The Gospel According To Noah
Text: Genesis 6:5–8:19 (ESV)
Today’s text is the gospel according to Noah.
In our study of Genesis 1 and 2 we saw how God created man in a relational and physical paradise/utopia. However, Genesis 3 was a spiritual shipwreck. Adam sinned. In Genesis 4 and 5 we saw sinwork out its implications through the descendants of Cain and Seth. Despite man’s best efforts, sin got progressively worse. Man could not reverse its corrosive effects through human effort alone. Man could not save himself. So, in Genesis 6-8 God decides to destroys the earth with a flood and start over.
The story line of the Bible is simple. The gospel is man’s only hope. Noah’s story foreshadows the gospel and points us to it. This morning’s sermon has four points. 1stThe Bad News.2nd The Good News. 3rd The Response of Faith4th God Performs his Word
A.The Bad News
5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart…
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
This is strong language, but this is how God saw it, and this is how he sees it today! (See Romans 3:9-22).
If you had lived during the days of Noah, your sin would have made it impossible, apart from God’s grace, for you to agree with God’s appraisal.
When Jesus returns it will be to a world “like the days of Noah.”
(Matthew 24:37–39) "37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark. And they were unaware until the flood came and swept them away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
Application: I don’t think we are any different today. The earth is just as corrupt (Feminism, Homosexual marriage, Abortion, divorce, etc.)Sin is just as powerful. God’s justice has not changed. The world is under God’s judgment.
Has sin blinded you to your personal evil and our cultural evil? Are you livingonly for today and the material? Are you walking by sight not by faith?
13 “And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”
“All flesh” in verse 13 included women and children.
God said, “I will destroy them.” This meant a great flood. It meant the drowning of millions of people. Vs 17 “Everything that is on the earth shall die.”
To accept the horror of Noah’s flood you must remember that God owes no one mercy. The only thing he owes us is justice. A proud heart is convinced that God owes him favor, and is then angry when he doesn’t get it. He looks at the flood and scoffs or gets angry.
But a humble heart is convinced that God owes him justice. When he doesn’t get the justice he deserves, he spends his life rejoicing in Gods’ kindness, mercy, and grace.
We should not be surprised that everyone dies. Rather, we should be surprised that God shows mercy to anyone, especially when we remember that it is eventually going to be infinitely costly to God to do so.
B.The Good News!
God is merciful. One of the descendants of the woman, a descendant of Seth, has attracted God’s favor. His name is Noah. To him God extends mercy, grace, and love. Blessing, not cursing, is the theme of Genesis. Noah’s story is about God’s blessing—his rich, unmerited favor (grace). The main point of this story is God’s desire to bless the unworthy.
6:8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. 9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.
A few weeks back we learned that, seven generations from Seth, Enoch found favor with God. He “walked with God.” In the same way, Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Verse 9 begins“Noah was a righteous man blameless in his generation.” It ends “Noah walked with God.”What was the basis of Noah’s righteousness? Was he a perfect person? No!
Noah attracted God’s favor the same way everyone does. He believed the gospel. In the OT this meant that he trusted in God’s goodness. He did this by putting his faith in the Messiah to come. This is what it means when the text says Noah “walked with God.” It means that Noah, like Enoch, put his trust and confidence in God’s goodness.
(Hebrews 11:6) ". 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."
There is really only one method of salvation in the Bible—justification by faith alone. Relationship with God has always been by faith. On the basis of this faith God extended to Noah a means of salvation.
6:14-18, “Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. 16 Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you…..
Notice: God doesn’t just show mercy to Noah, he saves his entire family (7 additional people). His family finds refuge in their father’s faith. Notice: it is not the faith of Noah’s wife that saves them. I am not saying that to discourage wives. I say this to encourage husbands. What dad does, or fails to do,matters greatly. We have already seen howCain’s descendants, for seven generations,suffered for his sins. On the other hand, Seth’s descendants, for ten generations, prospered because of his faith and godliness.
Fatherhood matters greatly!
C.The Response of Faith (6:22)
6:22 “Noah did this. He did all that the Lord commanded him.”
