Character Of A Winner ; Noah As Our Example Series

Introduction:

Ever since the creation of the earth, God has always set a race of life or death before man. His desire is that man runs the race for life and not death. This is why in every dispensation, He always make sure man is warned and reminded of man’s need to run for life. The whole essence of Him sending His Son Jesus Christ to earth to be born and live as man is simply to serve as an example of how man is to run the race of life and become a winner in His kingdom.

In our message today, we shall be reminded once again the characters displayed by Noah (a man like us) which made him (and his family) win the race of life in his generation.

1. The Race:

a. Time of Noah

Prior to Noah, Adam was warned not to go for death, he went for it and we all know the consequence – Gen 2: 9, 16 -17.

During Noah’s time:

• Men were running the race to death, verse 5

• They were warned, but they refused, Heb 11: 7

• God was grieved by the characters of men He made.

o My Spirit will not contend with man forever - for he is corrupt, - verse 3

o His days shall be 120 years

o They were all destroyed only Noah and his family and few animals were spared.

b. Time of Abraham to Date:

If God was grieved by the characters of the people of Noah’s generation, does He not have reason to be worst grieved by our character today? Our world today is worse than that of Noah; hence, for us today He says:

Deut 30:19.This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.

Math 7:13."Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Math 24: 37. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.38. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39. and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

2 Pet 3: "5. But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.6.By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.7.By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

Brethren, there is a race of life or death set before you and I, and the Lord wants us to win life. Let us not be like the people of Noah’s generation and forget where we are going, but let us remain focus and race to win life. God is patient and does not want anyone to win death but life.

2. Character of a winner; that made Noah become a winner of his race:

In holy fear he heeded God’s warning, Heb 11: 7- 8

Hebrew 11: 7.By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. We also need to heed God’s warning

He worked on his faith and thus become; righteous, blameless and walk with God

Genesis 6:9. This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.

He was Righteous: what is righteous? It is not an everyday word. It has the connotation of religion and this is why God defined it for us as; without sin, doing what is right.

1 John 3: 7. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.8.He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.9. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.