Easter 2024: Christ the True and Better Noah

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Introduction

Well everyone, we have made it a year together! My first sermon as the pastor of your church was 52 weeks ago and it has been a great year! The Lord has been faithful and what better day to celebrate that than Resurrection Sunday?!

If you have your Bibles turn to Genesis 7. In the blue ESVs it is on page 3 and in the red KJVs it is on page 7. I’ve made it easy for you by keeping it right at the beginning of the whole book

This is the second in a once a year series I started last Easter with the sermon “Christ the True and Better Adam” and we are continuing with “Christ the True and better Noah”

The story of Noah’s ark is a famous one. There are toys, comic books and even a hollywood movie with Russel Crowe that came out not that long ago (which, just to be clear, is not worth watching). Most of us have heard of the story of Noah and the ark. Most of us have probably even had some sort of toy ark with animals to play with, we have one downstairs if you need some proof that those exist.

For those of us who grew up in church, we probably think of cute animals, a jolly old man, sun shining and puffy clouds in the sky. It’s a cute story to tell our children about an exotic zoo cruise.

For others, the story of the flood is one that makes you think of an angry God who smites people willy-nilly, destroying the very creation he apparently lovingly created just a few chapters earlier. It is a story of an “Old Testament God” that is like a child smooshing bugs just because the mood struck him to do so.

Both of these are wrong positions to take on the story.

Most of us probably remember a simplified version of the story where we can break it down all the way to

Things got bad

God got mad

There was a flood

But that’s way too oversimplified. What if I told you this story is meant to point us to Jesus Christ, to prepare us for His coming? I’ll explain in a moment, but let’s read Genesis 7:11-16 together to begin.

Genesis 7:11–16 ESV

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark, they and every beast, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, according to its kind, and every bird, according to its kind, every winged creature. They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life. And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the Lord shut him in.

This is a word from the Lord!

Now, when we actually understand the basis of the story of Noah’s ark we can see that it really is not a cutesy story to tell our kids simply because it has animals in it. It is one of only three great examples in the whole Bible where God openly judges the sins of the world. Real people died in a real and justified judgement against sin. In a way, all of creation died and was remade and yet sin persisted even in the righteous man Noah. It should be a sobering story, not one we reenact in the bathtub. In Genesis 6:5-7 we see how serious this story really is.

Genesis 6:5–7 ESV

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”

Sin is when we rebel ahainst God’s good design for humanity. It is choosing for ourselves what is right and what is wrong, ignoring God’s instructions for what it means to be a truly thriving human.

And God takes that seriously.

There are three times where God brings judgement against the sins of the whole world in all of history, and this is the first. And even though Noah and the Ark is a story that shows God’s great judgement against sin, it is one that offers us a final hope of rest as well. In fact, Noah means “rest” in Hebrew and we can see that Noah’s father named him, hoping he would be the one promised by God to bring rest to all the world. But that didn’t happen. Instead Noah pointed us to look forward to the one who would ultimately grant us rest from sin, Jesus.

How does Noah and the Ark point us to Jesus?

Jesus Succeeds where Noah and Adam failed

Adam fell to the serpent when he ignored God’s clear commands and took the fruit, listening instead to the twisting lies of the serpent. Noah fell when he overdrank and allowed himself to fall into shame. But what happened when Jesus was taken into the wilderness to be tempted? He stood firm against the serpent and untwisting the twisted way in which the serpent was using the Words of God. What happened to Jesus when he too was tempted in a garden? On the night he was to be betrayed he called out to the Father

Matthew 26:39 (ESV)

“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Matthew 26:42 ESV

Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”

And what was this cup that was causing Jesus so much anxiety? What was it that filled that cup? It was the wrath of God against sin. And it was on that first Good Friday 2000 years ago where God’s second great judgement on sin occurred.

Jesus was betrayed by one of his disciples, he was tried by the very people who depended on him for their life, and they chose to end his life. And Jesus, being fully human, was the only human who ever had successfully stood against sin for all his life, he is the only man who truly is perfect as the Father in heaven is perfect, he is the only one who ever followed God’s will for a thriving humanity, he is the one who offered the great hope of the inauguration of the centuries of promises for a redeemer who would lead God’s people in salvation!

And he was killed. Beaten, a crown of thorns placed upon his head, stripped of his clothes and mocked. Forced to parade through the streets like a king who had been conquered and was being mocked for his weakness. The hope of the world was being mocked.

But everyone forgot something important. This had all been foretold by the prophet Isaiah hundreds of years before.

Isaiah 53:1–10 (ESV)

Who has believed what he has heard from us?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For he grew up before him like a young plant,

and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten by God, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

so he opened not his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away;

and as for his generation, who considered

that he was cut off out of the land of the living,

stricken for the transgression of my people?

And they made his grave with the wicked

and with a rich man in his death,

although he had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;

he has put him to grief;

when his soul makes an offering for guilt,

he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

In his book They Spoke of Me: How Jesus Unlocks the Old Testament Brandon D. Smith communicates this really effectively.

Jesus Christ became the man Adam chose not to be and the man Noah never could be. Adam was born without sin but chose to sin; Noah was born into sin and could never escape it.

But instead of temporarily obeying his Father only to succumb to failure, Jesus obeyed completely so he could be authorized to judge sin and crush Satan (Rev. 1:18).

