Intro:
1. John Raymond, the executive pastor of the World Harvest Church in Slidell, Louisiana. He became the first clergyman on reality television when he appeared on Survivor Ta-hi-ti.
Pastor Raymond wanted to use the experience to spread the gospel. Raymond brought things along that reflected his faith- like a Bible.
Unfortunately, he was the first contestant voted off the Island. Why did he get the dubious distinction of being the first contestant to go?
Well it wasn't because of his skills dealing with the outdoors. Raymond says he grew up hunting and fishing in Louisiana, so his outdoors skills were good. The film footage shows Raymond starting the fire, finding water, catching most of the food, and even digging the latrine.
So why did he get the boot? Raymond suggested it was because of his occupation. He said, "Someone also suggested that many people are uncomfortable around ministers because they feel they have to be too cautious or that they have a second conscience floating around. So maybe they didn't want me around long."
2. The vast majority of the people on this planet are unrighteous in the eyes of God, and would love to get rid of God and His righteous people - but the truth is, the righteous will ultimately survive and inherit the earth, not the unrighteous.
3. The Witness of Noah's Righteousness.
Trans:Gen. 6:8-12
I. FIRST, NOAH'S RIGHTEOUSNESS WAS FOUND. 6:8
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD - the root word means "to bend or stoop," thus condescending or unmerited favor of a superior person to an inferior one. This is the first occurrence of the word.
Butler notes:
"Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Genesis 6:8). This sentence speaks of the conversion of Noah. All men are saved by grace, and it was this grace which saved Noah from Divine judgment.
To further examine this grace from God for Noah, we note four things about it:
(1) The Source of grace.
"Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." - My dog found a dog treat in his bowl. He didn't buy, earn it, or deserve it. I bought it and stooped down, and put it in his bowl.
Barnhouse, "There was no grace in Noah, the grace was in the eyes of the Lord"
(2) The Sovereignty of grace.
"6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7 nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: "THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED." 8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. 9 For this is the word of promise: "AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON." 10 And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; 11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, 12 it was said to her, "THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER." 13 Just as it is written, "JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED." 14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 15 For He says to Moses, "I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION." 16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH." 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. 19 You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?" 20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it? 21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? 22 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory," Romans 9:6-23
"being justified as a gift [freely, dorean] by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; Romans 3:24 (NASB)
This same word is used in John 15:25:
"But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, 'THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.'" John 15:25
If one lived a Trillion years and examined Jesus 24 hours a day, one could not find a legitimate cause to hate Jesus! In the same way - if you lived a Trillion years and sought to produce a righteousness acceptable to God by your own works...you could not do it!
The truth is - "For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." Isaiah 64:6
"9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; 10 as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; 11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; 12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE." Romans 3:9-12
Butler, " Noah's goodness was a result of grace. Grace was not a result of his goodness. Man has a hard time learning this truth. He habitually thinks that if he acts better he will obtain more grace from God. He thinks if he is righteous, he will obtain grace from God for salvation. But it does not work that way.
(3) Then we have the Sequence of grace.
God first sent grace to man before He sent judgment. God first in grace gave man 120 years to repent (Genesis 6:3).
His grace is always sent first. God's judgment is not apart from God's grace. Can anyone real blame God if they end up in the Tribulation Period? Have He not extended the Grace age for several thousand years!
Trans:So Noah's Righteousness was Found - not because of Noah, but because of God's gracious Declaration.
Boice, "Some people read these verses as if Noah found favor with God because he was righteous and lived a blameless life. But that is not the case and, in fact, to read it that way is to get it backward.
Verse 9 does not come before verse 8, nor is there even a connecting or causal participle between them, as if to say, "Noah found grace because he was righteous."
This is a great biblical principle, namely, that the grace of God always comes before anything."
Terry Scha-fer of Mol-ine, Illinois wanted to give her husband David a special gift for Christmas. She asked the shopkeeper the cost of the item and was told that the price was $127.50.
Finances were tight, so she asked if she could make a deposit and pay for the rest little by little. The shopkeeper agreed and gift-wrapped the item for her.
