Here’s a question for you: How many animals of each kind did Moses take on the ark? The answer, of course, is "None." It was Noah, not Moses, who brought the animals on the ark. Most of you knew that because "Noah and the ark" is probably one of the best known stories in the entire Bible. From songs like "Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord" and "Rise and Shine," to Bill Cosby’s memorable monologue on Noah, to Noah’s Ark Theme Parks at places like Wisconsin Dells, to modern expeditions to find Noah’s ark in the mountains of Turkey, the story of Noah gets lots of at-tention. Because this epic account is so well- known, it is kind of hard to know what to say about Noah and the ark in a sermon. As I was preparing, however, this question came to mind. When Jesus and the New Test-ament apostles read about Noah, what did they see as the important themes? What did they think were the main points of the story? That’s a good question to ask whenever we are studying the Old Testament, so I grabbed a Bible concordance, looked up Noah, and found there are three times when a New Testament writer mentions him. Jesus, Peter and the writer of Hebrews all talk about Noah. So what we are going to do today is look at three lessons from Noah which are highlighted for us in the New Testament and see how they apply to our lives.
Before we get started, I want to give a brief overview of the story for anyone who may not be familiar with it or who maybe has forgotten some of the important details. Noah was a man who lived long ago. We don’t know exactly when, but it was a time of great wickedness and evil upon the earth. Because of that, God decides to destroy the entire human race, except for a man named Noah and his family. The Lord had Noah build a huge boat, an ark, and then had him gather a pair of every kind of animal and bird and bring them into this ark. Then it started to rain, and it rained and rained for forty days. This great deluge that the Lord had sent resulted in a flood that destroyed every living creature on earth, except for Noah, his family, and all the animals and birds which were in the ark. Then, after six months, the waters finally receded and Noah, his family, and all the animals and birds left the ark and went out to repopulate the earth.
Let me just say that I believe this story is not a fairy tale. This event really happened just as the Bible describes. Some Biblical scholars claim Genesis is describing a local flood in Palestine, but I think it is much more extensive than that. It is inter-esting that different religions in various parts of the globe all have stories of a great flood. Some scientists believe certain geological evidence can best be explained by a catas-trophic flood. Some folks claim that the remains of Noah’s ark can be found on a mountain in Turkey. I don’t know about that, but I do believe this is a true story. Let’s pray that God would use His Word to speak to each of us through it today.
So, what are the lessons we learn from Noah? #1) People tend to ignore the reality of judgment. This is true in almost every age. The first reference to Noah in the New Testament is when Jesus is speaking in Matthew 24:37-39 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Sin is a reality both in our day and in Noah’s. The moral decay in our society is obvious. Sexual immorality has become so common that many folks no longer think it is a big deal. Honesty, simply telling the truth, is becoming a lost virtue. Many young people seem to be unable to distinguish between right and wrong. Violent gangs plague not just big cities, but even small towns in northern Minnesota. Thirty years ago a student might put a tack on a teacher’s chair, but now there are students who attack their teachers with knives or guns. But certainly 1998 is no worse than Noah’s day. Genesis 6:5,11 The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. A big reason for this type of epidemic of immorality is that people ignore the reality of God’s judgment. They were breaking every one of God’s commands, but did not even consider the possibility that the Lord would punish them for their diso-bedience. They were like a man today who continually drives 15 mph over the speed limit, but would be absolutely shocked if the police ever stopped him for speeding. Jesus said that people in Noah’s day kept living life and ignoring God, and His point is, they will continue to be that way. Even as the culmination of history approaches, when Jesus Christ will return to earth, people will still go on living in rebellion against God, giving no thought to the consequences of their sin.
Certainly we see this in our day. Many people want nothing to do with God, they never go to church, and never read the Bible. They don’t hesitate to violate God’s commands, and some even claim the Ten Commandments are outdated and irrelevant. Most never seem to consider the possibility that God will punish them for their behavior. Some who do even joke about it. Ted Turner once said, "If indulging in wine and women means you end up in hell, that’s where I want to go." In churches, many folks are un-comfortable with the topic of God’s judgment and even the concept of hell. They prefer a nice, loving God, who is always trying to help everyone. But God will punish evil. That is an important part of His character. Exodus 34:6,7 "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished;..."
