This sermon was composed from several resources but inspired by the Holy Spirit
EXCAPING JUDGEMENT
Lu 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Lu 28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all 30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
Today I want to talk about escaping judgment and looking at what scripture says about the Days of Noah.
We are not going to talk about the loosing our freedom to preach the Gospel, the Homosexual agenda, the threat of Muslim uprising and attacks all over the world or the training of Priest in Israel for Temple Service. I do not want to talk about the Moral decline of these days, Socialism beginning to take over the US, the threat of North Korea and atomic weapons, or the decline and fall of the US Dollar.
Today I do want to look at the stories that Jesus was speaking of in Lu. 17. We can see from scripture that these events have already taken place and we can learn some valuable lessons from it.
Jesus said And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Mankind had become so vile that God decided to destroy them.
Judgment from a Holy, Righteous, Powerful, God was on its way. There was time to Escape over and over and over, but they were too busy to pay attention. They were doing just normal activities, after all nothing like that had ever happened before.
In the middle of this vile, ungodly, morally corrupt, sexually explicit world God had a Family who had not caved into all the pressures of the day.
I. Integrity of Noah
Ge 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
In ALL OF THE WORLD God saw ONE RIGHTEOUS FAMILY.
Though only one family served God, it was enough for God’s love to save them all when judgment came.
While Noah was a member of the society around him, and while it was evil, he and his family maintained their walk with God.
It is possible to serve the Lord even in a wicked world!
We’re told three things:
(1) He was a righteous man.
(2) He was a man of integrity who was influential in his generation.
(3) He walked with God.
If you are SAVED, it means you are going to have to be DIFFERENT from the world you live in.
No one can participate in everything that’s true of the contemporary culture and follow Christ at the same time.
We have to determine that our lives will be HIS and will not belong to the world.
Noah is a good example of that, and we have a lot to learn from him.
(1): He was a righteous man. What does that mean? It isn’t saying he had righteous moments. It’s also not a statement about his popularity.
IT MEANS HE WAS IN A RIGHT STANDING WITH GOD
Righteousness is not what you put on or what you take off.
Righteousness is to be right with God 24 hours a day 3651/2 days a year.
(2) Noah lived a blameless life in the midst of his generation. He didn’t hide away from people like a hermit so he wouldn’t have to deal with all their corruption. He also didn’t compromise himself when he was in public by going along with the crowd, becoming indistinguishable from them.
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
We have 5 senses through which they can receive information.
Scriptures talk about a Christian’s influence on other people.
(1) Jesus said we are the light of the world, and others will see Christ as they see us.
(2) He said that we are salt that should remain salty to the taste, so that our lives have the "taste" of the reality of God.
(3) Paul described us as an aroma or fragrance of Christ among those who believe and those who don’t believe.
(4) We speak the words of God and tell the truth to people so that they hear. (5) We lay hands on the sick, clothe the naked, and touch those who need the touch of the Lord.
These ways believing people are to bear testimony to their world. These are the ways that Noah influenced his world.
(3) Noah walked with God. To walk with God means to be with Him in everyday life. To have a relationship with Him, to share your thoughts and to hear what He says.
Are we different because we walk as the near friend of God?
II. Invitation To Noah
Ge 7:1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
Noah had spent over 100 years preaching to the world about this coming judgment.
During that time NO ONE accepted Noah’s message and warning!
a. It is heartbreaking that the message of salvation was so ignored.
b. No doubt the world mocked Noah about this coming judgment since God allowed such a long time of grace
Watching the news this week I noticed 3 well known people died. The news reporting about their lives I was struck about the Horrible lifestyles they were talking about and the News made it seem a normal lifestyle. Ignoring God and Godly values will not go unpunished.
There was a funny scene in the series All in the Family a few years ago when Edith was still part of Archie’s household. Edith, in her own way, was kind of a saintly person. Archie is complaining, as Archie commonly did. He says to her, "That’s you all right. Edith, the Good. You’ll stoop to anything to be good. You never make nobody mad. You think it’s easy living with a saint? Even when you cheat you don’t cheat to win. You cheat to lose. Edith you ain’t human." Edith says, "That’s a terrible thing to say, Archie Bunker. I am just as human as you are." Archie retorts, "Oh, yeah? Then prove you’re just as human as me. Do something rotten."
Noah now had 7 days to get ready for judgment.
Think about this, 100 years of telling everyone he knew “a flood is coming and will destroy the earth” GOD GIVES A SEVEN DAY EXTRA WARNING.
