Genesis 14
Did you know that literally hundreds of different cultures from around the world have a story about an ancient flood that covered part or all of the world? There is at least 270 different ‘flood’ stories that are told throughout the world. Even the Koran mentions Noah’s Ark.
Also, there are hundreds of people that say they’ve actually seen Noah’s Ark stuck in a glacier in the mountains of Turkey. And I’m one of them. That’s right, I’ve seen Noah’s Ark. But it wasn’t in Turkey, it was in Texas. How it got there I don’t know, but it did. Listen, I’ve got proof right here in these pictures.
[Explain and show pictures.]
But seriously, I do believe that Noah’s Ark, or at least remnants from it, are still out there on Mount Ararat. It’s just too big a structure to completely disappear.
- Possible pictures
- Hundreds of documented eye-witnesses dating back to the 1850’s
- The 270 flood stories
- The biblical account
But you know what, when God is ready He’ll reveal the Ark to the world. All in His time.
Just like with the flood itself. When the right time came according to God, time was up for the world. But I tell you what, Noah was at the right place at the right time.
I. The right place at the right time
[Read Genesis 7:1-10.]
- Extra pairs of ‘clean’ animals
[Read Genesis 8:20, (for sacrifice). Read Genesis 9:3, (for food).]
- Animals came to Noah
[Read Genesis 6:20.]
- Entered ark a week ahead of time
[Read Genesis 7:10.]
Could you imagine if Noah would have waited until the last minute to get in the Ark? No doubt, some animals wouldn’t have made it. Maybe not enough supplies would have gotten on the boat. It would have been a frantic dash to get on board when the rain started.
But as usual, Noah was at the right place at the right time. Because of that, he could fully receive the blessings of God. He could full enjoy the path that the Lord had for Him. He could experience God’s perfect will for his life.
And Noah needed to be at the right place at the right time because:
II. When it rains it pours
[Read Genesis 7:11-12.]
For forty days and nights it rained and rained and rained. It never stopped. The rain just continued to pour from the sky mercilessly.
Now remember, rain is something new for the earth. It had never rained upon the earth before this, (which could have been up to 2000 years!) Now all of a sudden water if falling from the sky continually for forty days and nights. Where’d all that water come from? Is this even scientifically possible? Well sure it is.
[Read Genesis 7:11.]
1. The fountains of the great deep
- Volcanoes
- Geezers
- Evidence of that with shifting continents, fault lines, seas and lakes, etc.
These cataclysmic events would have caused the firmament to melt thus causing the forty days of continuous rain.
2. The firmament
[Read Genesis 1:6-8.]
As we learned weeks ago, the expanse, (rachia – firmament), was basically a protective canopy of ice that encircled the earth’s upper atmosphere. It protected life on earth from harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun and also provided a perfect climate for life.
That’s one of the reasons people lived so long before the flood. But as we’ll see in the coming studies, the further people get away from the flood the shorter their life spans.
So this beautiful, protective creation of God that was designed to help life on earth exist eternally was now used to bring the end of all life on earth. How tragically ironic. Man, when it rains it pours.
But even in God’s judgment on sinful humanity there’s grace. There’s grace in the fact that life will go on because of God’s plan for the lifeboat.
III. Man the lifeboat
[Read Genesis 7:13-16.]
Being in the right place at the right time Noah, his family, and the animals were safe.
Not just safe because they were in the boat, but safe because the Lord closed the door behind them and sealed it shut!
You know, Noah had spent a lot of time working on the Ark. He spent 120 years on that thing making sure it was strong, durable and watertight. (That’s why the Lord told him to seal all the cracks with pitch, some kind of tar or glue.) But this was going to be the storm of all storms. That boat would actually be in the water between 8 months and a year; (we’ll talk about that next week). So it had to be ready for such an adventure as that. So the Lord put His finishing touches on the work that Noah had done. He sealed the door shut! His creation would endure. Life would go on. Life was now protected and secure because of the power of our protective God.
You know I’ll bet that when the Lord closed and sealed the door Himself Noah breathed a huge sigh of relief. I’m sure there might have been some doubts in his mind as to would this boat actually float. Remember, this was Noah’s first time doing anything life this and he didn’t even get to test it out first. Also, it was loaded down with thousands and thousands of animals. Noah knew that either the boat would float or it would sink and all life would perish.
But when God sealed the door shut He made sure that it truly was a lifeboat that would safely carry the hope of humanity to dry land. And that’s a good thing because the flood meant:
IV. The end of the world, (as we knew it)
[Read Genesis 7:17-24.]
What a sad time in the history of humanity. Can you hear the screams of people outside the Ark calling to come in? But the Lord had sealed it shut. There wasn’t enough time for people to make their own boats, they couldn’t get high enough to avoid the water since all the mountains were covered, and the storms were so bad that treading water or floating on debris wasn’t an option. The world as they knew it ended.
What must have been going through the minds of Noah and his family as the felt the Ark rise up from the ground and be at the mercy of the water and the waves? They’d realize that as they lived everyone one else died. Cities were destroyed, friends were gone, and surely the landscape that they were familiar with would only be a memory. It must have been tough.
But the sorrow Noah and his family must have felt was nothing compared with the pain the Lord must have been going through. This was His creation dying out there. The creation that He loved with everything. Yes, He was destroying His creation but it because He loved it so and knew this was the only way for the human race to have a chance to live as they were intended to live.
And just think about it, as the Lord looked down at the world covered with water, it must have looked much like when He first created it.
[Read Genesis 1:1-2.]
And much like the first time, life was about to spring up anew.
You know when we read about events like this we realize that the God who orchestrated the flood and the rebirth of human civilization upon the earth is the same God we worship today. The same God who rebirthed our lives through His Son Jesus Christ. And this same God works the same way in our lives as He did in the lives of Noah and His family.
We need to be in the right place at the right time. When we stop following the Lord and start doing our own thing it prevents us from being where God wants us to be. And if we aren’t in the right place spiritually then how is God going to bless us and give us the life He intended for us?
[Shoe salesman, ex-husband story.]
We need to be in the right place at the right time so we can live the blessed life God intends for us. Because you know what, when it rains it pours.
Life can be so hard at times. And sometimes it seems like the trials come in bunches. But could you imagine going through the trials of life without the Lord? How do people do it? How do people remain sane and joyful through the ‘floods’ of life without the help of God?
Well, most people don’t. They stay miserable, negative and hopeless. Some self-medicate with drugs or alcohol to ease the ‘pain’. Some distract themselves from reality with possessions or sex or anything to get their minds off of the trials.
But you and I who trust in the Lord have a seat in His lifeboat that’ll carry us to safety. And that lifeboat isn’t just for the ‘floods’ of life but for eternity as well.
[Read John 10:27-30.]
We are safe and secure in the Lord tonight and every night no matter what floods and trials try and drown us. And you know what, some of those trials are other people just like in the days of Noah.
Remember, he was a preacher for 120 years without a single convert. The end of that world came and he and his family alone were saved. Judgment again is coming, but the next time the earth will be destroyed by fire instead of water.
[Read II Peter 3:3-9.]
When we get tired of waiting on the Lord and wonder to ourselves, “Just what is He waiting for?!” We need to remember that He wants as many people as possible to be saved. In the days of Noah God’s grace was so evident over that 120 years of Ark building and righteous preaching. Today, that grace is still incredible evident, where people still have a chance to come to Him and get in the lifeboat. What a great and gracious God we serve.
So be in the right place at the right time and rest assured that Jesus will take care of us no matter the floods of life.