Terry was so excited about this gift she couldn't wait, and gave it to her husband before Christmas.
Just 3 weeks later, David, a police officer, was working the night shift. Suddenly a call came out—there was a drugstore robbery now in progress!
David switched on his siren and pursued the vehicle fleeing the crime scene at a high rate of speed. Finally the getaway vehicle pulled to the side of the road.
David got out of his patrol car and approached the other vehicle. The driver of the getaway car leaped out and fired a .45 cal. slug into David's stomach.
Terry rushed to the hospital and found—all was well. For her husband David was not hospitalized with a gunshot wound, but a bruise. Terry's special gift was—a bulletproof vest!
Christ is a wrath-proof vest...Rom. 8:1
II. FURTHERMORE, NOAH'S RIGHTEOUSNESS BORE FRUIT. 9
9 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God - we are declared righteous in order to become righteous. Justification always leads to Sanctification.
A. He was righteous in his Character.
was a righteous man - not sinless but godly, one who lives right.
CBL, "Noah is identified as just or righteous and perfect, meaning sound, mature, having integrity. He consistently responded to God in obedience and repented when he stumbled."
He did stumble -eventually after the flood, he got drunk!
"For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted [righteous] to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 1 Kings 11:4 (NASB) Yet David committed murder and adultery! But he did confess and repent of his sins...
"There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil." Job 1:1 (NASB)
But Job will question God's wisdom and basically accuse God of being unfair - yet he repented of that attitude.
A righteous person doesn't - ignore or excuse or rationalize sin but confesses and turns from it.
"He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion." Proverbs 28:13 (NASB)
I am sure you have heard about, Richard Reid, the so-called "shoe-bomber" who pleading guilty for attempting to blow up American Airlines flight 63 on December 22, 2001 with explosives stuffed in his shoe.
Reid told Chief U.S. District Judge William Young, "Basically I got on a plane with a bomb. Basically I tried to ignite it [and] basically I intended to damage the plane."
He confessed his evil deed, but it's clear he had no intention of changing. Reid said:
"I’m a disciple of Osama bin Laden. I’m an enemy of your country. I don’t care." In other words he made it clear that if he had another opportunity, he would do it again! THAT IS NOT RIGHTEOUSNESS!
B. Noah had righteous Conduct.
blameless in his time - ie., among his generation. Noah stood out among that generation - he was different, set-apart from they way they thought and behaved.
"so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world," Philippians 2:15 (NASB)
Pastor Bruce McIver had to have open heart surgery. He asked his doctor, Dudly Johnson, "Can you fix my heart?" He said he would could - after 12 hours of surgery, Bruce was in good shape.
His wife asked the doctor, "What about my husbands future quality of life?" Dudly said, "I fixed his heart; the quality of life is up to him."
By grace God fixes our heart - in fact He gives us a new one, that's called regeneration. But the quality of our life is up to us - we have to choose to say "no" to self, and yield to the Holy Spirit.
If we do, the result will be godly conduct.
"12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live." Romans 8:12-13 (NASB)
C. Noah had a righteous Commitment.
walked with God - this speaking of an obedience that comes from faith in God.
"Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?" Amos 3:3
Like Enoch, Noah walked with God which meant that they were in full agreement with God. No striving with their maker; no back-talk; no arguing with God's will, but a life of "yes Lord!"
When Darryl Peeb-les typed his name into an Internet search engine, he was surprised to find another Daryl R. Peeb-les living on the Australian island state of Tas-mani-a.
The American Darryl made contract with the Australian Darryl and found they had a lot more than their name in common.
Both Darryl's were born in 1949; Both have three children with a child born in 1975 and 1977; Their fathers both came from small towns and both worked on lathes of some kind; they both were keen performers, enjoyed illusion, ventriloquism, and playing music.
The men got together at the church the American Peebles pastors in North Carolina and put on two variety shows for about 400 people.
The American Darryl said, "It is as though we have known each other forever. Our minds and our personalities are so much alike. It's as if we were brothers. What are the chances of finding someone with your name and so many similarities? I still can't believe it has happened."