Noah being warned BELIEVES, he obediently prepares for his family and God’s command to receive the animals.
(1. It is interesting to note that God has the animals COME TO Noah, it would have been impossible to gather them all in 7 days otherwise.
(2. God’s desire to save Noah included saving part of creation.
(3. One man’s righteousness can also impact the world positively in many ways
Ge 7:10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
As God had stated, 7 days later the rains came…God’s warnings had been ignored and now the day of grace had ended!
Ge 7:21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. 23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
AS SURELY AS GOD KEPT HIS WORD BACK THEN, HE WILL SURELY KEEP HIS WORD IN THE FUTURE WITH JUDGMENT TOO!
The great tragedy of the story is that so many people died that didn’t have to!
God had opened up a window of opportunity for over 100 years!
Even at the end there was a 7 day notice.
That people scoffed at Noah’s message demonstrated their hard heartedness.
When the people saw the animals coming to Noah they should have seen in this a miracle by itself and thought that perhaps the message was true, but still they ignored God and His message!
How many today ignore the message of salvation and the coming judgment of God too?
The people had seen for so long through the eyes of sin that they could no longer hear from God!
The wicked were so used to being wicked that they did not see their need for salvation, they thought they were ok and that Noah was weird!
Recent experiments have been made in which people were fitted with special prismatic glasses. These devices greatly distort the vision so that straight lines appeared to be curved, and sharp outlines seemed fringed with color. Within just a few days, however, the unnatural shapes, tinted edges, and inverted landscapes gradually disappeared, and the world began to be normal again, even though they still wore their optical fittings. The brain was finally able to overcome the false data that came through the prismatic lenses. This adaptability in the physical realm is indeed a blessing. In the area of the spiritual, however, the human mind does not function very well. In fact, man is a sinner whose deepest imaginations are evil, and his thought life produces a world of illusions. HE THINKS OF HIMSELF AS PURE WHEN IN REALITY HE IS GUILTY BEFORE GOD.
We need to guard our hearts against becoming so used to sin in this world that we fail to sense the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
It must have been difficult for Noah and his family to hear the screams outside as the waters rose, but by then the door had been sealed shut by God Himself and there was no opportunity!
God gives during this lifetime an opportunity to come to Him, after this the door is sealed shut and no opportunity will exist.
Today is the day of salvation, don’t put Him off!
Jesus said And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
We know many people today say they doubt the story of the flood. So Jesus not only talked about the Flood, He talked about the Fire.
III. Insolence of Sodom.
At the end of the Dead Sea there is evidence of a great fire so hot that the sand has turned into glass in some places.
They also say this is the historical setting of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Let us look quickly at this and see what Jesus was talking about.
Lu 28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all 30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed
A. Description
Ge 13:10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar
Ge 13:13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
This is description of a Beautiful place. All the things a person could hope for, plenty of grass for the animals, plenty of good well watered land to grow fruit and vegetables, and good fishing.
Verse 13 says it was EXCEEDINGLY WICKED.
The devil knows how to make things appear so wonderful and we have bought into the Prosperity Preaching that we must have everything our heart desires.
“God would want the Best for His Children”
The Best is to run away from SATAN’S Trap.
B. Destruction
God decided to destroy the cities with fire but there was a man and Family there that was not part of the problem. Angels come to Lot and told him to EXCAPE JJUDGMENT.
Ge 19:12 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:
13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.
14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
Even Angels trying to convince theses children to leave and it did no good.
Ge 19:15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. 16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. 17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
It seems even though they seemed to believe God was going to JUDGE that city they had to be pulled out.
Ge 19:24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
A wife and 2 son-in-laws were lost because of the pull of the day and lifestyle.
They all had personal invitations.
IV. INVITATION
Jesus said Lu 28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all 30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed
God makes a clear distinction between those who are His and those who are not when it comes to His promises to bless and to judge.
Are you INSIDE or OUTSIDE of the ARK (i.e. JESUS CHRIST), preparing to face the oncoming FINAL JUDGMENT?
Don’t wait till God’s patience runs out, as in the days of Noah!
Repent and be reconciled with God through Jesus Christ so that you need not fear the coming Judgment Day
Can you rejoice today in knowing that you are saved, or does the prospects of coming judgment grip your heart?
Noah was not afraid because he walked with God
We do not have to be afraid either if we are walking with God.
You are receiving a personal invitation to EXCAPE JUDGMENT.
