Noah: A Successful Father
Chuck Sligh
June 17, 2012
Based loosely on a sermon by Roger Campbell in Preach For a Year, Vol. 2.
POWERPOINT: There is a PowerPoint presentation for this sermon available by requesting it from me at chucksligh@hotmail.com.
TEXT: Genesis 6:5-11 – “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 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. 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.”
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.”
INTRODUCTION
Today is Father’s Day. You know what?—I’m sure glad I’m a man! Guys, do I hear an “Amen” on that?
ICE BREAKER: I read something titled “50 Reasons It’s Good To Be a Man.” – I won’t read them all but I did compiled my own top-10 list of “Why It’s Good to Be a Man”:
Number 1 – You know stuff about tanks.
If someone forgets to invite you to something, he can still be your friend.
You can drop by to see a friend without bringing a little gift.
If another guy shows up at the same party in the same outfit, you might become lifelong buddies.
Guys in hockey masks don’t attack you ... unless you’re playing hockey.
You can admire Clint Eastwood without starving yourself to look like him.
Your pals can be trusted never to trap you with, “So…notice anything different?”
If something mechanical doesn’t work, you can bash it with a hammer and throw it across the room.
Car mechanics tell you the truth.
And the number 1 reason it’s goo to be a man is...(Drumroll): You can go to the bathroom without a support group.
JOKE – You know, it’s just human nature for boys to brag about their dads, isn’t it? Three boys are in the schoolyard bragging about their fathers. The first boy says, “My dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, calls it a POEM, and they give him $50.” The second boy says, “That’s nothing. My dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, calls it a SONG, and they give him $100.” The third boy says, “I got you both beat. My dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, calls it a SERMON, and it takes eight people to collect all the money!”
JOKE – Boys like to think of their dads as big, tough dudes, right? One summer evening during a violent thunderstorm a mother was tucking her small boy into bed. She was about to turn off the light when he asked with a tremor in his voice, “Mommy, I’m scared. Will you sleep with me tonight?” His mother smiled, gave him a reassuring hug and responded, “I can’t dear, I have to sleep in Daddy’s room.” A long silence was broken at last by his shaking little voice: “The big sissy.”
I’m glad we can laugh on Father’s Day, but to God fatherhood is no laughing matter.
The Bible is replete with examples of some of the worst and some of the best fathers.
Noah is an example of a good father. We normally think of him as the guy who built the ark, brought the animals on the ark two by two, and restarted the human race after the catastrophic flood. But he was also a GOOD FATHER. The building of Noah’s ark was probably the most remarkable accomplishment in history up to that time when you look at the dimensions for the ark that are given in the Bible and the lack of power tools in that day. But Noah’s GREATEST accomplishment was his family’s faith!
Noah raised a family in a difficult time. It was an age of wickedness and evil thinking – Genesis 6:5 says, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” –That sounds much like our own day, but Noah proves that a man can be a good father and raise a godly family even in the worst of times. His was also an age of corruption and violence – Genesis 6:11 says, “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.” – Again that sounds much like our own day; but again, it offers us hope today.
How did Noah succeed as a father in such a time?
I. FIRST, NOAH WALKED WITH GOD – Genesis 6:9 – “These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”
Before we’re told that Noah walked with God, verse 9 says he was a “just man.” The term “just” in the Bible doesn’t have to do with living a good life. To be “just” in the biblical sense means to be without sin before God. Being this is not something that is earned, but is bestowed upon a person by God. This concept of God making a person just before Him is known as “justification.”
The word “perfect” here does not mean he never sinned. – The Hebrew word means “without blemish, complete, sound, upright, whole.” Hebrews 11:7 gives us some insight into how you can be justified where we read that Noah “became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”
Before moving on, I’d like us to note three things about this phrase in Hebrews 11:7:
• First, note that Noah had “righteousness.”
“Righteousness” means the same thing as the word “just” in Genesis 6. To be “righteous” means to be able to stand without sin before a holy God. Well, none of us are perfect—including Noah, so that presents a dilemma. Even if we reform and live for God, we’re still not perfect. But that’s what God demands—absolute perfection.
• But note second that this righteous standing before God is BESTOWED, not earned.
Hebrews 11:7 says Noah became “heir” to this righteous state before God. To become an heir means to receive something absolutely free. That’s what salvation is: a free gift from a loving God. As
Romans 6:23 puts it, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” That phrase, “through Jesus Christ our Lord” is critical. It’s only through Jesus that we can have this gift of righteousness before God. The Bible teaches that on the cross, Jesus died for our sins in our place.