We need to realize about the impor-tance of judgment. Parents know that both rewards and punishments are essential parts of raising children. No society could exist by simply rewarding citizens for good behavior. Giving everyone $100 a week for being good would not eliminate the need for policemen, fines, and jails. Punishment is a necessary part of restraining evil. Sometimes we expect God to exercise judgment. Whether it is Hitler and the Nazi atrocities, or the terrorists who bomb our embassies, we want God to punish these evil people. Something inside of us would think it very unjust if God invited Adolph Hitler into heaven to share a mansion with Billy Graham. When someone who has wronged us goes unpunished, we can even become angry with God. Yet, if we wrong God, which is something we do every time we sin, we somehow conclude that punishment would be inappropriate. Friends, God’s judgment is fair and just. Without it the world would not be a good one. Though people may deny it, doubt it, or ignore it, God’s judgment is a reality. He will not let the wicked go unpunished. One day, every human being, no matter who they are or what they are like, will stand before the Lord. This is a fact. And people living in 1998 need to remember this just as much as the people who lived in Noah’s day and in Jesus’ day did.
We as Christians need to remember it too. When I was a kid we used to play marbles. Before every game, we would have to decide whether we were going to play for keeps, or for fun. You always used a different strategy if you were playing for keeps. I’m afraid many Christians today have forgotten that the church is playing for keeps. Billions of people on this planet are in danger of experiencing God’s judgment, not in a flood but, in plain English, eternal hell. Friends, here at First Baptist Church we emphasize a positive message. We trumpet God’s grace for us in Jesus Christ and glory in the hope that it gives. But, the reality of God’s judgment is something we cannot ig-nore. We cannot pretend verses like Rev-elation 20:15 do not exist: If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. We are playing for keeps. If we have friends or family members, or even people we barely know, who are ignoring the reality of God’s judgment, we need to tell them the truth and warn them of the consequences of rejecting Jesus Christ.
The second lesson from Noah is that God’s people will be spared from His judgment. The apostle Peter refers to Noah in 2 Peter 2:4,5,9 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. Now, there are some things in those verses which are a little tough to understand, but the main point is clear. God’s people will be protected, even when the Lord is executing judgment on the ungodly. That is what happened in Noah’s day. Genesis 7:7,23,24,8:1 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark. The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days. But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. Though the flood destroys the entire population, Noah, his wife, three sons and their three wives are safe and dry inside the ark. That is what Peter latches onto. God protects His people in the midst of judgment. How does this apply to those of us today who are Christians? Two ways.
#1) God rescues us from eternal judgment, from hell. This is the most terrible of God’s punishments, the one which lasts forever and ever. It is not a topic many of us like to think about, but it is reality. And whether the Biblical descriptions of the fires of hell are literal or symbolic, the bottom line is that hell is a total, absolute, permanent separation from God. And, do you know what? That is something which God’s people will never experience. John 5:24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." The other day I asked myself, "How often do I thank God for rescuing me from hell?" I’m not a total ingrate. I thank God for His blessings, for family and friends, for protection and pro-vision, for peace and joy in Jesus Christ. But often I forget to specifically thank God for rescuing me from hell. I suspect one reason for this is because, like we talked about before, I forget the reality of God’s judgment. I forget that without Jesus Christ, I, not just Adolph Hitler, car bombers or ax murderers, would be destined for hell. A few years ago, when American troops went to the island country of Grenada and rescued the medical students there, one of them was interviewed on TV and said, "I will never forget those who rescued me." God’s people must never forget that He has rescued us from eternal judgment.
#2) The story of Noah shows us that God protects His people when adversity strikes and when difficult times come. Now, it certainly would have been more convenient for Noah and his family if there never would have been a flood. The ark was a big place. But to be stuck in it for six months with all those animals could not have been a pleasant experience. I’m sure it got pretty crowded, pretty fast. Whenever I go to a zoo, I always notice some very un-pleasant odors. I can’t imagine the smell on the ark. God’s protection of Noah and his family didn’t mean life was easy. But it did mean they would survive the flood. Their affliction was temporary. Within a few months, they could take a deep breath and smell the fresh air.
This illustrates a very important point. Nowhere in the Bible does God promise His people freedom from adversity. Whether we like it or not, Christians sometimes have trouble paying their bills, Christians some-times get fired from jobs, Christians sometimes get D’s on their report cards, Christians sometimes play for teams that don’t win a game all season, Christians sometimes have terrible conflicts in their marriage, Christians sometimes get sick, Christians sometimes die. But, like Noah, our afflictions, our troubles, are all temporary. God will be with us and will protect us in the midst of our trials. That is a testimony I have heard over and over again from those Christians in other countries who have suffered persecution for their faith in Jesus. Friends, if you are a genuine Chris-tian, the good news is that no matter what you are going through, no matter how hard it is, it’s going to be OK. You are going to make it. It may not be fun, but God is with you. It was not fun in the ark, but it was a lot better inside the ark than outside. It is much better to be going through a tough time with God beside you, than to be going through an easy time without the Lord.
