The Open Door After The Flood Series

ILL.-

A man hurried to the church door one Sunday around noon and said, “Is the service over?” One man said, “The worship is over, but the service is only beginning.”

Christian service can take place within the worship and programs of the church, but it also takes place outside the church. Anything we do for Christ is better than nothing.

There are many kinds of doors spoken of in the Bible and there is a spiritual picture found at each door. Some doors we are to walk through and some doors that are open to us can lead to problems. Not every door open before us is of the Lord. This is why it is so important that we know the Word of God for it is the Will of God for our lives. Jesus is the true door that we can enter to that abundant life that He has for all of us. I will use the following text to open this message outline to some of the Open Doors.

"And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died." Genesis 5:27

What do we notice in Noah's case

1. FAITH WAS THE FIRST PRINCIPLE.

The text begins, "By faith Noah." We shall have to speak about his fear-being "moved by fear"; we shall also remember his obedience, for he "prepared an ark to the saving of his house." But you must take distinct note that at the back of everything was his faith in God. His faith begat his fear: his faith and his fear produced his obedience. Nothing in Noah is held up before us as an example, but that which grew out of his faith.

2. FEAR WAS THE MOVING FORCE.

Faith was the living principle, but fear was the moving power; for the text puts it, "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear." Faith moulded him, but fear moved him. How was this? "I thought," says one, "that perfect love casteth out fear." Yes, fear of a certain sort; but there is another fear which perfect love embraces and nourishes.

Noah had no evil fear. He had not a servile fear: he was not afraid of God as a culprit is afraid of a judge, or a convict of the hangman. He knew whom he believed, and was persuaded that he had a favour towards him. Noah had not a careless fear, as some here have. Fools say, "We never shall be saved, and therefore it would be useless to care about it. We may as well gather the rosebuds while we may. There is no heaven for us hereafter, let us make the best of the present." No, Noah was a witness against such sensual carelessness. He so believed, that fear came upon him, and that fear made him act as God bade him.

3. Thirdly, OBEDIENCE WAS THE GRACIOUS FRUIT.

Faith and fear together led Noah to do as God commanded him. Noah obeyed the Lord exactly. How often does the Scripture say, "Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he"! See again and again, "Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him." Those who have faith in God should show it by a holy fear, which makes them zealous to leave nothing undone which is commanded of the Lord, and to add nothing of will-worship to the perfect law of God. "

Noah obeyed the Lord very carefully. God said to him, "Make an ark"; and we read in answer thereto that he prepared an ark. There was careful preparation, and not hurried, thoughtless activity. He prepared the right materials; he prepared the different parts so as to fit together: he prepared his mind, and then prepared his work. In seeking the Lord, let us exercise our best thoughts.

When the ark was open

Genesis 7:16 So they went in, male and female of every sort of flesh, just as God had commanded him. After that JEHOVAH shut the door behind him.

During their time in the ark they could not open the door. Even when the rain stopped. Noah continues to send a raven and a dove out of the window. If it returned to him that means the earth was still consumed by water because they had no place to perch.

Then in Genesis 8:13 Noah removes a covering of the ark and saw that the ground was drying.

Genesis 8:14 tells us that another month went by after this.

Genesis 8:15 God now said to Noah: 16 Go out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives.

So from this account you can see that even when Noah could see that the earth had finally dried off after more than a year aboard the ark, he still did not unseal the door. He waited for God.