Noah

NOAH

Let God be true and all men be liars

(Hebrews 11:7 and Genesis 6-7)

INTRODUCTION

1. Noah showed great perseverance in preaching for 100 years

a. Though all the world disagreed with him he kept preaching

b. Things he had never seen he kept warning

c. Noah is an example of endurance and stick-to-it-iveness

d. But we are going to talk about other things

2. Noah was a man of God in a time of Godless men

3. He did some wonderful things, he:

a. Obeyed God

b. Only one

c. Obsessed with God

4. Noah is an example of great things for us and an encouragement to keep on working even in the face of difficult times

TRANSITION: First of all notice that:

I. Noah obeyed

A. The Hebrew writer says he was warned of things "…not yet seen" (Heb. 11:7)

1. Rain, a thing not yet seen?

a. We have no record of rain up until this point in history

b. Genesis 2:5-6 says that the mist would come up from the earth and God has not caused it to rain on the earth yet

c. There is no mention of rain again until Genesis 7:12 in relation to the flood

d. Rain could have been a warning from God to Noah that the world had never seen before

2. Destruction

a. Especially the destruction of mankind

b. A level of destruction not ever seen before or since the flood

c. Noah was warned of these events long before they had ever been seen by human eyes

3. And he still preached for 100 years

a. 2 Peter 2:5 says that he was a preacher when God brought a flood upon the earth

b. Even though others had never seen this type of danger, Noah preached

c. Jonah was not able to stand up to this type of pressure against one city, Nineveh

d. Noah stood firm against the rest of the world

B. How did Noah obey?

1. Generically

a. He was given generic commands

b. Build an ark out of gopher wood

c. But where was he to find the gopher wood?

d. Not addressed, not an issue, just use gopher wood

2. Specifically

a. 3 decks, not 4 or 5, not stopping at 2

b. Door in the side, not front or back but side

c. 2 of each unclean and 7 or each clean animal, food for himself and the animals

3. Noah understood completely the nature of God’s instructions and followed them precisely

C. How do we learn from this type of instruction?

1. Ephesians 5:19, "…speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord"

2. We are told specifically to sing, using the voice to make music

3. And to make melody in the heart, a specific command that excludes all other options

TRANSITION: Noah obeyed, along with his family he was the:

II. Only one

A. All other humans alive at the time disagreed with Noah

1. The intent of human hearts was evil continually (Genesis 6:5)

2. God went so far as to repent of having made man

a. This means that He was sorry for making us and wishes He had never done it

b. And He was moved to the point of action, doing something to remedy the situation

c. He was going to utterly destroy man, all but one

3. Noah found favor in God’s eyes and God intended to save him and his family

B. I truly believe that if others had believed then they would have been saved

1. Remember God’s discussion with Abraham concerning Sodom in Genesis 18

a. If there are 50 would you spare them? Yes

b. All the way down to 10, would you spare them? Yes

c. God does not desire our destruction

2. Further, He will not destroy His righteous people

3. But only Noah was found to be righteous

4. So Noah understood Paul’s comment, "…let God be true but every man a liar" (Romans 3:4)

C. There are some things we believe about which most would disagree

1. Homosexuality is a sin

a. Most do not practice it but would defend the right of someone else and condemn us for saying it is a sinful practice

b. But the Bible clearly lists is as sinful (Romans 1:18ff)

2. Instrumental music is disapproved by God

a. It is nowhere denounced by the Bible

b. But it is also taught against by silence in Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16

c. When specific instructions are given then all other alternatives are excepted

d. No other wood was acceptable for the ark but gopher wood

e. No other fire was acceptable for incense but that from the altar in Leviticus 10:1-2 Nadab and Abihu learned this the hard way by being consumed by fire from above