NOAH AND THE ARK:
HOW COULD A LOVING GOD DESTROY THE WORLD?
This morning we are continuing the sermon series on the stained glass windows. I started this series because I believe that each one of the pictures in the stained glass windows has something to say to us about who God is. Each picture has something to teach us about the person and the nature of God. Today we’re going to consider the stained glass window that has the picture of Noah’s Ark.
The story of Noah and the Ark is one of the oldest and the most well-known stories in the world. Many different people and many different cultures have a story about a flood. It is universal. But you know, when I was a kid, we had a word for stories like this. Do you know what we called stories like Noah and the Ark? We called them “whoppers.” Truly, this is an amazing and incredible story. Let me illustrate.
[Skit]
John: Well, it’s another day at the offices of Conner & Winters, attorneys at law. Another day fighting for justice and the American Way. Another day defending our corporate clients against the lunatic fringe. Hmm, let’s see what kind of devious brief I can write today.
God: John.
John: [Picking up the telephone.] Conner & Winters - John Bugg speaking.
God: John.
John: Yes, who’s there?
God: John, it’s Me [echoing].
John: Who is this?
God: Has it been so long that you do not recognize My voice?
John: Huh?
God: Put down the phone, John. It’s Me -- GOD [echoing].
John: [Putting down the phone] What is this?
God: I have a mission for you.
John: Is this some kind of joke?
God: This is no joke, John. I have decided to destroy the world.
John: Oh my God.
God: Yes, John. Listen carefully. There is an invisible, undetectable wave of subatomic particles traveling through space. It is headed toward this planet. It will reach the earth in one hundred years. When it hits, every living thing will die.
John: Are you sure you want to do that?
God: As much as it breaks My heart, yes. I cannot stand the evil any longer.
John: Should I warn everybody?
God: Yes, but it will not do any good. They will not listen. I’ve tried.
John: You said you had a mission for me?
God: Yes. I want you to build a space shuttle.
John: Have you lost your ...?
God: DO NOT QUESTION ME AGAIN! [echoing].
John: Yes, Lord.
God: You will build a space shuttle! After it is built, I will gather two of every living creature - male and female - to travel with you into space. When the wave of destruction has passed, you will return to earth. This is the only way to save My creation.
John: Whatever you say, Lord.
God: Here are the plans for the space shuttle. [Pause] You may want to take this down.
John: [Picking up a pad and pencil.]
God: You should probably use your computer to save this information. It will take you almost one hundred years to complete the project.
John: No kidding.
God: I suggest you use WordPerfect. Are you ready?
John: Yes, Lord.
God: You shall make the space shuttle out of gopher fibers. You shall make the space shuttle with plenty of rooms. You shall cover it inside and out with pitch filament to protect against the subatomic wave.
John: I know you said not to ask any questions, but what are gopher fibers and pitch filament?
God: I said not to question Me. I did not forbid you to ask questions. There is a difference. But your questions can wait till later.
John: Yes, Lord.
God: Now these are the dimensions of the space shuttle. The length of the space shuttle shall be 450 feet. Its width shall be 75 feet. And its height shall be 45 feet. Are you getting this?
John: Yes, Lord. 450 by 75 by 45.
God: You shall also make a window in the space shuttle and place it 18 inches from the top. Put a door in the side of the space shuttle and make it with lower, second and third decks. That will do to get you started. Do you have any questions?
John: I have a million, but could you do me one favor?
God: Ask, and it shall be given; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened.
John: What?
God: State your request.
John: Would you please clear this with my wife, because she is never going to believe me?
God: I’ll try.
[End Skit]
How would you like to come home and tell your wife that story? It is an amazing and incredible story. It is also a very disturbing one.