• The third truth we see from Hebrews 11:7 is this: the way to receive this righteousness is by faith. – “[Noah] became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”
Listen to Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace [“unmerited, undeserved favor”] are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” How did Noah receive God’s righteousness?—By FAITH in God. How can you receive God’s righteousness and free pardon for all your sins—by faith, or trusting, in Christ who died for your sins.
Jesus said in John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The first thing to do to be the dad God wants you to be is to have your sins forgiven by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. Once he was saved by God’s grace, we’re told that Noah “walked with God.” As Noah’s sons watched his life, they saw a man who practiced what he believed.
Illus. – I’ll never forget when I made a visit to Taiwan talking with a young believer in Christ.
When I asked him what was the decisive factor in his coming to Christ.
He pointed to his friend who had won him to Christ and he said, “I came because of him. His walky matchy his talky.”
No doubt, Noah’s kids would say, “Dad’s walky matchy his talky”— and you can follow a man of integrity. Noah looked around at the wickedness and the violence of his day and he refused to follow the lead of his culture. The world said, “Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die,” but Noah said, “No, that’s not a God’s way. I want to walk with God. / I want to please God in my life. / I want to live for God. / I want to obey His rule in my life.”
The world was going to hell in a hand-basket, but Noah resolved to be different from those around him and to walk with God.
What does it mean to “walk with God?” Walking with someone means you’re going in the same direction as him. Now if you and God are traveling together, who’s going to lead the way?—Why God is, of course. That’s the only way God will have it.—HE has to be in control. So to walk with God is to walk in His ways, to follow His lead.
How can you walk with God as a godly father?
• First, spend time with God in His Word and prayer.
You cannot cultivate a relationship with someone you don’t spend time with. Dad, do you have a time in God’s Word and in prayer every single day?—A time when God can set you straight; correct you; get you reoriented on a daily basis towards Him; get you to refocus your priorities? You’ll need to do that to walk with God.
• Second, be the spiritual leader of your home.
When Joshua came into the land of Israel, he didn’t give his kids an option about serving the Lord. He said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Illus. – When I was growing up, I had no choice in whether I went to church every time the doors were open. I never even THOUGHT of asking my dad, “Hey Dad, can I go do something else Sunday night instead of going to church?” I wasn’t given very many options when it came to church. Basically, I had two choices: Go willingly or go against my will. Either way, I WAS GOING TO GO TO CHURCH—and I was going to go Sunday morning, Sunday night, and midweek. And if there was a youth activity that week, I was going to it. And if there was a revival or missions conference going on, I was going to be there then too.
Now if my dad had been a hypocrite, I would have rebelled against that and rejected his teachings and his demands. But I knew my dad and mom believed with all his heart that when Jesus said, “Seek FIRST the kingdom of God and his righteousness,” Jesus meant it to be put into practice in EVERY area of life.
You need to be the key leader in going to church and putting the Lord first in your life and reading the Bible in your home.
• Third, to walk with God, OBEY Him.
God came to Noah and told him to build an ark. “A what? What in the world is an ark?”
It had never rained before and there were no large bodies of water. What God was asking him to do didn’t seem to make any sense to him. But he did it out of obedience to God.
God commands us to do many things we may not fully understand.
-- He says to give up your life to save it.
-- He says to give so that you may receive.
-- He says the way to greatness is to be a servant.
You may not understand why God says to do this or that, but if you’re going to walk with God, you’ve got to obey God.
• God says to “let your speech be seasoned with salt,” so that means that you need to clean up your speech.
• God commands “Be angry and sin not,” so that means to make sure you never let your anger get out of control—at home, at work, or in your neighborhood—no excuses; no exceptions.
• God said “You shall not steal,” so that means you return the ten cents over-change you get from the cashier, and you don’t cheat on your income taxes.
• God commands us to keep ourselves unspotted from the world, so that means you turn off ungodly and sensual things on TV or in movies rather than tolerate them; and you don’t listen to music that glorifies sex or violence; and you NEVER look at pornography.
• In the church, God teach us to find a ministry to serve God with your talents and abilities, and he commands you to financially support your local church through your tithes and offerings, so that means you obey God and you serve and you give to God; it’s as simple as that.
Men, let’s WALK WITH GOD through a vibrant, passionate daily time with God, by being a spiritual leader in our homes, and by being consistently obedient Christians in each of these areas. Yes, Noah was a saved man, and he walked with God, but notice secondly that…
II. NOAH WITNESSED TO OTHERS
Compare God’s descriptions of Noah and his neighbors.
