I am going to begin a new series of messages today. I think from the picture you can figure out what the theme is going to be – doors. I began researching doors in the Bible and discovered the word door is used around 260 times. Many of those times it refers to an actual door or doorway, but in several references, it carries a metaphorical or symbolic significance. Some of them will be from familiar stories and scriptures and some not, either way I hope you will be blessed and inspired as you hear them.
Doors are something we use every-day and sometimes will take them for granted because of their familiarity. Yet, it is this kind of everyday illustration the bible loves to use to reveal to us new truths and meanings in our journey of discipleship.
For this first message let’s begin in Genesis 7:16.
KJV - And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.
NLT - A male and female of each kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD closed the door behind them.
God told Noah to make one door in the side of the ark in Genesis 6:16. Although most translations don’t use the word door in 7:16 it is clear this is what the Lord God shuts or closes. It is very clear from the verse the Lord God is the one who shut the door to the ark. God shut it and no man could open it. Before we get to the significance of this, let me back up and remind you why God send the flood to destroy the world in the first place.
Why did God send the flood?
1. Sexual perversion - Genesis 6:1, 2 the phrase “took wives whomever they chose” sounds to me like people who have gone sex crazy. There is no longer the covenant of marriage - people had animalistic passions for sex with a variety of partners. I was taught to wait until marriage to have sex. This was not a standard of righteousness they held.
2. The second reason God was going to send a flood, He had come to the end of His patience – Genesis 6:3 “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever” – God’s striving with mankind was His protection. Other translations use these words: contend, abide and remain. My Spirit will not contend, abide or remain with man forever. Our modern world surely has to try the patience of God with all our evil and hatred.
3. The third reason God was going to send a judgment by flood was because of the wickedness of man – Genesis 6:5 the wickedness of man was great.
A. Internal in man’s heart. It is bad enough when sin is on the hands of man or even when it gets into his head, but when sin gets into the heart it possesses his entire being.
B. Man’s wickedness was pervasive – every intent. These people loved their sins so much, they were sitting around trying to think of new ways to sin.
C. Man’s wickedness was continual – they were sinning all the time. Every waking moment was filled with sinful thoughts or behavior.
What was the response of the Lord God to man’s wickedness? Verses 6, 7 shares with us that God was grieved, sorry that He had made mankind.
Institute for Creation Research or ICR teaches that the world is only 6,000 years old. This is vastly different from the millions and millions science claims. With the Lord God creating everything and not needing millions of years for things to develop on its own, we don’t need all that time. According to ICR, the time of Noah is around 1,650 years after the creation. In that short time sin had become so prevalent that the only way to deal with it was to wash it away and start over. Causing a great flood of judgment is hard to imagine – a worldwide flood. Every person and air breathing animal would be destroyed except for those in the ark. God was going to start over with 8 people and all the animals in the ark.
Why did the Lord God choose Noah to build the ark?
• Verse 8 Noah found favor or grace (KJV) with God
• NIV Genesis 6:9 describes him as a righteous man;
• blameless and (just and perfect KJV)
• walked with God.
Noah was not sinless, but he strived to live in a way to honor the Lord God. In the NT book of Hebrews 11:7 we are told about Noah’s fifth character trait - faith. Noah’s faith motivated him to the action of building the ark. Are you walking by faith resisting temptation, being faithful to worship the Lord and serving others?
The sixth character trait of Noah was his obedience to the Lord was shown by completing the task. Lots of people begin the journey of faith, many falls away and quit. Noah is commended in Genesis 6:22 for his obedience to the commandments of the Lord. Are you obedient to the task God has called you to do?
Let me give you some interesting facts about Noah and the flood:
1. Noah was around 600 years old when he began this task
2. How deep did the flood waters rise? Genesis 7:20 15 cubits over the top of the tallest mountain. Holman says 20 feet; NLT 22 feet. Mount Ararat, in modern day Turkey, where the ark landed is 17,000 feet above sea level. That is some very deep water.
3. The ark had no motor, no sails, no rudder it was not designed to go somewhere, it was to only float – to ride out the storm.
4. I went to the Ark Encounter in 2017 on a school field trip with my grandson. I was very impressed with the work they had done with the physical structure. What amazed me most was the information they provided attempting to answer every question on how this could be done.
What is the significance of God closing the door to the ark? Noah had been preaching for an estimated 120 years for people to repent of their sins, and come follow the Lord God and be rescued. Noah had no converts. However, when the raindrops first began to fall and the water began to rise, people no longer thought Noah was a fool. These people began to knock on the ark’s door and beg to get in. If it had been left up to Noah, he would probably let some in until the water got too high. Because God shut the door, Noah could not open it. Genesis 7:16 “God shut them in”.
God opening the door of the ark for Noah and his family is about God rescuing people from judgment. It is about protection. God shutting the door of the ark to all of the rest of mankind is God’s judgment on them. The time for repentance had passed.
Noah’s ark is a symbol of God’s salvation.
• The ark was a place of safety and protection from the judgment of God. When we are saved and born again, we are in the protecting arms of Jesus from experiencing judgment in Hell
• There was one door to the ark. There is one way of salvation – Jesus Christ.
In Matthew 24:37-39 and Luke 17:26-30 Jesus uses the story of Noah to teach a truth that Noah was a real person and the flooding of the world in judgment was real and not a fable or parable. What God did once in bringing world-wide judgment, He will do again.
I believe the “days of Noah” are upon us right now. And that’s one reason I believe we are living in the last days before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth.
Do not despair. If you know the Lord, stand strong. Speak the truth. Follow God’s call and do not let the world’s hostility intimidate you. These are wonderful days to serve the Lord. Think of it. We may be the generation privileged to see Christ return to the earth in the Rapture. If so, let’s be busy about spreading the Good News, working for the Kingdom, being salt and light, serving the Lord with joy wherever we go.
Appeal:
Come repent of your sins and be saved!
Come seek the strength of the Lord to live for Him in the midst of wicked people!
Prayer