In our day and time, we have a tendency to focus on the sweet, furry animals coming two-by-two onto Noah’s Ark. We like to talk about the animals and the rainbow. But we forget that as a result of the flood every living human being, with the exception of eight, died. If you do the math, even the oldest person in the Bible, Methuselah, died in the flood. At the very least, he died in the year of the flood. I do not know about you, but that bothers me. What could Noah and the Ark possibly teach us? What does this story tell us about who God is?
The question for today is on a list of questions many people would like to ask God. The question for today is, “How could a loving God destroy the world?” In other words, “How could a loving, compassionate God send a person to hell?”
Recently, I heard the true story about a couple who enrolled their little girl in a private Christian school. They were so excited about their daughter going to this “Christian” school. One day when the daughter came home from school, the parents asked her, “What did you learn in school today?” When the little girl told them the story of Noah and the Ark -- about how God destroyed everyone except for Noah and his family -- the parents were outraged. They could not believe that their little girl had been exposed to such an awful story. They were so outraged that they withdrew their little girl from the school with this parting comment, “My God wouldn’t do that.”
If we are honest with ourselves, that is not a surprising response to the story of Noah and the Ark. It truly is a disturbing story. So what does the story of Noah and the Ark tell us about who God is? What does it have to teach us about the person and the nature of God?
I. God’s Holiness Demands Judgment.
The first truth that the story of Noah and the Ark has to teach us about God is found in Genesis chapter 6. If we start at the beginning of the story, the first thing we learn is that God’s holiness demands judgment. Let me repeat that. God’s holiness demands judgment. In Genesis 6:5-7, the scripture says:
(5) Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of his heart was only evil continually. (6) And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. (7) And the Lords said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” [NASB]
Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be God? Genesis 6:6 tells us. Verse 6 tells us that it hurts to be a Holy God. If you underline your Bible, underline that last phrase in verse 6 where it says, “He was grieved in His heart.” God looked down upon the earth and He saw the wickedness of man -- the evil, the sin, whatever word you want to call it -- and it broke His heart. It broke His heart because He is Holy and He is pure.
To best understand what it means there in Genesis 6:6, when it says that God was “grieved in His heart,” you need to flip over to another place in scripture where that same Hebrew word is used. In II Samuel, we read the story of how King David’s son, Absalom, led a revolt against his own father, David. Absalom succeeded in taking over as king, but in II Samuel 18, Absalom is killed in the battle. At the end of that chapter, there is a heart-breaking scene when King David learns of his son’s death. In II Samuel 18:33 it says that David was deeply moved and wept, crying out, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!” Then in II Samuel 19:2, the scripture says that David was “grieved” for his son. The Hebrew word translated “grieved” in II Samuel 19:2 is the same Hebrew word used in Genesis 6:6 to describe the anguish of God’s heart at the wickedness of Noah’s day. The same Hebrew word for “grieved” in Genesis 6:6 is used to describe how King David felt when he first heard the news that his son, Absalom, had been killed in his war of revolt against David. Do you catch that? The Hebrew word for “grieved” used in Genesis 6:6 is used to describe how a loving father feels when his son dies before they have a chance to reconcile.
In our culture today, we are really uncomfortable with the concepts of holiness and judgment. Southern Baptists are sometimes ridiculed because we have been known to preach “hellfire and brimstone”. People today are simply uncomfortable with judgment. I know I am. Yet, one of the first truths that God tried to teach man in the Bible is that He is holy – that He is a holy God. If you look through the Old Testament there are several examples of how people responded whenever they came face to face with the Holy God.
Do your remember when Moses ascended Mount Sinai to receive the law from God? Do you remember what the Bible had to say about the appearance of Moses when he came down after receiving the Commandments? The Bible said that his face was shining. His face appeared to be on fire because he had been in the presence of the holy, righteous God.
