Father’s day is a special day for all men. It is a day to celebrate the uniqueness and blessing of manhood and masculinity.
At the Wisconsin Dells near Chicago, there is celebration of men and what guys do like no one else; they do belly flops. Interesting enough, the Water Park at the Wisconsin Dells is called: “The Noah’s Ark Water Park.”
Evidently, the staff at the Noah’s Ark Water Park noticed a group of guys who held their own little “belly flop contest” one day and thought: “This would be a great Father’s day contest” and the rest is history.
It is believed that men have the biggest bellies and that men are the most gifted when it comes to belly flops and they even say that the red mark on their bellies is “a badge of honor” for the belly floppers.
They promise on their marketing fliers that the event is not “a flop” and that for the last several years it had not gone “belly up” because the men love winning things like Coleman coolers and light up outdoor umbrellas, and other things like a year’s supply of Cheetos.
The event starts at 1 o’clock up there so if you want to make a mad dash to the airport and fly up to Chicago, you should be able to participate because the event is not over until 5 p.m. and there an hours difference in your favor.
Explanation:
I was Googling this week the question: “What are Dad’s best known for?” In case you are wondering, the #1 is not belly flops.
Here’s the top 5:
#5- Be crazy about their lawn
#4- Saying: “Ask your Mom.”
#3- Sneezing really loud
#2- (Older men) Knowing all the local gas prices
#1- Having thick wallets
Yet today, we’re going to meet a Dad known for something more meaningful; he was a Dad, known for His faith.
It’s significant when God; who is known as a Father, highlights a father and puts Him in the Bible; specifically in Hebrews 11-- God’s trophy case of faith.
This Dad’s name is Noah. Noah is mentioned not only in the Old Testament but also in the New Testament. As a matter of fact, Jesus himself talked about Noah and affirmed the fact that Noah not only lived but that the world-wide flood occurred. (Matthew 24 and Luke 17)
In this mentioning, God honors Noah, as he also calls everyone to honor Fathers who live by faith. These Dads are a treasure and should also be honored by their wives, children, and others. Furthermore, they are to be respected, followed, as they are called to lead like Jesus.
Transitional Sentence: What makes a Godly man someone God wants to honor?
I. Your Simple Obedience Makes God Want To Honor You
vs. 7- “By faith Noah being warned by God about the things not seen...”
Explanation:
What is notable about Noah?
1. He as the Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great Grandson of Adam. It was the ninth
generation from Adam. (People multiplied quickly and so did sin.)
2. Noah was the family leader of 8 people. (Noah, his wife, three sons, and the son’s wives.)
3. Noah was God’s catalyst that through speaking to Noah, His family was saved.
4. Noah did this by building an ark resulting the salvation of his family.
Those are some pretty monumental things about a man. But most notable by God was the impact He made on his family. Think about it: Through God’s relationship salvation came to Noah’s household.
This is not the only place where we find men of God bringing salvation to His household. How did Noah do this? He just simply obeyed God. BTW- this flood happened only after 1,656 years after Adam was created per the timeline of scripture. (It didn’t take long for man’s sin to increase to it a level of judgment.)
There were many reasons why Noah could have taken another route. For one, he was warned about a flood in a world where it had never rained. Not to mention, according to theologians he was 11,000 km from the closest ocean. That’s 6,835 miles away!!!
In verse 6 we read: “By faith Noah, being warned by God about things no yet seen...” Can you imagine that conversation? God said: “Noah, it’s going to rain.” To which Noah got out his dictionary and looked up the word rain and nothing was there.
Noah didn’t have a clue of what rain was. Yet, it didn’t really matter. What mattered was that Noah believed God and went to work building an ark and it saved his household.
Here’s the fact: Noah did not let his questions hold him back. He did not waste His time demanding to understand the details of rain; if he did they would have all perished.
He simply asked God to give the instructions on what to do next and He did it. He just obeyed God.
I think it’s almost humorous that God did not explain rain, but gave such specific details about the measurements of the ark. The verbal blueprint was provided and Noah went to work sawing lumber according to God’s measurements.
Noah became a man of God and matured in his faith by simply moving into child mode. He knew he couldn’t understand all God was up to so he didn’t even try to understand; instead, he just moved forward by faith.
