Heroes Of The Bible: Noah Series

Heroes of the Bible: Noah

Scott Bayles, pastor

Blooming Grove Christian Church: 7/11/2021

Note: This sermon was adapted from my book, Holy Heroes of the Bible. If it's a blessing to you, please consider buying my book which includes chapter/sermons on 18 Bible heroes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SBNJTSZ

As most of you already know, I’ve been a superhero fan since long before it was cool. I’m a longtime comicbook collector. I still remember (and still own) the very first comicbook my mom bought for me off the spinner rack at the A&P grocery store when I was a kid. It was Action Comics #600, a giant-sized special issue commemorating Superman’s golden anniversary in 1988. It featured a colorful, captivating story that pitted Superman and Wonder Woman against the otherworldly villain Darkseid. The dynamic art and dramatic adventures hooked me right away, and, over three decades later, I still love reading every superhero comicbook I can get my hands on.

While there are a whole host of reasons to love comicbooks—the unique art form, the swashbuckling adventure, the ever-twisting plots—the primary reason I still enjoy reading comics is that I love heroes—those noble, courageous champions who stand for truth and save the day. I’m not alone in my admiration for heroes either. A list of history’s greatest stories and legends is roll call of heroes: Odysseus, Hercules, King Arthur, Robin Hood. And every generation just adds to the roster: Sherlock Holmes, the Lone Ranger, James Bond, Luke Skywalker, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Superman, Batman, Iron Man, etc. Superhero movies have dominated the box-office for well over a decade now, demonstrating that people all around the globe have a sort of hunger for heroes. I think this inner yearning for heroes is woven into the fabric of the human heart as though God built us with a persistent longing for a hero who will save us and keep us safe.

In an interview with USA Today, Ben Affleck, the actor who plays Batman in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, made a compelling observation. He said, “Part of the appeal of this genre [superhero movies] is wish fulfillment: Wouldn’t it be nice if there was somebody who can save us from all this, save us from ourselves, save us from the consequences of our actions and save us from people who are evil?” Wow. Amen. It certainly would be nice if such a Hero existed, wouldn’t it?

Nobody does heroes better than comicbooks. Clad in colorful capes and costumes, superheroes fight for truth and justice and save the day. And these heroes can teach some valuable spiritual lessons. In fact, certain comics helped prepare me to put my faith in Jesus and become a Christian. The only drawback is—superheroes aren’t real. As real people with real struggles, we need real heroes to inspire us, encourage us, and to model true heroism from a biblical perspective.

Lucky for us, the Bible is full of heroes. They didn’t wear spandex or fly around in capes. They didn’t inspire action figures, cartoon shows, or summer blockbusters. They weren’t perfect and they didn’t become heroes because they were bit by a radioactive spider or exposed to gamma rays. Rather, they were ordinary people, like you and me. Yet, God empowered these holy heroes and heroines to execute jaw-dropping miracles, conquer mighty armies, topple giants, save entire nations, and proclaim the good news of God’s salvation in the face of certain death. They were truly super heroes!

So, for the next ten weeks, we’re going to be lifted up together by the stories of some of the Bible’s greatest heroes—mighty men and women of God like Abraham, Moses, David, Esther, and more. Through their heroism, we can find the inspiration we need to follow in their footsteps and become heroes for God ourselves.

The first biblical hero on our roster is Noah.

The story of Noah’s ark and the flood is one of the most beloved stories of the Bible. I think it has something to do with the floating zoo and the animals marching two by two. We picture Noah and his family huddled in the tiny cramped space of the ark, surrounded by elephants, walruses, and a couple of giraffes whose long necks jut out through the windows of the rickety boat.

But the story of Noah and the ark is much more than just a children’s story. It’s a true story about sin and evil, about salvation and damnation, and about one man’s heroism in the face of world-ending disaster. Let’s take a closer look at the story of the flood and discover what made Noah a hero and how we can follow his example. As we analyze the narrative of Noah’s life, the first thing we learn is that Noah was different.

• A DIFFERENT HERO

In order to truly understand the story of Noah and the flood, we must first understand the world in which Noah lived. When Adam and Eve first disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, sin didn’t tiptoe into the world like a thief sneaking into a house; rather, it charged in like a herd of stampeding elephants. Within a few generations, humanity became so cruel and crooked, the Bible describes it this way: “The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil” (Genesis 6:5 NLT). It also says, “Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt” (Genesis 6:11-12 NLT).