Walking with God
Genesis 6:8-10
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (KJV)
8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. 9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (ESV)
Last time we spoke on the bad news as we see in Genesis 6:5-7 “wickedness” The good news is that Noah found grace, or favor in the eyes of the Lord. Noah could have been left to his sins and left to experience God’s judgment, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. The bad news is that we are sinners. “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” We were the children of wrath. The good news is that through Christ we experience God’s mercy and grace. Grace is God’s unmerited favor on sinful mankind.
Noah did not earn grace, work for grace, merit grace, or deserved grace. He FOUND grace! None of us can say we have earned grace. If you know God’s amazing Grace today…it’s not what you have done to deserve it.
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind, but now I see.
Noah FOUND grace, because God found him. And when God finds you, you discover
grace for the first time. That’s good news! But it doesn’t stop there. There’s more to the story of grace.
Noah responds to Grace! Noah responds to God at work in his heart.
1. Noah was a just man (righteous man)
2. Noah was perfect (blameless) in his generation
It’s important to see this. Noah did not find grace because he was a just man, or a righteous man. Noah did not find grace because he was perfect, or blameless in his generation. Verse 8 comes first with grace, then comes the statement of Noah being righteous and blameless. First of all, we are saved by the grace of God. At the moment of conversion we are declared righteous before a Holy God. There’s a faith we never had before. We exercise this faith and believe God. God gives us a righteousness that we do not have. It is an imputed righteousness. Noah was not righteous within himself, but God declared him righteous by an act of His grace.
Notice in Genesis 15:6 of Abraham:
And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Noah believed in the LORD and he was declared righteous. That is, he received an imputed righteousness which had to do with his standing before God. This is called positional righteousness. There was the evidence of a sanctifying righteousness which had to do with his walk with God. This is called progressive righteousness. Positionally, God sees us through the eyes of the LORD Jesus. We are covered by the blood of Christ and we are declared righteous. We are justified by faith in Christ. That’s justification.
In everyday life, God through the Holy Spirit and His Word is molding us, shaping us, fashioning us into the likeness of His dear Son. That’s progressive righteousness, or sanctification. Let’s look at a verse which will help us hear:
Philippians 2:12-13
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
God works in - justification …we are declared righteous by faith
God works out – sanctification…we are becoming righteous.
It is this working out which we will now see in the life of Noah. It is summed up in the words, and Noah walked with God.
What does it mean Noah walked with God?
1. It means his life lined up with God. Noah went to work for God. He began to cut lumber and build this huge boat. He obeyed the voice of God. That means his will lined up with God’s will. His thoughts lined up with God’s thoughts. His desires lined up with God’s desires. His words lined up with God’s words. No longer was it Noah’s life to do as he wished, but rather his life was all for God. Paul put it this way in Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed? I heard of how two men were trying to get a piece of heavy furniture through a doorway. They were unsuccessful until it was realized that they were trying to move in opposite directions. Can two walk together, or carrying a piece of furniture, except they be agreed on which direction they are going.
There are no short cuts to take when we line up with God. No where do you read of Noah making compromises in the construction of the Ark. We will later discover that he made everything just as the Lord had commanded him. Everything was cut to the exact dimensions. There were no substitutes for the building materials. What God gave in the materials list, was exactly the very thing that was used. There are no short cuts in your walk with God. Jesus said this,
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me Luke 9:23
That has not changed! Noah walked with God and that meant his life lined up with what God required.
2. It meant his family was impacted for God. (v.10)
And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Shem, Ham, and Japheth were all married and we know Noah’s influence on them was a godly influence. They were all on the Ark.
There’s not a lot of information about these sons of Noah, but we do know they helped Noah and brought their wives on board the Ark.
The Bible is very clear on the great impact of a Mom, or Dad who has a walk with God.
2Timothy 3:15 (KJV)
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
2Timothy 1:5 (HCSB)
clearly recalling your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois, then in your mother Eunice, and that I am convinced is in you also.
Joshua walked with God and included his family as to what direction he would take. Joshua 24:15
But if it doesn’t please you to worship the LORD, choose for yourselves today the one you will worship: the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my family, we will worship the LORD.”
3. It meant his generation was affected with a godly message.
Genesis 6:9 “generations of Noah” “blameless in his generation”
Hebrews 11:7
By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
2Peter 2:5
And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
Noah’s faith in God touched his generation. His family believed, but the world rejected his message and his God. How can you say Noah touched his generation for God? How did Noah make an impact on the world for God? I can tell you how great of an impact Noah made. The world was impacted with the judgment of God. When the flood came, don’t you know it made a powerful impact on the world? It rained on everyone’s parade. It turned everyone’s world upside down. I can tell you another way Noah’s life and message impacted the world. It is the most talked about story in the Bible. Even today it’s message is used to warn people of coming judgment. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. This saving grace resulted in a walk of grace. And it invites you and me to walk with God.
Let’s look at some practical applications:
If we have been touched by the grace of God, then it should show in our walk with God.
1. To Walk with God means we Call upon the Lord. Do you communicate with God? Are you talking with Jesus? The early church walk with God and calling upon the Lord was what they did all the time. Acts 4:31
When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness.
Prayer is to our walk with God like breathing is to our body. We must have air. To go extended times without prayer means there is something wrong with our walk with God. When someone’s not talking something is wrong. To have a walk that is real, get alone with God and pray. Just talk with Him. He doesn’t need fancy words. Speak from your heart. Praise Him. Tell Him what’s on your mind. Read about the early church in the book of Acts and see how they prayed. Read Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:16-23 and see what he prayed for.
2. To Walk with God means we Give to the Lord’s Work. Noah gave to the Lord’s work. He gave his whole life to God’s cause. Noah gave his time, talent and treasure to God’s work. To walk with God means we become actively involved in what God is doing. The Bible speaks of giving to support the ministry of the local church. Certainly, that means your finances. I believe Malachi 3:8 is a starting place..
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Even though this was a Jewish law, the principle of giving for the Believer still applies. Tithing, or giving 10% of one’s income is just a starting place.
3. To Walk with God means we are Partners with God in the Great Commission.
Noah’s great commission was to build the Ark. It was the means by which a world could be saved. Jesus gave His church the Great Commission.
Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
As we live in this world and go about the business of engaging ourselves in telling others of Christ and doing all we can to fulfill the Great commission, remember to Walk in Love.
Ephesians 5:2 Walk in Love
1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
Ephesians 4:1 Walk Worthy
1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
1John 1:6 Walk in Light
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Galatians 5:16 Walk in the Spirit
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
May the Lord help us to walk with him faithfully.
Chris Gowen
Pastor Swan Creek Baptist Church
920 Big Swan Creek Rd
Hampshire, TN 38461
www.chrisgowen@msn.com
www.swancreek.faithsite.com