This is what Jesus said: “He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said, I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18: 2-4
He wants us to be simple, single-minded, teachable, and dependent on God.
Illustration: Charlie Duke
Chuck Swindoll interviewed Charlie Duke who flew on the Apollo 16 mission and walked on the moon.
In the interview, Swindoll asked: “What is the most important thing you have to remember as an astronaut?” Charlie immediately said: “Do what you are told to do without questioning it. Once you are in the moon, you aren’t free to make your own decisions and carry out your own experiments, complete obedience is primary.”
Swindoll asked: “Isn’t that hard to do as a mature, trained, astronaut?” Charlie replied: “Yes if you are not interested in returning to earth.”
Duke explained that it takes discipline to complete the mission and every step is planned in precise detail. He said: “While Star Wars may have rebels in the movies, NASA does not have space, time, or fuel for one second of someone’s personal questions and personal choices.”
Application:
Dad’s like Noah trust God and His plan. God rewarded Noah because the Bible says that He built the ark in “reverence.” vs. 7
The word “reverence” (eulabeia) means “spiritual devotion, respect, and awe”- In other words, every lick of the hammer was a movement of trust and faith.
In verse 7 we read that Noah listened to God and it brought salvation to his household. What a great testimony of the value of being a man of God. Thank God for Dads like Noah who “question less” and “trust God” more.
In short, he let God be God.
Transitional Sentence: What makes a Godly man someone that God wants to honor?
II. You Rely on God and It Pleases God to Honor You
vs. 5- “...built an ark...”
Explanation:
Have you ever sat down and considered the monumental task that Noah was given? God actually gave him two jobs:
a) Built and ark
b) Preach to the last generation
One of those jobs was enough for most, but God gave him a big job and guess how old Noah was? 500 years old!
The Bible tells us that Noah was 600 years old when the flood waters came. Genesis 7:6
It took him a century to build the ark, yet while he was building; He was preaching. Yet, from his preaching he only had a few converts. He had his wife, three boys, and their wives. He was probably not going to get the “preacher of the year award.”
Not to mention, Noah was a farmer. He had no experience building ocean liners. Yet, God told him to build a boat that was going to weigh more than 18,000 tons and construct it on their pasture land somewhere.
Imagine the cost as well. Can you imagine fitting this into your budget? Food, house payment, and then.... the boat payment? ?
Recently, I Googled to try to see what it cost to build the Ark in Kentucky. The cost exceeded $100 million dollars. Do the math. That’s 1 million for every year Noah preached. No small financial project. Right?
According to the dimensions of the ark it was 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.
That’s the size of 1 ½ football fields long and the width of a 6 lane interstate, and as tall as a four story building.
The total deck space was 96,000 square feet and the total volume of 3 decks would have been 1.3 million cubic feet.
Genesis 6:14 tells us that these decks were subdivided into rooms. The Hebrew word for rooms is “nests.” (Hebrew- qen)
We are told that there were about 35,000 species of land animals, all in pairs meaning that there were at least 70,000 animals on board.
Now put this together: How on the world could a farmer build the biggest barge ever, miraculously load 70,000 animals on board, provide the right foods for a year and be able to get all the animals to cooperate?
There’s only one answer: You’d need a miracle working God.
With God, all things are possible.
Listen: Without God Noah would not have driven the first nail or captured the first skunk. Yet, God is God and He can do anything.
For Daniel, God shut the mouths of hungry lions.
For Elijah, God made the ravens serve “meals on wings”
For Jonah, God made a fish his UBER pick-up.
For Peter, God made a fish his ATM to withdraw money for taxes.
For Balaam, God made a donkey his preacher.
For Noah, God made the boat float.
Godly men know how big God is. Jesus explained: “With man this is impossible but with God, all things are possible.” Mark 10:27
Thank God for Dad’s and men of God who rely on God and build households that do the same.
Transitional Sentence: What makes Godly man someone God wants to honor?
III. You Faith In God’s Savior Promises That God Honors You
vs. 6- “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
Explanation:
In verse 6 we read: “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
One of the most intriguing things that we read about Noah is that he was rewarded by God. God in those days was not seen as a rewarder. Disobedience to God is often a result of people looking at God as if he is an impersonal, overbearing God.
