“One Day The Door Will Close”
How many have ever locked yourself out of your house or your vehicle? It is an awful feeling especially if you are standing on your porch in freezing weather.
Maybe you did something in school and had to stay in during recess as your punishment.
Hearing all the other children playing while you sat at your desk was terrible.
I remember when I was young I actually locked myself in. (Explain)
That was really a bad feeling because I could look through the crack and see everyone passing by but none of these were life threatening situations
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Now if anyone has ever been in a situation that was life threatening, you know the fear you experienced and how intense it was.
It is a proven fact that most people go through life thinking that bad things happen to other people. They don’t believe they will ever be in an automobile accident, have a house fire, or ever experience a major illness.
I read some statistics the other day and found that 1 out of every 6 do not have health insurance and 1 out of every 7 are driving without auto insurance.
Now there is no possible way of knowing the percentage of those who are not saved but you can see the way most live and estimate the percentage to be high. Why?
Because like I said last week, most people think that they are good and will go to heaven.
Jesus warned many times that there will be a judgment and that heaven and hell do exist and this morning I want to look at one of His warnings and compare it to today.
Jesus had been explaining the signs of the end of time to His disciples.
Matthew 24:36-39 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, not the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marring and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 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.
Jesus refers to Noah because it will have many comparisons to His coming. Before we get to the comparisons let’s look at a couple of things Jesus says in this Scripture.
First of all Jesus makes it clear that God is the only one who knows the exact date and time. This is the only time in the Bible that tells us that Jesus doesn’t know everything God does.
Second, notice that Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man. Jesus was God’s only Son but He never referred to himself as the Son of God, always the Son of Man.
The first comparison is that Jesus says it will come as a surprise. People will be going about their everyday business and just as when the waters came so will Jesus and the people won’t be ready.
Now everyone is familiar with the story of Noah but let’s turn to it in Genesis 6 and look at some more comparisons to today.
Genesis 6:5-6 The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart as only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that He had made man on the earth, and His heart was filled with pain.
The reason man had become so evil is that he had turned from God. Look at how people today have turned away from God.
Our government which was formed by people who looked to God has taken Him out of schools, out of government offices, and people are accepting this and I am sure this behavior is grieving to God.
God was not sorry He made man but He was grieved because man turned away from Him and I can’t see why God doesn’t fell the same today.
God’s love is unconditional and even though He loves us it hurts Him to see people go against Him.
Genesis 6:17-18 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. But I will establish my covenant with you.
We are told in Revelation that John saw a new heaven and a new earth because the first heaven and earth had passed away.
When God caused the flood He destroyed all life but the earth still remained. The earth as Noah knew it had passed away and it was totally different after the flood.
So the end of the world as Noah seen it will happen again only this time it will be by fire.
Now God made a covenant with Noah saying that He would save him because he was righteous.
God has made a covenant with us that we also would be saved if we re righteous.
Now the next comparison we really don’t have proof of but throughout the years man has made a natural assumption that Noah preached to the people to turn to God and the people ignored him.
Also in the story of Noah man says that the people laughed at Noah for building a huge boat on dry land. Again we have no proof of this since it isn’t in the story of Noah in the Bible.
But again it is a natural assumption that people made fun and laughed at Noah. People have laughed at many inventions.
They even laughed at Alexander Graham Bell right over the phone.
But look how people react to those who warn them that this world will end.
Just like I said earlier most don’t believe it will happen in their lifetime so they don’t worry about getting ready for it.
God gave Noah specific instructions on what He wanted Noah to do. He gave him the exact measurements of the ark, the type of material to use, how to make it waterproof, and what He wanted inside the ark.
Jesus has told us exactly what He wants us to do and how we can be saved in every detail.
Now let’s look at the most important comparison.
Genesis 6:22 Noah did everything just as God commanded.
Notice Noah didn’t divert from God’s instructions. He didn’t think he had a better way to build the ark or decide to leave out a few of the animals. He did it God’s way and was saved.
Man has spent many years diverting from God’s way because man thinks he has a better solution.
It is not necessary to be baptized just pray and God will save you, or sprinkling is good enough there is no need in getting completely wet bu immersion.
We don’t have to have communion every Lord’s Day like the disciples did, once a month or four times a year is plenty.
I don’t have to go to church and worship with a bunch of people I can stay home and do it by myself.
You see Noah and his family were the only ones saved because God gave him instructions and they followed them. Why then will it be any different the second time?
Here is the answer: It won’t. God kept His promise to Noah, He told Him he was going to destroy all life and He did.
We are warned that if we don’t do the will of our Lord we too will perish and I believe God will keep that promise also.
Remember last week’s scripture? Matthew 7:21 Jesus said only he who does the will of my Father will enter the kingdom of heaven.
And finally the last comparison found in the last sentence of:
Genesis 7:16 Then the Lord shut him in.
When God shut the door to the ark it not only shut Noah and his family in but it shut the rest of the people out.
One day the door will close. Are you going to be on the right side of it?
Invitation