Faith always acts. If there is no action, if there is no response to God’s threat, if there is no confidence in God’s desire and willingness to save, then there is no saving faith. That is because Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Noah heard God’s offer of salvation. Build an Ark! But he faced many obstacles to obedience. He had to cultivate the discipline of living by faith not sight. He had to be willing to be different—a lonely minority. What did his eyes see that made living by faith so difficult?
First, he saw his peers. They must have mocked and ridiculed him. Why do I say that? Before the judgment came, 2 Pet 2:5 tells us that Noah preached messages of warning to those around him. “God preserved Noah, a herald (preacher) of righteousness.” For 100 years Noah warned everyone that a flood was coming. He offered salvation, but no one joined him on the Ark. Why? Probably too centered in the material world.
(Matthew 24:37–38) "38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark."
Instead, they must have scoffed. “Look at that crazy old guy. He is building a boat in the desert. He has been predicting a flood for years. My grandparents remember when it started. He has been warning us to turn from sin and put our faith in God’s goodness. He says God is holy and righteous. I don’t know why he wastes his breath. We aren’t sinners. We are good people. God loves us. We are sincere. Certainly we are as good as most people. This talk about judgment is just gloom and doom. Too much emphasis on sin. Too much talk about God’s wrath. Too much talk about ‘fire and brimstone. It is depressing.”
Second, he saw his environment. He was building an Ark in the desert, far from any bodies of water.
Third, the passing of time tested his faith. Long periods of time passed with no supernatural activity. It took 100 years to build the Ark.
(Hebrews 11:7) "By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith."
Faith believes God’s promises to bless, but it also believes his threats to Judge. Since faith is a growing conviction, and it is a conviction about both of these truths, it always acts!!!!
This means that saving faith, true faith, and works can never be separated.
Anecdote: (Terrorist Bomb in Basement) (Simon Cowles ask you to try out for American Idol)
D.God Performs His Word (7:10-12,7:18-8:1)
Finally, the Day of Judgment arrived. The Ark was finally finished. Noah and his family escorted the animals two by two into the Ark. Then Noah and his family went inside and closed the door.
7:10 And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12 And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights…..
18 The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. 21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. 23He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days. 1But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided..….
“The fountains of the deep burst forth” “The windows of the heavens were opened.” The deluge began. The waters began to rise, and the Ark began to rise with it. Millions drowned. Thousands must have swam around the Ark, pounding on the door, admitting that they were wrong, wishing that they had listened to Noah, begging for entrance, but it was too late….
God doesn’t want this to be anyone here this morning. Are you a scoffer? Are you a mocker? Two people told me this week about friends that don’t come to this church because we mention the wrath of God, that we talk about sin too much.
That is exactly how Noah’s generation responded to Noah.
Do you think like Noah’s generation? Jesus said that they ate and drank and married and gave in marriage with no thought to eternal things?
A similar fate awaits this world. Noah’s flood is a wake up call. Christwill return to destroy the earth, but this time it will not be with water, but with fire. Will you be ready?
II.Two Applications
A.Don’t be contentwith simplistic, man-centered views of God
We saw how God glorified himself by saving through judgment at Gen 3:15. Today we see God glorifying himself by saving through judgment at the flood.
In the same way, God glorified himself by saving through judgment at the Exodus.
Most importantly, God glorified himself by saving through judgment at the cross. God judged our sins in Christ. By doing so he glorified his holiness, his justice, and his wrath.
He saves us through the judgment inflicted on his Son. By doing so he glorifies his love, his mercy, and his grace.
How should we respond? We should fear God! The fear of God is an important, and appropriate, response to the gospel.
(Hebrews 11:7) " By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith."
B.Believe the Gospel!
Like Noah, our need is great. The earth is under judgment.
(2 Peter 3:7) "7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly."
On the last Day, God’s holiness will be glorified in the judgment of the ungodly. God will glorify himself by saving believers through judgment.
Believe the Good News. Accept God’s verdict on fallen culture. Put your trust in God’s goodness.
(Romans 5:1–2) "1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
Pray for Noah’s faith, a faith that obeys God.
The faith that saves and produces the fruit of obedience is a profound and growing trust in God’s goodness. We get that faith by looking at the cross of Christ.
Are you on Noah’s Ark, or are you a scoffer?
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