That is what it is like to really walk with God - there becomes a oneness, a unity, a harmony. Christian becomes more then just a name, but a Christ-likeness is experienced in our daily lives.
III. THIRDLY, RIGHTEOUSNESS EFFECTED HIS FAMILY.
Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth - Noah obviously had an impact on his family.
Trans:The main point is that God is preserving the Seed-line - if just Noah was on that Ark, life would have ended soon after the flood.
Wiersbe, "Most people know that Noah built an ark. Why they may not know is that he also built a godly character and a godly family. Had it not been for Noah's godly family, Abraham wouldn't have been born; and without Abraham, would there have been a Jewish nation, Bible, and Savior?"
IV. FINALLY RIGHTEOUSNESS WAS NOT POLLUTED BY THE FILTHY. 11-12
11 Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth - this should remove any excuse that we cannot walk with God because of our environment!
When Charles Haddon Spurgeon first began to preach in London back in 1855 he experienced ridicule.
One noted, "They said he was preaching an outmoded gospel, pure foolishness. The sophisticated commentators of the day argued that his popularity with rabble would be short-lived. He would be "Up like a rocket down like a stick."
But he hung on, saying that although he stood alone, he stood on the Word of God that cannot be shaken.
Ravenhill said, "Great eagles fly alone; great lions hunt alone; great souls walk alone - alone with God. Such loneliness is hard to endure and impossible to enjoy - unless God-accompanied."
"9 Make every effort to come to me soon; 10 for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service. 12 But Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13 When you come bring the cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching. 16 At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. 17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion's mouth." 2 Timothy 4:9-17 (NASB)
Noah stood alone - warning his generation that judgment was coming - and they ignored him until it was to late. Notice, outside of his family he did not even have a single convert!
It reminded me of Allan McDonald, an engineer employed by the manufacturer of the solid rocket boosters that straddled the shuttle.
Research had shown that the O rings sealing the sections of each booster might be more likely to leak as the temperature dropped. In fact, the rings had never been tested during an actual launch below 51 degrees F.
The space shuttle Challenger stood poised for launch. Overnight, the temperature had plummeted into the twenties. At liftoff it was a crisp 36 degrees F. Four-foot icicles still clung ominously to the launch tower.
McDonald stood virtually alone as he steadfastly opposed the launch that icy morning, but he was overruled. The launch went ahead as scheduled, and 73 seconds later six brave astronauts and one enthusiastic school teacher lost their lives when the O rings failed.
We are telling this world a Rapture is coming, which will be followed by a 7 year nightmare! And fewer and fewer are heeding the message.
CON:
1. Noah's righteousness was Found not earned; bore Fruit; effected his Family; and could stand without being soiled by the Filth of his day.
2. I think Charles Swindoll, in Living Above the Level of Mediocrity summed it up nicely:
The World Needs Men …
1. who cannot be bought;
2. who are larger than their vocations;
3. who will not lose their [convictions] in a crowd;
4. who will make no compromise with wrong;
5. whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires;
6. who will not say they do it" because everybody else does it";
7. who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular;
8. who can say "no" with emphasis, although all the rest of the world says "yes."
A changed heart should produce changed hands; to be Declared Righteous and never to have that righteousness effect our daily lives is unthinkable; to spend time with Christ, and experience no separation from the world is wrong.
Johann Hein-rich von Dan-necker was born October 15, 1758 in Waldenbuch, Germany. He studied sculpture both in Paris and Rome.
In his early works, Dannecker gained for himself a wonderful reputation for his statue of Ariadne [air-ee-ad-knee] on the Pan-ther which was completed in 1814.
Approaching his prime he felt he ought to devote all his strength and time to the creation of a masterpiece, so he set about to carve a figure of the Christ.
After eight years he finally completed his masterpiece. It became a renowned work of art.
When news of the masterpiece reached the emperor Napoleon, he invited the artist to come to Paris and carve a statue of Venus for the art museum in Paris. [Louvre]
Dannecker reply was simple. "Sir, the hands that carved the Christ can never again carve a heathen goddess."
Johnny Palmer Jr
StrugglingThruScriptures.ning.com
Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Bentonville, Ar., for over 25 years.
