Flood Faith Series

ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED FROM NOAH’S ARK

o Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.

o Noah didn’t wait for his ship to come in, he built one.

o Stay fit. When you’re 600 years old, someone might ask you to do something REALLY big.

o Don’t listen to critics -- do what has to be done.

o Speed isn’t always an advantage. The cheetahs were on board, but so were the snails.

o Remember that the ark was built by amateurs and the Titanic was built by professionals.

o Don’t miss the boat.

o No matter how bleak it looks, if God is with you, there’s always a rainbow on the other side.

APPLY: That, of course, is humorous list of some of what someone felt were lessons we could learn from Noah and the Ark. But there ARE many Biblical lessons that God would teach us:

· Peter, for example, wrote that the flood served as an example of our salvation. He told about the people who “disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also— not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (I Peter 3:20-21

· Peter also told us that the flood was a lesson that was meant to show us that “if (God) did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah… if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.” (II Peter 2:5 & 9)

· Jesus said Noah’s experiences should be a warning to us. Just as they did in those days, people will be eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage (Matthew 24:38), when Jesus comes in judgment.

· In fact Peter explains: “…in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.’

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. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 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” (II Peter 3:3-7).

So, let’s revue. God intended the flood to teach us:

1. About our salvation

2. About God’s reputation

3. About His desire to save godly people

4. And God’s intention to bring final judgment upon the earth – the NEXT time by fire.

AND now, here in Hebrews 11, God is telling us that Noah and the flood is an excellent example of what faith should look like.

I. Why? What is it about Noah that makes him such an excellent example of faith?

Well, God tells us WHY in one simple phrase “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family” (vs.7a). Take special note of that phrase “things not yet seen.”

Remember the description of faith in Hebrews 11:1 “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of WHAT WE DO NOT SEE.”

Think about this for a minute: Noah had NEVER SEEN rain, much less a flood.

Genesis 2:5-6 tells us "God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground."

NO RAIN. In fact do you remember what the symbol was that God used to promise that He’d never flood the world again? The rainbow. When do rainbows occur? They usually occur after a heavy RAIN. If God gave the rainbow as the symbol of His eternal promise, that meant there had been no rain before the flood.

So… “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.” (Hebrews 11:7a)

That means that for 120 years, while he built the ark:

1. Noah preached to people about a flood they’d never seen before

2. He warned of massive rains they’d never experienced

3. He built a boat unlike any they’d ever beheld

II. The wonder is not that the people of his day did not believe...