God’s Great Mercy Shown To Noah Series

Alpha and Omega, Part 13

God’s great mercy shown to Noah

Genesis 7:1 – 8:22

Introduction

- We’ve begun 2023 with “one purpose”: Knowing there is a God!

-- Continuing our series, “Alpha and Omega”; examining the beginning to the end

- Last week: We saw the clarity of Noah’s life … and

-- We do not need parlor tricks or cute gimmicks to follow & obey God

-- What we need is faith that He has already done what He said He would do

- He rescued this man and his family because they obeyed His word

-- Noah shows us how God responds to our faithfulness

-- The faith that Noah has is shown for us to learn from and follow

- Lot to read today, but we’ll unpack it quickly … Read Genesis 7-8 / Pray

Point 1 – God’s Favor

When considering His favor we first must look at His personal invitation

- Recognize: God is calling him into the Ark (v1) … but know this:

• God was also to be in the Ark with him and his family

• FACT: He would be with him wherever he went

• Noah was invited to trust God with everything

- God also approved seven pairs of certain clean animals to be saved (v2)

-- RE: Noah originally was told to take 2 of each (ref Gen 6:19)

-- Why the change? It’s now ~120 yrs. later and God’s plan is more specific

-- Noah is being given final instructions … prepare to go

- Some animals would be needed for sacrifice and worship

• Animals would also be food for Noah and family

• Ensure there are two of each – obvious reason: reproduction

Second, must see that God’s favor is magnified in the obedience of Noah

- His family was invited because destruction was now immanent (v4)

-- But God gave Noah 7 final days to prepare for departure

-- Don’t let this one pass you by … how many days did Creation take?

-- What was curious about that final day? It was a day set aside by God!

- APP: God gave Noah a vision of the judgment to fall upon mankind

-- Reflect on the horrific imagery: “wiped from the earth” (v4)

-- And God says that it will begin on the day that is consecrated for Himself

- Get this: Noah’s compliance had to be feverish

-- Imagine how hard he must have preached, proclaiming the truth of God

-- EMPH: You have one week left … please repent and seek God now!

-- CHALL: If you know destruction is coming, how can you keep it in? (ref hell)

- Noah had spent 120 years doing the unimaginable & the impossible

-- All the while knowing only 8 people would survive what was coming

-- Surely, he would have felt very alone – perhaps near despair …

- But see this: v7-9 … Noah did exactly as God commanded

-- He disobeyed nothing of God’s direction … why?

-- Because Noah, unlike all the others in Ch. 6 was a faithful man (ref v1, 6:8)

-- Specific word use: Hebrew: chen; favor or grace

- TR: So the scene of impending doom is set, BUT we must see within it …

Point 2 – God’s Love

- What is the great salvation of God in the shadow of judgment? The Ark

-- See this: God’s salvation is the star here – it’s not the obedience of Noah

-- Why? Because of His supreme love for His own creation

-- APP: The never-ending love of God is on display here – must focus on this

- For 40 days, there was a raging flood – can you picture the scene inside the Ark?

-- Been on a rocky boat before? Imagine 40 days of raging storm aboard

-- Coupled with the animals and family … surely it was quite a trying time

-- Yet just outside, God is ending every life that He created (…)

- ASK: How do we reconcile God’s love with the destruction before us?

• Time and time again God warned mankind to repent and stop sinning

• Time and time again (4 generations of preachers) they heard the truth

• Time and time again man refused to repent – refused to obey

- Even Jesus brought this to mind when He taught about humanity

-- Luke 17:26-30, “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all. And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business - eating and drinking, buying, and selling, farming, and building - until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed.”