Jesus’s new creation surpasses what Noah received after the flood, and even what Adam experienced before sin entered the world.

And this brings us to the next way that Jesus is the True and Better Noah

Jesus brings salvation like the ark of Noah (but an even greater salvation!)

In Noah, God saved a few from the judgement he brought on many.

In Jesus, God saves many by placing their judgement on Jesus.

Jesus drank the cup of God’s wrath against the sins of many so that Jesus could lead them into a redeemed life.

According to Peter, when he was encouraging Christians to persevere through suffering for the cause of Christ, the flood is an ancient precursor to what happens in Christian baptism

1 Peter 3:17–20 (ESV)

For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.

Originally, Noah and his family survived because of the ark’s protection. Now, believers are baptized in water in identification with Jesus, who was plunged into the earth and ultimately raised from the dead.

While a wooden ark delivered Noah from physical death, a wooden cross delivers us from spiritual death. Just as Noah obeyed God by climbing onto a boat to save a few, Jesus obeyed his Father by climbing onto a cross to save many.

Further, 2 Peter uses the ark as an example of how God will preserve his people even through the most difficult things

2 Peter 2:4–9 (ESV)

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5if 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… 9then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

Christ offers us salvation if we are willing to follow him, even in his suffering.

So many of us only want to follow him in his triumph and yet he calls for more than that. We must suffer with him, denying our sinful desires, denying the things our bodies and minds tell us will bring us pleasure to seek the greater pleasure of knowing what it means to be truly human, of being able to stand before the Father uncondemned upon the end of our lives or upon the return of Christ.

Jesus’ return reflects Noah’s flood

There is a third great judgement of sin that will be seen in the future, when Jesus returns to the earth.

In this judgement all sin and wickedness will ultimately be judged and destroyed.

Revelation 21:8 (ESV)

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Jesus himself relates his second coming to the time of Noah in Matthew 27:37-39

Matthew 24:37–39 ESV

For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

The people Jesus was saying this to were pretty similar to the people of Noah’s generation. But even further, Jesus said that the same king of people who rejected God in Noah’s generation (and the same kind of people who rejected Jesus) would also be present when Jesus returns to establish the kingdom of Heaven on earth. There are two specific ways we see this in the book of Revelation.

First, people will reject all pleas for repentance. They’ll “eat and drink, marry and be given in marriage,” choosing fading pleasures over Christ. Their rejection and willful ignorance of Christ will not keep them from being swept away when the flood of his wrath against sin comes.

Second, their rebellion will give the same results as the rebellion in Noah’s day. Thos time they will not be swept away with water, but with fire. All of the enemies of Jesus, including those who reject him along with Sin, Satan, and Death, will be cast into the lake of fire so that a truly renewed creation can exist in their place.

There will be no room for sin to sprout again when Jesus returns.

Jesus ensures that judgement will ultimately cease

The flood is a sober reminder that God judges rebels and it gives a glimpse into the final judgement facing humanity. In a culture where rebellion against all morals and norms is the way to know true life, the story of Noah is a slap in the face. God really does care about what you do with your body, your mind, and your spirit.

But even in judgement, God is faithful to his creation. To those who are found in him, though the judgement is great and we are found to be rebels the same as all others, the gift of Christ is that he takes our filthy rags onto himself and gives us his own clothing instead, the clothing of royalty. And it is not simply a cover, we really are made into brothers and sisters of Christ and children of the heavenly Father.

And there will one day be a time when this judgement will be no more. The earth will be restored from the curse of sin. Creation will no longer groan under the weight of sin. The Heavens and the Earth will be restored and the True and Better Noah will lead his redeemed people to rest in it.

Revelation 21:1–8 ESV

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

When that judgement ceases

For those of us who are still grasping at our worldy pleasures, for those of us who are comfortable without Christ! For those who hear me say that heaven means singing around the throne day and night and would rather not have to do that in heaven. For those who would love to see the world without sin, death, and sickness but would be just fine if JEsus and the singing were left out of it. It is not too late to repent and cast yourself at the feet of Christ. The flood that takes your life could come for you as you leave this place, sweeping you before the One who is worthy to judge you and who will judge you in all your sinful rebellion. The smallest white lie, one small double-take at someone who is not your spouse, the smallest amount of hatred for someone, the smallest sin is enough to warrant death for you have rejected life itself.

Brothers and sisters, I don’t know all of you as well as I wish I did, but for those who are in Christ, the day will come when God will be here with us as the renewed heavens and earth become one. We will be given the great gift of being in the presence of his holiness and perfection and knowing and being ing the presence of the undiluted source of all life and love Himself. The gift of being before his throne and worshipping him forever! Of living in a world that is no longer wracked by the effects of sin, a world where death and sickness are no more! This is the work that was accomplished by Christ on the cross! He will carry us through the flood to our final rest!

We are assured that when Christ returns, there will be no more sea, no more tears, no more heartbreak, and no more funerals. Creation will be renewed and those who took refuge in the ultimate ark—Jesus Christ—will embark into eternity with forgiveness, resurrection, and a new earth immune to God’s curse.

One day we won’t be like Noah, hoping to not stain the world with sin once again. Instead we’ll look to King Jesus, whose eternal reign will never be challenged, and who will conquer the chaos of sin once and for all.