The Bible says that Noah built the Ark, but did not come up with the idea. The Ark was from the mind and heart of God. If God had not spoken to Noah, he would have died in the flood along with his pagan neighbors. Genesis 6:8 says that Noah "found grace in the eyes of the LORD". This one word "grace" made all the difference in Noah's life. While he maintained a godly path in the midst of blatant wickedness, he was still a sinner like you and I. When the Bible says that Noah "was perfect in all his generations", it meant that his bloodline had not been polluted nor changed by the forces of evil and demonic practices. He kept his eyes on the LORD, but he still deserved nothing from God except judgment and damnation. God reached into the darkness of Noah's soul and extended grace to him. He told Noah about the way of salvation and then invited him and his family to enter the Ark to be saved. The story of Noah and the Ark is not about the size of the Ark, or number of animals that went on board, the events of the antediluvian (pre-flood) world, or other issues. The story of Noah and the Ark is of undeserved grace. Were it not for the grace of God, Noah would not have known about the approaching flood that would have killed him, or the Ark that would save him and his family. Both of these insights were the product of the amazing grace of God.
If you are in the Ark of Salvation provided through Jesus Christ, you are there because God extended His grace to you. You did not come to God in your own wretched manner. You came to Jesus because God, in His grace, His mercy and His love, drew you to Himself (John 6:44). You are redeemed by Him because He looked beyond your dead, dark, deceived, and doomed condition and extended His hand out to you in grace (Ephesians 1:1-10). We will never know about the wrath of God or the hell that awaits the unrepentant sinner unless God, in His grace, shows us. We will never see the truth of our own sinful condition unless God in His grace shows us. We will never know that Jesus can save us and deliver us from hell unless God in His grace shows us. He is with us, and He is not silent when it comes to warning us of our condition and offering us underserved mercy, love, and redemption.
In the act of salvation, it is God who comes to the lost sinner. God opens his blinded eyes and shows him his lost condition and convicts his heart of his sins. He draws that lost sinner to Jesus. He causes him to understand that Jesus died for him and rose from the dead. He gives the lost sinner the faith he needs to be saved. From start to finish, salvation is the work of the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). Man has no part in the process beyond simple faith ,and even the very faith he uses to receive Jesus is the gift of God's grace. If it had not been for the grace of God, Noah would have died in his sins and gone to hell. it was the grace of God that moved him to both faith and action. The same is true today. Salvation is still of of grace and all of God.
When God called, Noah heeded the LORD'S voice. He and his family entered the Ark and both safety and security. When the floods came, it was God who closed the door of the Ark. His act signified that the time for repentance was done. The wicked world had its chance and threw it away. For them, their chance to be saved had ended and now would end up as unnecessary fatalities, with only themselves to blame for not heeding what Noah had said to them all those years. The waters from the deep exploded into the air, the rains came, and soon all life outside the Ark ended. While the rains came and lasted forty days, I am of the opinion that the sudden onslaught of the waters coming out of the deep caused massive waves to hit the land, instantly killing everything in its path, which in and of itself was merciful, even though the people had ignored God's call to safety. Both the rain and waves did as God commanded. The waves and the rain tossed the Ark around and it is certain that Noah, his family, and the animals on board felt queasy at times, but the point is that they were all safe and in the protective hands of God. The faith Noah had in God saved him and the generations who would come after him. Because of Noah's faith and obedience, the prophesied Messianic bloodline that would originate with Noah's son Shem would be fulfilled centuries later in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here is one final thought regarding the story of Noah and the Ark. When God shut the door of the Ark, Noah was in the inside looking out, and the world was on the outside looking in. There was only ONE Ark and there was only ONE door. So, there is only ONE way to be rescued from your sins, and that is God's way, the Lord Jesus Christ. he said, "I am the Door" (John 10:9). According to Bible prophecy, God's judgment is going to be poured out one more time on this wicked earth. The only thing that will matter then is this: Which side of the door are YOU on?
"One door, and only one. And yet its sides are two. I am on the inside. On which side are you?" Take care of that today, please. The Ark's door will not remain open much longer.
donaldwhitchard@outlook.com
www.realitycityreverend.com