• His neighbors were corrupt, violent, wicked, evil.
• Noah was justified, holy, one who walked with God.
Noah was a righteous man living in an evil day, which called for him to be a witness to those around him.
Peter says Noah was a preacher of righteousness – 2 Peter 2:5 – “And [God] 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.” He warned others of their sin and urged them to repent and come to God. But he had no converts outside of his own family. How discouraging this must have been for Noah! Nevertheless, he stayed true to God and the work God had given him, and he never stopped preaching.
Illus. – This reminds me of my first year in England. We were trying to reach English people with the Gospel, and I never saw a more close-minded, more difficult people to reach in all my life. But God spoke in my heart and reminded me over and over of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 4:2 – “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” For all seven years I worked and labored and prayed and witnessed and preached—and until the end, saw very little fruit. The key was to get my eyes OFF of the English people and ON my Lord… and to just be FAITHFUL!
At least I had SOME converts after seven years of ministry. But think about Noah: He preached all those years and NEVER HAD A SINGLE CONVERT OUSIDE HIS FAMILY. What a faithful witness!
Are you a witness for Christ? Do you invite others to church to hear the Gospel? Do you tell others about Christ’s love and how they can have their sins forgiven? Do you share with them how they can have eternal life through Jesus Christ?
You say, “Nobody wants to hear it.” So—what does that have to do with it? Nobody wanted to hear Noah either, but that didn’t stop him from preaching year after year after year. God help us to be faithful to be willing to share Christ with others.
But there’s one other truth I want you to see this morning: It’s true, Noah didn’t have a lot of visible fruit for his preaching. But not EVERYONE rejected his message. There was one group of people he won, and they were the most important of all.
III. NOAH WON HIS FAMILY
In Genesis 7:1 we read these words shortly before God destroyed the whole world with a flood: “And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.”
And look down at Genesis 7:7 – “And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.”
This was the most important thing he did in his life!
You can put all kind of rank on your sleeve, but if you lose your family to sin and the world because you neglected to teach them the things of God, or you were a bad example of a Christian, you’ve failed in God’s MOST important task for you!
Noah’s family members were his ONLY converts—yet God deemed him a success!
• He was not a great FINANCIER, but he was a great FATHER for his boys.
• He was not a CORPORATE EXECUTIVE, but he was a CONSCIENTIOUS EXAMPLE.
• Noah may not have been a great PREACHER, but he was a great PATTERN.
What a day for Noah as his entire family entered the ark!
Contrast Noah with Lot: When Lot fled Sodom and Gomorrah, he begged his family to escape, having received warnings of Sodom and Gomorrah’s imminent destruction. But Lot, who compromised every step of the way with the culture around him, had absolutely no credibility with his family spiritually. They mocked his warnings. And when God began to rained down his judgment and Lot fled…he fled alone. Every one of his family members perished in Sodom and Gomorrah.
How did Noah win his family? He was authentic in his walk with God and not hypocritical.
Illus. – When I lived in Okinawa in the 1970s, I had to leave the country to get my visa renewed, so I flew to Taiwan where my parents had a network of friends from when they were stationed there in the 1960s. I stayed with a missionary who had been tortured by the Red Chinese when they took over China. He was still serving God in Taiwan and while visiting in his church I heard the testimony of a vibrant young believer. I asked him what was the deciding factor was that brought him to Christ. He looked at his friend next to him and in broken English said, “He tell me many times about Jesus, and as I watchy his life, I see ‘his walky matchy his talky.’”
Authenticity and genuineness without hypocrisy is a persuasive argument for a person’s faith: the strongest argument that can be made. That’s why Noah was able to reach his family. He was not hypocritical and they saw the reality of his faith. Because “his walky matchy his talky”, they believed what he had was real. They saw that he meant what he preached.
Kids react to hypocrisy, but they respond positively to a genuine faith in God. God help us to be REAL Christians; to be sold-out, whole-hearted Christians; to be faithful Christians; to be obedient Christians, just a as Noah was.
CONCLUSION
As it was in the days of Noah, so it is in our day: a time of wickedness, violence and sin. But you know what?—God’s grace is sufficient for fathers now as it was then.
May God enable us to win our families to Christ!
• Let us walk with God by first being saved and second by obeying God in our lives.
• Let us witness faithfully for Christ.
• Let us be so real and authentic as Christians that our families are convinced Christianity MUST be true, and thereby lead them to faith in Christ by our godly example.