Lesson #3) Like Noah, we should be a man or woman of faith. Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. The point here is Noah’s faith. Noah trusts God enough to obey Him. He trusted God enough to obey commands which must have seemed bizarre. Maybe you remember the Bill Cosby monologue. "Noah, build me an ark," the Lord says. After a few seconds, Noah responds, "What’s an ark?" We need to recognize that it is Noah’s faith which allows him to escape God’s judgment. Faith enables him to experience God’s protection. An important verse is Genesis 6:9 Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. What does it mean to be righteous? It doesn’t mean that Noah had never sinned. When we read Genesis 9, we see him sinning. The verse does mean that Noah was basically a good, godly person. But, the big question is: How did he get that way? His faith? Yes, that’s involved, but most importantly Genesis 6:8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. The King James Version says, "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Noah did not find favor because he was a righteous man, but rather he became righteous because he found favor from the Lord. Like everyone else in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, Noah is a righteous person because of God’s grace alone, and he experienced that righteousness through faith alone.
Friends, the same thing is true for each of us. None of us can ever earn God’s favor. If God were looking for men and women who on their own, without any help from the Lord, were living righteous lives, He would come up empty. Those people don’t exist. As God so clearly tells us in Romans 3:23,10 ...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one;..." All are sinners, no one is righteous. Yet, in His grace, God chooses to show favor to many. He enables people to stop trusting in themselves and put their trust in Jesus Christ. That is how someone becomes a Christian, a child of God. When by God’s grace we trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we escape eternal hell and find God’s protection in the midst of judgment. Friends, there is nothing more important than making sure our faith is truly in Jesus Christ. Because if we are not a believer in Jesus, a genuine Christian, we are in just as much danger as those people standing outside the ark when the door closed. No matter how good they were as swimmers, they were not going to make it through the flood. No matter how religious or good a person we may be, we are never going to be good enough to escape God’s judgment. We can only experience God’s salvation by turning to Jesus Christ. If you have not done that, that is what you need to do today.
A second question Noah helps us answer is what does it mean to have faith in Christ? As we have said before, there are lots of folks who say they "believe in Jesus" but who are not genuine Christians. They believe in Jesus the same way they believe in Abraham Lincoln. They believe both men existed and were good guys. But, that is not genuine, Biblical faith. Noah shows that one of the marks of genuine faith is that it leads to action. Hebrews says that because Noah had faith, he obeyed God as Genesis 6:22 says: Noah did everything just as God commanded him. If Noah said, "Sure, I believe You, God," but then never got around to building the ark, he would have gotten wet, and he would have demonstrated that his faith was not real. One of my great fears as a pastor is that perhaps there are people who are in this room almost every Sunday, who like listening to the sermons, who think they are fine Christians, but who have never really trusted Jesus Christ. Oh, they believe in their head that Jesus existed and died on the cross, and even that He rose from the dead. They may have once repeated a prayer someone told them to pray. They think they have their ticket to heaven. But they are wrong. Because their faith is only in their head and not in their heart, because they have never trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, they are not true Christians. They are outside the ark and they will not experience God’s salvation. One of the things that God calls me to do as a pastor is to help folks like that see their need to turn to Jesus. Friends, I don’t care if you have been a member of this church for years, I don’t care if all of your friends and family members think you are a believer in Christ, if you have not truly put your trust in Jesus Christ, it is time to do that today. If you are not sure what that means, make sure you talk to me after the service. This is very im-portant. You don’t want to be left outside the ark.
There is one final lesson for us as we conclude our story. In Genesis 9:14-16, the Lord sends a rainbow to remind us of His promise never to destroy the world again through a flood. As Christians, we need to look for the rainbows and remember what they mean. Let me give you this assignment. Next time you see a rainbow, be reminded that as a Christian, you will never experience God’s wrath. Oh, we will go through tough times, but we will never experience His wrath. And when you remember that, re-joice. Even if you have serious health problems, rejoice, because that rainbow reminds you God will spare you from His wrath. Even though you may have a very difficult situation at home, rejoice, because that rainbow reminds you God will protect you while others experience that wrath. Even though you may be lonely, and frustrated with difficult situations in your life, rejoice, because that rainbow reminds you that you are eternally safe, not in a wooden ark, but in the most secure shelter of all, our Lord Jesus Christ. Look for the rainbow, and rejoice in what it means.
Go to www.life.1stbaptist.org/sermons.htm for Pastor Dan’s full text Bible based sermon site