Later, Job came face to face with the holy God. At one point in Job’s life, after experiencing all the suffering and injustice in his life -- he lost his family, his children, his wealth, his health -- Job was sitting there with boils on his body looking up to heaven. At that point, Job’s friends were counseling him to curse God and die, but Job continued to ask, “Why, why, why, why?” Finally, the holy God came to answer Job’s questions. You can read about it in chapter 40 of Job. Do you know what Job had to say when God showed up in chapter 40? This is the John Bugg translation. Job said, “Well shut my mouth.” Actually, in Job 40:4, Job said, “Behold I am insignificant and I lay my hand over my mouth.” Then, in Job 42:5-6, Job said, “I have heard about You with the hearing of my ear, but now my eyes have seen You and I repent in dust and ashes.” That was Job’s response when he was confronted with the holiness of God.
Isaiah was another person from the Old Testament who saw God. In Isaiah chapter 6, it says that the prophet Isaiah witnessed God sitting on His throne -- high and lifted up. Isaiah heard the chants of the heavenly beings saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts.” Do you recall Isaiah’s response when he saw God? His response was, “Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips.” That is the only possible response when a person comes face to face with the holy God.
When I was in college, I remember studying the Greek philosopher, Plato. Plato proposed that our perception of reality is blurred. Plato believed that we have a poor perception of reality. To express that thought, Plato used the analogy of a cave. He said that we are like people standing in a cave facing a wall, with the entrance of the cave and the light behind us. Facing away from the entrance, our perception of reality is merely the shadows cast upon the wall. So, according to Plato, our vision is blurred and we cannot see a true picture of reality.
Let me borrow that analogy. One of these days, every single one of us will turn around in this cave of life. One of these days, we will all walk through a portal from this world into the next. When that day comes, we will walk into the light of God’s holy day. When that day comes, we will hear for ourselves the sound of the angels singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts.” When that day comes, we will be blinded by the reality of God’s holiness. When that day comes, the Bible says that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess. Do you know why? Because He is more Holy than we can stand. You see, the question is not: “How could a loving God destroy the world?” The question is not: “How could a loving God send a person to Hell?” Those are the wrong questions. The right question is: “How can a holy God forgive us?” The right question is: “How can a holy, perfect, pure God stand us in His heaven?” Those are the questions we should be asking because on the day we each meet God face to face, God’s holiness will demand judgment. The answer to those questions is found in the rainbow -- the sign of the promise.
II. God’s Love Delivers Grace.
The second thing that the story of Noah and the Ark has to teach us about who God is, is simply this: When God’s holiness demands judgment, God’s love delivers grace. Isn’t that beautiful? Flip over to Genesis, chapter 9. Genesis 9:12-15 says:
(12) And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; (13) I set My bow in the cloud and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. (14) And it shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud, (15) and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. [NASB]
At one time, a group of theologians from different faiths and religions gathered in London, England, to discuss religion. On one particular day they were considering the question: “What separates Christianity from all other religions?” That is a great question. Is there anything about Christianity that is different or distinguishes it from every other faith? Quite frankly, the theologians were stumped until C. S. Lewis walked into the room. C. S. Lewis had a simple answer when he heard the question: “What separates Christianity from all other religions?” C.S. Lewis said, “That’s easy. It’s grace.”
After the flood, after the waters had receded, and after only eight people walked out on dry land, God came to Noah in Genesis chapter 9 to make a contract. I know the word there is “covenant.” But that is the Bible word. The legal word is “contract.” God made a contract of grace in the 9th chapter of Genesis and this was the promise of grace that God made in the contract. God said, “I will never, ever do that again. I will never again destroy the earth with a flood.” And then do you know what God did? God signed His contract of grace. Have you ever seen God’s signature? Sure you have. God signed the sky. The rainbow is God’s signature of grace.
Now science would have a real convenient explanation for the rainbow. Science would say something like this: “Well, as the waves of light pass through the prism created by the drops of water in the rain clouds, the light ray is separated into different bands of color creating the display we see in the sky.” That is what science would say about a rainbow. But that explanation is so shallow that science might as well be blind.
