Finding The Faith Of Our Heroes - Part 3: Noah And The Ark Series

Finding the Faith of Our Heroes

Part 3: Noah and the Ark

Hebrews 11:1-7; Genesis 3:15; Genesis 6:8; Genesis 6:14-16

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared September 4, 2023)

BACKGROUND:

*In Hebrews 11, we are studying some of the greatest Old Testament heroes of our faith. But remember that the heart of our faith must always be the goodness and greatness of God. In Mark 11:22 Jesus tells us to "HAVE FAITH IN GOD," so Christians, our faith is not in our faith. Our faith is not in our own power or goodness. Our faith is in GOD, because all good things are possible with Him. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is big enough, and good enough to take care of every need we will ever have.

*From Hebrews 11:1, also remember that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." The original word for "substance" there has the idea of something strong enough for us to stand on. And faith in Jesus Christ is the only firm foundation for our lives. Biblical faith is not just positive thinking or having a positive attitude. Biblical "faith is the substance of things hoped for." This means that right now, our faith in Jesus Christ is our rock-solid foundation forever.

*But biblical faith is also the "evidence of things not seen." In other words: biblical faith gives us proof of the spiritual things that we cannot see with our eyes. Faith opens us up to a whole new dimension in life. Right now, we cannot see God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Heaven, or angels with our physical eyes. But faith opens our spiritual eyes, and we can see. This is the kind of faith that everyone desperately needs. And the heroes in Hebrews 11 can help us understand how this godly faith changes our lives. Please think about that as we read Hebrews 11:1-7.

MESSAGE:

*Proverbs 22:6 tells us to "train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Today we will look at one of the first Bible stories we teach our children to train them up in the ways of God.

*And Noah's story has great lessons for children. But it also has crucial faith lessons for us today, because Hebrews 11:6 tells us that "without faith it is impossible to please God." Faith in God is essential, and Noah shows us how it changes our lives.

1. FIRST: WHEN WE HAVE FAITH, WE WILL LISTEN TO GOD'S WARNINGS.

*Verse 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. . ." Noah was warned by God about the future flood, and by faith, Noah listened to God's warning.

[1] GODLY FAITH LETS US SEE THE REALITY OF GOD'S WARNINGS.

*God's warning about the flood seemed like nonsense to the unbelievers around Noah. Today's skeptics feel the same way about hell. To most of them, hell is a fantasy made up by ignorant Bible believers. But hell is as real as we are. We know this is true, because Jesus often talked about hell, and it is impossible for God to lie.

*Faith makes the Lord's warnings real to us, and Noah believed God's warning because he trusted in the Lord. Noah had faith in the Lord. And it took a lot of faith to believe God's warning, because, it certainly had never flooded like that, and according to Genesis 2:5-6, it may have never even rained. (1)

*But Noah believed God's warning, because he knew that God is good. Noah also knew that God loves us, and cares for us. And the reason God warns us is because He doesn't want us to get hurt.

*Maurice McCarthy wrote that "Everything Noah did to get ready was done because of his simple faith or belief in what God said. It was not because Noah could see the weather reports, or because such an event had happened before, or because this was the popular thing to believe. No, it was simply because God had warned Noah of something to come, and he put his trust in God's Word."

*Albert Barnes explained that the strength of Noah's faith can be measured by the following facts: God's warning was for a very distant future event. There was no outward evidence for a flood. And there is no question that Noah received much ridicule and scorn from his neighbors. He was regarded as a dreamer and a fanatic. But by faith, Noah listened to God's warning. (2)

[2] FAITH LETS US SEE THE REALITY OF GOD'S WARNINGS. BUT FAITH ALSO GIVES US PROPER REVERENCE FOR GOD.

*Verse 7 tells us, "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear. . ." Noah built the Ark, because by faith he was "moved with godly fear." That's talking about proper reverence for the Lord, and faith raises our reverence for God. Faith gives us the right attitude toward God. Faith gives us humble reverence for God. And that's another reason why we are willing to listen to the Lord's warnings.