“There’s a hurricane coming.” For homeowners in places like the Gulf Coast, those are not words you take lightly. You’ll board up your windows, stock up on food and water, and if possible, leave town. Those who don’t will suffer the consequences of 250 km per hour winds and heavy rains and flooding. We obviously don’t have to worry about hurricanes up here but there is a more serious calamity on its way: Judgment Day. When Jesus returns, he will judge the world sending those who rejected him in this life to a place of eternal pain. He will then destroy this world with fire. Our Scripture readings today remind us that the only question about Judgment Day is when it will come, not if it will come. Since Judgment is coming we will want to get ready and stay focused. The Old Testament character, Noah, will teach us how to do this.
I’ve heard more than one old-timer speak about the “good ol’ days.” Sin may have not been as obvious a couple of generations ago as it is today but ever since Adam and Eve’s declaration of independence, this world has been a sin-stinking place. That was true at the time of Noah, five or six thousand years ago. When God looked at the world of that time, he saw believers carelessly putting their faith in jeopardy by choosing marriage partners based solely on sex appeal, not whether or not their spouse would help them in their walk with God. God also saw a wanton disregard for life as the strong fell upon the weak and took for themselves whatever they wanted. While these unbelievers could no doubt act like “nice” people from time to time, God was not fooled. He saw that “every inclination of the thoughts of [their] hearts was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5b). God was disgusted by what he saw and so he prepared to cleanse the world of these people who had no use for him. Friends, it’s good for us to remember that it isn’t just automobiles that can be recalled by their maker (John Jeske).
But there was one man who stood out from the rest. Noah was described as “righteous” and “blameless,” and one who “walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). When Noah is called “blameless” you might get the impression that he was sinless but that word would be better translated as “complete.” When a table has four legs and a top, it’s “complete” even though it may still have some nicks and stains. And so it was with Noah. He too was stained with sin as was obvious after the flood when he gave into drunkenness. But Noah remained “complete” or righteous in God’s eyes because he continued to trust in the Lord for forgiveness (Hebrews 11:7). And this faith was not hidden away like an old tattoo one might cover up with a long sleeve shirt. Noah’s faith was obvious in his daily life. That’s what it means that he “walked with God.” Noah didn’t just say that right things about God; he did the right things. This was best illustrated in how he obeyed God’s command to build an ark.
You’ve seen the cutesy pictures of the ark in children’s books giving you the impression that Noah could have assembled that boat in a weekend. Not so. The ark he was to build was huge. It was about as high as a four-story house and a football field and a half long. It wasn’t until 1884 that a ship of that size was built again! Besides his work on the ark, Noah also had to gather a year’s worth of food for his family and for as many as 2,000 animals. It’s no wonder God gave Noah his orders over a hundred years before he actually sent the flood. Noah would need the time to prepare for what God said was coming.
Don’t you wonder what kind of insults Noah faced as he worked on the ark? We might get an idea from a modern “Noah.” In 2007 a man in Holland built a replica of the ark that is five times smaller than the original one. It still cost the Dutchman $1.35 million (CDN). It’s interesting to read the posts about this man’s project. Scoffers talk about the waste of time and effort. I mean if you had $1.35 million dollars, would you build an ark? Why not build a comfortable home instead? In the same way Noah’s industriousness must have impressed his contemporaries as he cut down trees, dragged them to the worksite, purchased or made nails and then spent countless hours pounding the wood into place until his hands were numb. Noah then sweated in the sun slapping pitch on the ark so that it would be seaworthy. But what was it all for? A flood? Really?
You too get those kinds of remarks from friends who know how much time you spend here at church. And wouldn’t they really question your sanity if they knew how much money you’ve dropped into the offering plate over the last five years? With that money you could have…what? Gone on a cruise? Bought a car? Put a down payment on a condo in Arizona? And what do you have to show for that money now? Not much it would seem. But you could say that you’re building an ark. I’m not suggesting that our church is going to be a refuge come Judgment Day. This building too will burn. Your ark is your faith in Jesus because that’s the only thing that will save you. We spend countless hours here at church and pour thousands of dollars into this place to support gospel ministry so that our faith in Jesus, through Word and Sacrament, will be built up. And it’s not just our faith that we want strengthened. Noah didn’t just build the ark for himself but for his wife, his three sons and their wives. Likewise we invest much here because we want our loved ones and others to survive Judgment Day with us.
I’m sure that when Noah first got the command to build the ark he was a flurry of activity. But how long did that enthusiasm last? If he really worked on the ark for 120 years, there must have been days when he was tempted to quit. How did he stay focused? Perhaps Hebrews 11:7a gives us the answer: “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.” Noah took God’s warning seriously and to stay focused he only had to regularly picture the place where he bought nails and the store where he sold his cheese both under water. When he was tempted to waste hours in the town square listening to the “important” topics of the day, he just had to picture a rogue wave smashing everything there to bits and burying it under layers of mud.
Noah was like an NHL player who learns that the league is folding at the end of the season. Do you suppose such a player would skate very hard in his remaining games? Oh he wouldn’t quit altogether because he would want to collect a pay check as long as it was available to him but his heart wouldn’t be in the game anymore. No longer would he crash the boards or dive in front of slap shots. Why should he risk a broken nose at this point? And what about team promo events? Would there be any point in going to those? One thing is certain, he wouldn’t continue to spend money on hockey gear. He would instead invest in something to help him in his new life – a suit, an education, anything but skates.
Friends, we are living in a dying world marked for burning. Does it really matter whether or not you have the latest iPhone? Is it really that important to have your kids enrolled up to their eyeballs in activities? Do you really need to spend hours a week keeping up with the latest from Hollywood? It’s pointless isn’t it when you remember that it’s all going to burn – all of it, your video games, your house with its renovated bathroom, even the gold and silver you have stashed away in safety deposit boxes. Instead stay focused on building up your faith or you’ll end up in the fire too.
No, there aren’t a lot of people who believe what I just said about Judgment Day. So what? There were only seven other people who believed Noah and they were the only ones to survive the flood. Jesus warned us in the Gospel Lesson this morning that when he returns conditions will be just like they were at the time of Noah. People will be carrying on with this life without any thought to the next life (Matthew 24:37-44). But you are not among those people. You have been reminded again that judgment is coming. So get ready. How? Confess your sins. Trust in Jesus. And live for him. Perhaps the Apostle Paul said it best when he wrote in the Epistle Lesson appointed for this Sunday: “The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (Romans 13:11b-14).
Just as you slip an oven mitt over your hands to keep them burning when you reach into a hot stove, Paul urges you to “slip on” Jesus. Only Jesus’ righteousness will protect you from the eternal flames of God’s judgement. And you have been clothed with Jesus. It happened at your baptism. Don’t toss that robe of righteousness aside for the garish garments this world has to offer or for a shabby garment of your own making. Those garments, and all who wear them, will burn come Judgment Day.
As far as I know there are no storms forecasted for this week. Even if there was a storm on its way, you probably wouldn’t have to do anything to prepare for it. Storms here are relatively mild. But judgment is coming. So keep studying the Word and in this way keep building up your ark, your faith in Jesus, so that you are ready to withstand the heat of Judgment. Amen.
