The story of Noah in the Ark is picturesque with types and shadows concerning salvation. Many lessons have been drawn from this historical account that have blessed and benefited the people of God for millenniums. This ancient narrative has a message for us in these present times.
As the Apostle Paul looked forward into the future he warned Timothy(II TIM 3:1) that dangerous days would descend. Perilous times were coming. Sadly, those days have arrived. The newspapers and newscasters headline and highlight how dangerous the times are. From teenagers to old-agers, everyone is affected.
I pastor full time and work part time in law enforcement and I can tell you that wickedness and wicked people are pandemic. Crime is not only occurring in the city, it is in every little community in the country.
On the tragic occassion of the Columbine, Colorado school massacre in April of 1999, a Pastor of one of the slain students made a profound observation that has stuck in my heart. His timely statement was, " the only real security in this world is in Christ."
Now, when Noah was in the Ark there was no doubt, to any clear thinking person, that he was in the safest place in the world at that time. The Ark is a picture of the safety of the saint in Christ.
TO BE IN CHRIST IS TO BE IN THE SAFEST PLACE IN THE WORLD....!
What a marvelous consolation for these days
J Vernon McGee suggested that there are 3 Arks in the Old Testament. Each of them suggest a shelter.
Noah’s Ark... The saint is sheltered from the WRATH of God’s SEVERITY
Ark of Moses...The saint is sheltered from the WORK of SATAN
Ark of God in the Tabernacle...The saint is sheltered from the WAGES of SIN.
It was on that Ark in the Tabernacle that the blood covered the broken law.
THE ARK OF NOAH WAS...
I) A PLACE OF SALVATION
Note three things relative to the Ark and salvation.
1) Noah and his Faith
It was by faith that Noah came to this salvation (HEB 11:7)
2) Noah and his Family
It was not only Noah that was saved but also his family.
One of the highlights in John Bunyan’s "PILGRIMS PROGRESS" is that Christian’s family joined the journey.
There was room in the Ark for Noah’s family and there is room in the kingdom for our families.
3) Noah and his Future
This man’s future was secured by being in the Ark.
II) A PLACE OF SANCTUARY
Noah found refuge in the Ark. In olden times the sanctuary was a place of refuge. In the book of Ezekiel chapter 11 the Lord, through his prophet, offers a refuge to a people that are cast away. In verse 16 the reassurance is given that, "...Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them a little sanctuary in the countries where
they shall come." The promise was not that God would BUILD for them a sanctuary, but that He would Himself BE their sanctuary. The Lord would be a place, for them, away from the...
Threats
Thunder and
Terror...of judment.
God knows how to lift the word "calm" out of "calamity" and put it into our hearts.
A pastor taking care of his last details before closing the church after a Sunday morning service noticed a lady sitting in one of the pews. He approached her and asked if something were wrong, or perhaps, there was something he could help her with. She replied,"No". The lady proceeded to explain that things were so bad in her home that she just wanted to sit there for awhile and feel the auora of sacredness,
serenity, and peace that filled the sanctuary.
While others were experiencing the hand of God’s Severity; Noah was experiencing a heart of God’s Serenity.
III) A PLACE OF SEPARATION
Noah was separated from the rest of the world. Separation from the world is a Biblical concept and principal that we would do well to reconsider and reinforce in our lives. It needs to be made clear that this Ark wasn’t filled with lifeboats...IT WAS THE LIFEBOAT. IT WAS THE ONLY LIFEBOAT! Christ alone, is only able to save.
IV) A PLACE OF SATISFACTION
I realize that Noah’s Ark was not a floating paradise or palace. However, when God shut the door and the raindrops began to cascade over the earth, a place in that Ark was worth more than any piece of real estate in the world. Noah was glad to be there...He was SATISFIED. To be in Christ is to be in the safest place in the world.
