1:16,17 – it reveals God’s righteousness.
iii.
We need to warn the
lost. Just as in the days of
Noah, there is another day coming when the world we be destroyed again.
2 Pet. 3:10-12 tells us about it.
2 Cor. 5:11, Jude 22,23
a.
For 120 years he
preached and warned. How
much the Lord directly interacted with him during that time we are not
told, but I suspect he went through periods of time with little direct
instruction.
He preached during that time and very few listened to him, but he didn’t
quit.
During that time he kept working.
Even though he knew destruction was coming he didn’t just sit
around and do nothing.
b.
We too must learn
patience as we wait on God.
The delay of God might cause some to doubt or become discouraged.
And that is exactly what Peter taught in 2 Peter 3:3 speaks of
scoffers coming. Peter in
that text reminds us of Noah and the flood (vs. 5-6).
He also notes that God doesn’t reckon time as we do.
We are reminded of vs. 9 which says He is longsuffering, not
willing that any should perish.
Let us not confuse His delay with indifference.
He WILL come on the day He has appointed (Acts 17:30-31).
2 Peter. 3:10 continues with the warning of judgment.
Heb. 10:35-38 reminds us to not cast off our confidence but to endure.
c.
Let us continue to wait
as we pray and await His answers.
God answers prayers, but not always the way we ask.
Furthermore, we must have faith as we ask (James 1:5-7).
And His answers come in His time – cf. Luke 18:7, Rom 12:12 tells
us to continue steadfastly in prayer.
d.
AS we wait, let us not
think that we have all the time in the world – Heb. 9:27.
Let us not waste our time in idleness – 1 Cor. 15:58, 1 Thess. 3:12-13 –
instead of decreasing, let us abound and increase in love and labor.
e.
Keep looking – Gen. 8:6,
after the flood, we find Noah’s patience continued while on the ark.
He would open the window and see the time was not ready, so he
would wait a little longer.
a.
After the flood, when
Noah and his family were told they could leave the ark they did.
One of the first things Noah did was to worship God.
Gen. 8:20-21 records that he built an altar and sacrificed to
God. It was this “soothing
aroma” that caused God to vow to never again curse the world with a
flood.
b.
Noah’s worship was a
demonstration of his gratitude to God for His mercy.
It was a demonstration of his reverence to Him and an
acknowledgment of His rule and authority.
It also demonstrated the humility of Noah.
c.
WHEN we consider what
God has done for us, how do we demonstrate our gratitude, humility and
reverence to Him? One way is
by worshipping Him!
John 4:24 – we worship Him in spirit and in truth.
WE worship Him AS He commands us to do and with our hearts in
gratitude. We call on Him
out of a pure heart (2 Tim. 2:22, Jas. 5:16), we sing with grace and
making melody in our hearts (Col. 3:16, Eph. 5:19), etc. We offer to Him
the sacrifice of praise – the fruit of our lips (Heb. 13:15).
We serve Him with reverence and godly fear (Heb. 12:28).
Noah is a great example for us to learn from.
He is mentioned in 4 different occasions in the New Testament
(not counting lineage) most of which we have mentioned in this lesson.
Whatever Hollywood or mankind does with his account, let us
strive to be true to what God tells us and learn from him and all who
have gone before. Are you
following the example of Noah in these things?