Make Yourself an Ark
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Good morning, welcome to New Horizon, please open your Bibles to Genesis 6.
Last week- opening the narrative of the flood. What led to it all?
Ainesis- You close the door.
1. Introducing Noah.
1. Introducing Noah.
Read Genesis 6:8-10- But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Direct contrast given. Sandwiched between v. 1-7 and v. 11-13.
Noah found favor, or grace, or kindness in God’s sight.
Pay attention to the order- Not that Noah was good so that God took notice of Him.
hen- grace- undeserved.
Instead, Noah found favor, then is blameless and righteous.
Among all of mankind, one is singled out in Moses’ writing.
Righteous- sadiq- just, or lawful.
Everyone else went their own way- Noah cared about God’s input.
Blameless- tamim- complete or whole, pure.
Mankind was pure in a different way- purely evil.
Noah, on the other hand, had a singular mindset of following God. Not perfect, but devoted.
Noah walked with God.
Echoes of a pre-fall Adam. Remember the state of creation prior to the fall, the state of God’s relationship with man.
The rest of mankind walks alone, but not Noah.
Noah was a preacher of righteousness, likely a message of repentance.
2 Peter 2:5- ...if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
So, we begin our text with the contrast. All of man has become evil. Noah stands out. Where do we go from here? How will God deal with both?
Noah finds favor/salvation. The rest of mankind finds judgement/condemnation.
2. Dealing with corruption.
2. Dealing with corruption.
Read Genesis 6:11-13- Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
How do we deal with the fact that God responds to evil with nearly complete destruction? Let’s notice something here.
What is the logical end of a society that is bent on evil, that is filled with violence?
They bring about their own eventual destruction.
The kids all on the trampoline together. What would happen if we never restricted them or placed boundaries on them?
The evil seek the destruction of those around them. But the destruction doesn’t end there, it consumes the destroyer.
Interesting to consider that many who died in the flood would have easily sought the destruction of those around them. Remember, they are violent.
Joseph Parker imagines God’s thought process- “Shall sin be left to kill the human race slowly, as if inch by inch, without my asserting judicial rights, or shall I distinctly interpose, as I did in Eden, and bring judgement down upon iniquity?”
What we see in God is what we ought to want to see in God. The destruction of sin and the preservation of the holy.
This ought to be the desire of every man and woman, and yet we know we would rather have a self-created god.
Preservation for what I deem right; condemnation for what I deem wrong. A god of our own making.
Scripture points to the reality of God. Our idols are crushed as we see the true nature of God. Destroying that which is sinful, preserving that which is holy.
With whom do you identify? Where is your heart for your greatest enemy?
Assuming Noah had many enemies, and yet he preached righteousness. He preached for their salvation.
3. The ark of salvation.
3. The ark of salvation.
Read Genesis 6:14-21- Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.”
Specific commands are given.
In fact, embarrassing commands are given.
What is it that allows for Noah to obey God even in what must have brought at least some level of shame?
V. 17-18- In the midst of these commands are the promise of God.
I give you my promise, will you obey my voice?
Kent Hughes- “The promise of God’s word is the sustenance of his people.”
This was all that Noah had. Will you trust?
What is the alternative?
The life of obedience is the only life worth living. Every other life would be one lived in vain.
Proverbs 14:12- There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
We see this clearly in the life of Noah, do we see it so clearly in our own lives?
Kent Hughes- “But our advantage is incomparable because we have all the promises of the vast corpus of God’s Word, Holy Scripture. How much greater, then, should our obedience be!”
4. Noah obeyed.
4. Noah obeyed.
Read Genesis 6:22- Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.
Noah obeyed. He obeyed everything that was commanded of him.
A statement that shows up four more times in the account of Noah.
This is the life of faith in God. Trusting in the promises given allows for the drive and ability to obey the commands of God.
Anything asked- no contorting to get ourselves out of obedience. Moving wall game show.
No explaining away our disobedience. “But I wanted to do this.” “But I thought I could do this.”
Life in Christ is a life of obedience. A life of paying attention to the details. Not a life of perfection, but a life of repentance.
What was it that set Noah apart from his contemporaries- they would never repent. Continued in their path toward their own destruction.
Noah obeyed. Likely messed up often, repented and obeyed again.
I wonder, with whom do we identify this morning?
Remember, the account of Noah, the account of the flood, the account of the ark and Noah’s salvation, is meant for us today. But where does it point us? Ultimately to Christ Himself.
Matthew Henry- “And in the warning given to Noah, there is a more solemn warning given to us, to flee from the wrath to come, which will sweep up the world of unbelievers into the pit of destruction. Christ, the true Noah, which same shall comfort us, hath by his sufferings already prepared the ark, and kindly invites us by faith to enter in. While the day of his patience continues, let us hear and obey his voice.”
It’s easy to see the lunacy of mankind, ignoring Noah, ignoring the ark, ignoring safety and ignoring salvation.
Can we see the lunacy of ignoring Jesus Himself? Noah preached on behalf of God. Jesus is God. Noah preached God’s wrath in a physical death. Jesus preached God’s wrath in a spiritual death.
May we not forget His words concerning Himself in John 3:18- 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.
In what will your faith be placed this morning?
Close in prayer.