The word “rewarder” is an interesting word. It reveals that the reward is “God’s personal presence.” God got personal with Noah.
Only a personal God can reward. A force cannot reward. A higher power cannot reward. Only a personal God can reward. If your dog does something you like; you reward him. If your child accomplishes something you reward them. Why? You are personally involved in their life.
God was being pushed out of everyone’s life in Noah’s day. They did not need God; therefore they did not seek God.
Jeremiah 29:13: “You will seek me and you will find me when you seek for me with all your heart.” This is God as a personal rewarder.
David knew this and as a Dad told His son Solomon: “If you seek Him he will be found by you.”
I Chronicles 28:9
Noah believed that God was a personal God and he sought and depended on God every day.
Illustration: Albert Einstein- Believed in God, but....
Albert Einstein believed in God. Did you know this? He said: “Certainly there is a God; any man who does not believe in a cosmic force, is a fool.” Yet Einstein concluded, “But He is unknowable.”
Einstein was smart enough to admit there was a God; but he did not understand Jesus. He did not know that through Jesus; God was “knowable” and could save him from his sins.”
Application:
The Bible tells us that the purpose for “the ark” was: “for salvation.”
I was reading this week and interesting fact about the size of the vessel. An engineer that studied the number of animals and people on board the ark said this: “Half the deck space would not even be needed, which means that there was room enough on the ark for several thousand people.”
In other words, God provided space for many more to come; yet they did not. They could have believed and come aboard the ark and escaped the wrath of destruction; yet they made a conscious decision that even though they knew there was a God; to turn away His salvation.
It is interesting to know that Noah is the first man in the Bible to be called “righteous.” In Genesis 6:9 the Bible says of Noah that he was: “A righteous man , blameless in his time, Noah walked with God.”
Isn’t that interesting? If you practically look at Noah, you could take note of several things he did that were wrong and sinful. Yet, God calls him righteous and blameless.
So was Noah really righteous and blameless?
Practically, He was a sinner; but spiritually, he was saved do you know why? Two things:
a) Grace - “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord”- Genesis 6:8
b) Faith- “By faith, Noah...” Hebrews 11:7
In the same way that Noah believed God and entered into the Ark; we believe God and enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
In I Peter 3:20 Peter, who was often self -reliant used the ark to describe salvation saying: “...during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons were brought safely through the water.”
He uses this to describe Jesus as the “Ark of Our Salvation.”
Conclusion:
Two things about the ark that remind us of Jesus:
1. One thing was its materials
One of the most interesting things about the ark was the materials that God wanted it made from.
“Make yourself an Ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch” Genesis 6:14
Gopherwood is cypress, which will not rot, and “pitch” is tar. Interestingly, this is not the usual word for pitch—this word is translated in the rest of the Bible as atonement.
The material all pointed to the one who would save us from our sins. Jesus Christ. Peter even used this idea in I Peter to describe Jesus. I Peter 3: 18-20. The ark provides an unmistakable picture of Jesus.
The water was God’s judgment, would not penetrate the God man whose flesh and blood would provide an atonement for our sin.
2. The other was that it was a model
Notice that God does not say the ark has a prow or stern. Archaeologists tell us these are the dimensions of an ancient coffin on a supersize level.
The ancients built their coffins out of cypress because it would not decay. Why is the ark a giant model of a coffin? Because when Noah came into that ark, it pictured to a place of death, that ultimately gave him life.
That’s who Jesus is to you and me.
Many men through the ages brought their families to Jesus.
1. Joshua brought his family to the Lord saying: “As for me and my house, we will serve the
Lord.” Joshua 24:25
2. Noah brought his family to the Lord as the verse says: “By faith Noah... prepared an ark for
the salvation of his household...” Hebrews 11: 7
3. Jesus told a parable about a wise man who “built his house on the rock...”
4. The Philippian Jailer was saved as Paul said to him: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household... immediately he was baptized, he and his household. ” Acts 16:31-32
Invitation:
Men, how about your household? Today is a good day for you and your household. It is a good day to step out and step up like Noah and be saved, and share that salvation with your family.
