Introduction:
Ever since the creation of the earth, God has always set a race of life or death before man. His desire is that man runs the race for life and not death. This is why in every dispensation, He always make sure man is warned and reminded of man’s need to run for life. The whole essence of Him sending His Son Jesus Christ to earth to be born and live as man is simply to serve as an example of how man is to run the race of life and become a winner in His kingdom.
In our message today, we shall be reminded once again the characters displayed by Noah (a man like us) which made him (and his family) win the race of life in his generation.
1. The Race:
a. Time of Noah
Prior to Noah, Adam was warned not to go for death, he went for it and we all know the consequence – Gen 2: 9, 16 -17.
During Noah’s time:
• Men were running the race to death, verse 5
• They were warned, but they refused, Heb 11: 7
• God was grieved by the characters of men He made.
o My Spirit will not contend with man forever - for he is corrupt, - verse 3
o His days shall be 120 years
o They were all destroyed only Noah and his family and few animals were spared.
b. Time of Abraham to Date:
If God was grieved by the characters of the people of Noah’s generation, does He not have reason to be worst grieved by our character today? Our world today is worse than that of Noah; hence, for us today He says:
Deut 30:19.This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.
Math 7:13."Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Math 24: 37. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.38. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39. and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
2 Pet 3: "5. But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.6.By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.7.By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
Brethren, there is a race of life or death set before you and I, and the Lord wants us to win life. Let us not be like the people of Noah’s generation and forget where we are going, but let us remain focus and race to win life. God is patient and does not want anyone to win death but life.
2. Character of a winner; that made Noah become a winner of his race:
In holy fear he heeded God’s warning, Heb 11: 7- 8
Hebrew 11: 7.By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. We also need to heed God’s warning
He worked on his faith and thus become; righteous, blameless and walk with God
Genesis 6:9. This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.
He was Righteous: what is righteous? It is not an everyday word. It has the connotation of religion and this is why God defined it for us as; without sin, doing what is right.
1 John 3: 7. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.8.He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.9. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
The seed of God must remain in you for you to be righteous.
1 John 2: 29. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of Him.
It is only those born of God that can be righteous,
Have you been born of God? Is His seed in you? If not there is no way you can be righteous like Noah. You need to be born again!
He was Blameless: Blameless means without fault.
If one is righteous, then the tendency is that the person will also be blameless. Because a righteous person is busy doing the right thing at all time.
Deut 18: 13 God require that we walk before Him blameless. How do we achieve this?
Phil 2: 14 -15: Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.
He Walked with God: this means to have the same mind, thought, character, feelings, countenance, seeing the same way as God.
Illustration: A column of soldiers on a parade ground match the same way, turn the same way, salute the same way. In fact they do everything in unison as if they are one. This is what walking with God is all about. Doing our stuffs the same way God will do His.
Self Test of walking with God: If you find yourself in ANY situation pleasant or unpleasant, ask yourself; if Jesus Christ were to be in this same situation what will do? How will he react? If you know how he will react, then react that way. If you are able to react the way of Jesus Christ then you know you are walking with God. If you do not know, then ask God to help you to know.
He stood firm till the end:
Noah stood firm till the end, it took him 120 years to build the ark
He did everything the Lord commanded,
Genesis 6: 22.Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
Genesis 7: 5. And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him
We are also expected to stand firm till the end.
Math 23:12.Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,13. but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
3. Reward for winning-
Gen 6: 8.But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
Gen 7: 1, The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.
Gen 7: 23.Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.
Gen 9: 1.Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.2.The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands.
He found favour in the eyes of the Lord,
He was saved from flood/destruction – You will also be saved from fire and torment
His household also was saved,
He inherited life – He lived in two dispensations, dispensation of Adam and that of Abram. You will be part of the New Jerusalem.
When we put on the character of Noah, we too and our household would be saved from the impending fire and torment and we would be part of the new earth and Jerusalem. But those who refuse to heed the warning will inherit everlasting torment.
Revelation 21: 1.Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.2.I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.3.And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
Revelation 21: 8. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
Conclusion:
How are you running your race? To win life or death?
Make every effort to:
Be righteous
Be blameless
Walk before the Lord
Stand firm till the end
You will then receive favour from the Lord and
You will win your race like Noah.
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Prayers:
Lord make me the Noah of my time
Noah waited patiently for you, Lord help me to be patient with you
Noah obeyed you till the end, Lord help me to obey you till the end.
Noah was not discouraged, Lord help me not to be discouraged
Noah was mocked, ridiculed insinuated at yet he did not lose his focus, Lord help me not to lose focus of my race.
Noah was unique, he lived 2 dispensations, Lord makes me a unique person of my generation.
Lord you remembered Noah, Lord remember me.
Lord you sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded, Lord send you wind over every obstacles in my life.
Lord blow away every dark cloud covering my destiny, covering my business, covering my progress,in the name of Jesus. Gen 8: 1
