The Days of Noah - A Positive Approach
This is a two part message. In this first part we will look at the positive side of how it was in the Days of Noah, and in part 2 we will talk about the negative and relate it to the man of lawlessness found in the New Testament.
I want to begin by observing how this verse is usually incorrectly used. Most sermons I have heard on it, take the phrase, "And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it shall be also in the days of the Son of Man:" they then go on to talk about all the things the passage doesn't talk about. The murder rate, the rampant immorality, the stiff necked people who wouldn't repent, the mockers, and so on, you get the idea. But in context the passage simply states judgment came when one day seemed as normal as another, and they were all caught unaware and were destroyed.
Here is the passage and you can read it for yourself:
Luke 17:26 "And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it shall be also in the days of the Son of Man:
Luke 17:27 they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Luke 17:28 "It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building;
Luke 17:29 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.
Luke 17:30 "It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.
I think there is a legitimate place for what these preachers have done with the passage, because most of the things they talk about Noah's generation are very true and that is why God judged them. With that as a back drop, I want to flip this sermon around and talk about another aspect of how it was in the days of Noah. I want to use Noah as an example of the last days church.
I see two main groups in the last days, the hot and the cold. God is destroying the middle ground. He hates people living in the middle, neither cold nor hot. You will read in several places in the NT about what happens to worldly people in the last days, they are given over to a reprobate mind, evil men will wax worse and worse, God will send them strong delusion, the antichrist performs lying wonders and they believe them. I could go on, but just grasp this fact in the last days whatever direction you are leaning in God wants to emphasize it. If you are hot He wants you hotter, if you are cold you will get colder, (unless you repent!).
So let's talk about the hot in the last days, and use Noah as a pattern and example.
Ge 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. (KJV)
Ge 6:9 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. (NAS)
So on the one hand we can lay out all the evil and sins of the rest of Noah's generation but it is important we note the sterling quality of Noah's faith as he lived among this evil generation.
A just man, perfect in his generations, Noah walked with God.
A righteous man, blameless in his time, Noah walked with God.
I have a couple NT references that shed light and this truth and my hope is that they energize your faith to believe for special grace in a dark time.
Mt 13:30 'Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn."'
This text is from a portion of scripture where workers are trying to decide what to do with the tares, and Jesus relates it to the end time harvest and advises his harvesters to wait so that no wheat is inadvertently lost.
"Allow both to grow together," both the wheat and the tares mature. At the end of the age it will be easily apparent what is a wheat and what is a tare. There is a maturing that will have taken place. The wheat will be easily discerned, the difference between wheat and chaff will be distinguishable in a way that is has never been before in the growing process. The wheat will no longer resemble tares and the tares will no longer resemble wheat. A transformation and maturing has taken place. Most Christians focus on grown up tares and miss the awesome truth that the last days church is vibrant, victorious, fully ripened!
Even as the tares grow up, so does the wheat. So if we go back to my earlier point that God sends the wicked strong delusion in the last days to move them fully in the direction they are leaning, what does it mean that God will do for the last days church so that they are mature beautiful plants?!!!
Ro 5:20 And the Law came in that the transgression might increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
Though out of its original context I still believe that this text teaches that where sin abounds grace does MUCH MORE abound. In other words if strong delusion is sent on the lost in the last days than MUCH MORE strong grace will be sent to the saved.
I don't see the last days church hanging on by a thread, barely making it into heaven, I see it alive and on fire with the grace of God! And I can prove it from scripture.
Re 19:5 And a voice came from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great."
Re 19:6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude and as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.
Re 19:7 "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready."
Re 19:8 And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
This is God's description of the church of the last days. Observe carefully the last part of verse 7: "...and His bride has made herself ready." Noah's generation was unprepared for the Lord, but Noah was, the last days people of the world will be unprepared, but the church will be prepared.
There is a lot of symbolism in a bride making herself ready. She got the finest garments, her best jewels, she had her hair beautifully done. This is not the picture of a bride dressed in ragged blue jeans, with rips and holes in her clothes.
Re 19:8 And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
While the tares of the last days are reveling in ungodliness, the church of Jesus Christ is busy doing things that bring honor and glory to God, her brightest moments are just ahead.
So often when discussing the last days Christians get worried about the antichrist and all the bad things that are coming, and yet Jesus said this should be our focus:
Lu 21:28 "But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
Lift up your heads, be positive, be excited, be passionate about the good God is pouring out on the last days church and will pour out when we get to heaven.
What was it like in the days of Noah? He was blameless and walked before God in integrity. While the world around him was rushing to hell, he was growing in favor with God!
Ge 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. (KJV)
Ge 6:8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. (NAS)
The word translated grace in the KJV and favor in the NAS is "khane" and it means favor, grace charm. The text means that God especially loved Noah and divine favor and blessings rested on him.
It is important to note that favor and grace are unmerited, all these blessings came on Noah because he was in relationship with God as a son. That is good news, it means we can expect Divine favor in the last days, not based on behavior, but on a loving Father doting on His children getting them ready for harvest.
When you see these things begin to pass look up!!!! Because things for you are looking up!
Close: Are you hot or cold? Which way is your tree leaning? Prayer for those who are concerned about where they are with the Lord. Pray blessings and favor on God's people to walk in the "much more did grace abound."
Idea for my pastor friends: What does grown up wheat look like. I have another message on Noah here at sermon central entitled, "Noah Prepared and Ark to the Saving of His Household." You can get a few ideas from that message. Blessings! - Your friend Maurice.
