Salvation Cruise

Illustration: Who Are the Saved OR Evangelicals? Gallup has at times asked 3 qualifying questions to make the determination; have you had a born-again experience committing yourself to Jesus Christ, have you tried to encourage someone to believe in Christ, and do you believe the Bible is the infallible Word of God? 22% of Americans agree with all 3 questions, says a 5/05 Gallup Poll. (Gallup Alert 12/2/05)

How many of us have been on a cruise ship? We went on one for a whale watching cruise in the Atlantic from Boston. Would you get on one if you were told that it did not have a rudder or engine and did not know the destination? Well there was one enterprising man who took the risk with God and got on and not alone but with his family and a zoo of animals. Did he regret it?

Introduction: We see the rapture of Enoch who was of the 7th generation (perfect number). Noah was of the 10th generation. Can you imagine how the folks of Noah’s day reacted to the building of that ark!

Along with His instructions regarding the design and construction of the ark, God gave Noah a promise. The Noahic Covenant would be formalized with Noah after the flood, but God wanted to assure Noah of the outcome before the onslaught of the flood. How much easier it is to undergo trials and tests when we know the outcome ahead of time. God promised Noah that He would make a covenant with him and his family, and then instructed him to gather food and pairs of every breathing creature to put on board the ark. Of the clean animals, Noah was to take seven pairs (7:2-3) – for sacrifice unto God; of the unclean animals, one pair each (6:19-20).

After many years of construction, the ark was finally completed. God commanded Noah to take the animals into the ark, and Noah did so (7:1-9). It was not until seven days had passed that the flood commenced. It would seem that it took a week to load all of the animals on board. Perhaps God was giving the animals time to settle down before the trauma of the flood came. The day that the floods did come was the day Noah and his family entered the ark, and God shut the door. The day of salvation abruptly ended for the people of the earth. For 40 days and nights, the heavens gushed with rain, and waters also emerged from beneath the earth (7:10-23). If the floodwaters came over a 40-day period, they prevailed for another 150 days (7:24).

What did it take for Noah + his family to be saved?

1. Without Corruption or Violence (sin) ch6 vs. 11-13: Moses goes on to write, “Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.” Three times in 6:11-12 we are told how “corrupt” the earth had become ruined / spoiled / decay (contradictory to chap1:31). When society validates sinful practices like homosexuality, aborts babies and indulges in human sacrifices, we must remember, they are in their last stages of decay (e.g. Sodom & Gomorrah). The word for “violence” is used of robbery, taking wives by force, and murder. The entire social fabric had disintegrated, and human life was no longer sacred or respected (see Isaiah 59:6-8). The two words “corrupt” and “violence” (Psalms 14:1-3) give us respectively the character and expression of the sin, the cause, and the effect. The corruption has led to violence, for badness always leads to cruelty in one form or another. A life that is wrong with God necessarily becomes wrong with its fellows. It is critical to recognize that Noah lived in terrible days. The world around him was degraded and depraved; yet Noah lived an above reproach life. When all the people around him were immersing themselves in evil and earning the wrath and judgment of God, Noah set his heart to follow the path found in the person and character of God. He was set apart. He stood his ground and remained uninfluenced by all that was happening around him. If Noah was, so can you. God has given us everything “pertaining to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).

2. Obedience to God ch6 vs. 14 – 22: Does not mean that he never sinned. One of sins is recorded in ch9 v20ff. That does not validate and give us a license to continue in sin. Can you imagine how the folks of Noah’s day reacted to the building of that ark! First, it was so big. Second, it was so ugly. Third, it seemed so useless. Fourth, it was offensive because of what it signified. It was an outward sign of God’s coming judgment upon the world. Noah was a most unusual “preacher.” Every day he spent working on that ark was another sermon, another warning of the coming wrath of God upon sinners. Who wanted a constant reminder of their sins and of God’s coming judgment?