Let me ask you a question. What is a bow? The answer is simple. A bow is a weapon. Let me ask you another question. In the form of the rainbow, where is that weapon pointed? It is pointed toward heaven. Now listen to me. If you do not catch anything else, catch this. In the 9th chapter of Genesis, the very first book of the Bible, God’s holiness drew back the bow of judgment. In the gospels of the New Testament, a loving Father let the arrow fly. And, my friends, when that arrow – when that ugly arrow -- found its target, it quivered in the very heart of God.
What does it feel like to be a holy God? It feels like a crown of thorns crushed into your forehead. It feels like nails in your hands and through your feet. It feels like a spear in your side. It feels like rejection and betrayal and denial and death. It hurts to be holy. Do you know why? Because when God’s holiness demands judgment, God’s love delivers grace. You see, at the cross God resolved His internal conflict. At the cross, God solved the eternal dilemma between His holiness which demands judgment and His love which delivers grace. The message of the cross is that when God’s holiness demands judgment, God’s Son takes our punishment.
There is one verse which sums up that truth. We have heard the verse so many times that it is practically worn out. We see it everywhere. We even see it on posters at professional sporting events. The verse is John 3:16. That verse is the absolute purest truth in the Bible.
(16) For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. [NASB]
Once again, the message of John 3:16 is simple. When God’s holiness demands judgment, God’s love delivers grace.
III. Our Faith Determines The Outcome.
There is one last point for you to consider. When God’s holiness demands judgment and when God’s love delivers grace, what you personally believe about God determines the outcome. You see, we each decide who we will meet on judgment day. We decide if we will meet the holy God of judgment or the loving Father of grace.
When I was a teenager, someone gave me an answer to the question: “How could a loving God send a person to hell?” The answer they gave me was that God does not send anyone to hell. We each choose where we will spend eternity. Our faith determines the outcome.
At the beginning of this sermon, I told you the story about the couple who withdrew their little girl from the Christian school because the school taught her the story of Noah and the Ark -- about the destruction of the flood. Their response was: “My God wouldn’t do that.” They refused to believe in a God like Noah’s.
What kind of God do you believe in? Let me tell you something. If you do not believe in a God that is so holy and so pure and so perfect, that your sin breaks His heart -- if your God is not that holy, then your God does not have to love you enough to send His Son to die for you. Do you hear what I am saying? A paternalistic, patronizing view of God’s holiness cheapens His grace and the sacrifice of His Son.
But oh how we love to worry. We worry about the African tribesman who never hears the story of Jesus. We worry about the South American Indian living along the Amazon River who the missionaries never reach. We worry about the Asian and the millions in the heart of China. Are they going to hell? I can only answer that question honestly. I do not know. Do you know what? I have read the entire Bible, but I cannot find Africa. There is no mention of South America. China is not in there. But the Bible tells about a God who is so holy that He hurts and grieves in His heart. And the Bible tells about a God who is so loving that He would rather kill a part of Himself than send any one of us to hell. Now, I believe in a God like that. And because I believe in a God like that, I believe that God will do what is right with the African and the South American and the Asian.
The truth of the matter is that we are not from Africa. We do not live in South America. The chances are that most of us will never make it to China. You and I live in cities like Tulsa, Oklahoma, where there are over 500 churches. We live in cities where it would be very, very hard to find a house anywhere in town that is not within one mile of a church. You see, we do not have any excuses. We know the truth. We have heard the story. And we choose. Our faith determines the outcome.
In John 3:17-18, the next two verses after John 3:16, the scripture says,
(17) For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. (18) He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [NASB]
Those verses teach us that Jesus did not come to judge. That is not why He came. He did not come to judge us. Instead, when God’s holiness demands judgment and when God’s love delivers undeserving grace, your faith determines the outcome.
What determination have you made? What have you decided to believe about the God of Noah and the Ark? Have you ever placed your faith in Jesus Christ to save you from judgment? Your faith will determine the outcome.
