Faith Building: Noah

Let's take our Bibles and turn to Genesis chapter 5, verse 32.! The Lord said, And that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, I will wipe mankind whom I have created from the face of the earth, men and animals and creatures that move along the ground and birds of the air, for I am grieved that I have made them.

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.

Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.

So God said to Noah, I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.

So make yourself an ark of cypress wood. Make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it. The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.

Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle, and upper decks. I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens.

Every creature that has the breath of life in it, everything on earth will perish. But I will establish my covenant with you and you will enter the ark, you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you.

You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal, and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you and be kept alive.

You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them. Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

We're in the woods and we're watching a real old man chop down a cypress tree. What are we witnessing?

One of the greatest acts of faith of all time. It may not look like much to man, but God sees faith in every swing of his acts.

And he takes pleasure in it and he draws our attention to it. And he sets this man before us as an example that we might imitate his faith.

By faith, Noah, in holy fear, built an ark to save his family. We're studying through the hall of faith in Hebrews chapter 11 and we come to verse 7.

Now we say the times are evil. And surely we are right. The moral majority in our land has become the moral minority.

And God's holy laws, once acknowledged by the founders of this great nation, are now being abandoned by our leaders and judges and citizenry alike at a frightening pace.

And it's going to cost you a lot more to not be ashamed of Jesus Christ and his word. But if we think the times are bad today, consider Noah's day.

We read it there in Genesis 6 and verse 5, that inspired commentary of what God saw in Noah's generation.

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.

Every purpose, every intention, every plan, just on the stage of the thoughts of his heart, every single one of those intentions was, what?

Only evil. There wasn't anything in it except evil all the time. Only evil all the time. And God was so grieved with how corrupt the earth had become and how full of violence it was that he says, I'm going to wash the whole earth clean of mankind that I have created.

That's to say that Moses or Noah lived in the worst of times. The worst of times. And yet in such a wicked environment, Noah lived a righteous life.

Verse 9 says, this is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless. And where? Where did he live this righteous life?

Among the people of his time. And he walked with God. Noah didn't live on a different continent. Noah didn't live on a different continent, isolated from the evil men of his generation.

He lived among the people of his time, Genesis says. Those only evil all the time people. And among them, he walked with God when no one else was walking with God.

He was a righteous man among a corrupt people. A blameless man among the guilty. Godly among the godless.

He was the good apple. The one good apple. In the whole barrel of bad ones. And he didn't go bad with the rest of them.

That's the amazing thing. So we can complain about the times all we want, but they do not excuse us. Because here we see that Noah shows us that there is grace in God to keep a man holy in the worst of times.

And I say, is that not encouraging to us? So the times are bad. Yes. Here's just the example for us. Living in this post-Christian era.

Just the message we need. Just the example of faith that we need. Just as it was for those first Hebrew Christians. Who were moving into a culture of radical persecution of Christians.

So are the people corrupt? Where you live? Are the people evil? Where you work? Where you go to school? Where you recreate?

Well, let's embrace then our God-given opportunity to bring glory to Him in evil times. Is there not someone to live by faith in evil times to the glory of God?

It's no small honor to God. For Him to take a holy man. Or an unholy man. Excuse me. It's no small honor for God to take an unholy man out of an unholy world.

And to make that man holy. And then to put him back into that unholy world. And to keep him holy. So said Leonard Ravenhill.

And so we find ourselves in Hebrews 11, 7. Hebrews 11, verse 7. As we want to consider Noah and imitate his faith.

Now we've been noticing that all saving faith is active faith. It does things, doesn't it? It powerfully enables people to do difficult duties.

To endure afflictions. To obtain blessings. So far we've seen here in chapter 11. Faith worshiping. Faith walking.

And now today faith building. Verse 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. Now our verse naturally divides into three points.

Three things that Noah did by faith. He built an ark. He condemned the world. And he became heir of righteousness.

Alright? You see it there. Now before we look at Noah's faith, we want to see the ground of his faith. What was the foundation of his faith? And again, we've seen in Hebrews 11 that faith is always the response to a previous revelation from God.

The ground of faith is that God has spoken. God has said something. And faith rests on what God says. Faith comes by hearing. Hearing the word of Christ.

How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent word. This is what faith responds to. A revelation from God.

His word. And it was no different for Noah. There's no faith without the ground of faith. God had spoken to Noah.

And what did he say? Well, you're in Hebrews 11. Let me read for you what he said in Genesis 6. We had it read. Verse 13. So God said to Noah, I'm going to put an end to all people for the earth is filled with violence because of them.

I'm surely going to destroy both them and the earth. I'm going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens. Every creature that has the breath of life in it, everything on earth will perish.

I want us to notice four things about the word that God spoke to Noah. First of all, it was a word of warning about coming judgment, wasn't it?

He was warned of the coming flood. God's word contains bad news. Bad news that his holiness is so offended by our sin and disobedience.

And in that day, he was so offended by the disobedience and violence of men that he was going to wipe out the whole human population, save Noah and his family.

So he's going to destroy the earth and mankind and animals with the breath of life on it. In other words, it was a word of judgment, wasn't it?

There's judgment to pay for sin. That's the word from God. I'm going to bring a global flood and destroy the earth. Secondly, notice it was a word of salvation for Noah and for his family and for two very fortunate animals of all the kinds of animals, two of every kind.

They were to be saved in the ark. So there was a message of salvation. Verse eight of chapter six, Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. And so by grace, he and his family, eight in all, were spared.

They were the only survivors of the human race. And so in the exercise of his wrath, God remembered mercy. And so he spared two of every kind of animal to repopulate the earth for the new population that would be growing after the flood.

And he also kept alive the human race from which would come the promised seed of the woman. Genesis 315. Let me, yeah, yes.

So that promise would be fulfilled because the seed of the woman would not die out. There would still be eight left. And from those eight would come the promised Messiah who would bring salvation to his people.

So God's word to Noah contained both bad news, judgments coming, and good news. There's salvation in the ark. Thirdly, notice it was a word about things not yet seen.

And this is crucial. Verse seven tells us that, that he received this warning about things not yet seen. Well, what was it? Well, it was the flood and salvation from it for the eight.

That was all yet future. He couldn't see it. He couldn't see the flood. He couldn't see them being saved from it. It was future. And so it was not yet seen. Furthermore, he had never seen a flood of this proportion covering the whole earth.

He had never seen that much water flowing over the highest mountain, destroying everything and everybody.

Such a judgment was totally unprecedented. He had never seen it. In the history of the world, it had not been done. And you know, it's possible that they had never even seen rain.

There's an indication in Genesis chapter 2 that before the flood, God watered the earth by subterranean streams and mists that rose up from the earth.

So this was a word of God about things not yet seen. This global flood and salvation from it. And lastly, it was a word of command because there wasn't just information about what God would do.

But there was something for Noah to do, wasn't there? There was a command, an imperative for him. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood, Genesis 6, 14.

And the dimensions and the shape is given. Noah and his family were to get into it along with animals and the food that they would need.

What a demanding duty. What a difficult command for Noah. In fact, I don't know that a man has ever been commanded to build something more difficult than what Noah was.

One and a half football fields long. 75 feet wide. 45 feet high. That's over five stories high.

But three decks in this massive ark. All divided into rooms. Separate rooms. Pitched inside and out. It wasn't the project of a weekend, dads.

No, it would take him and his sons 120 years to build this thing. And it would mean, therefore, putting on hold everything.

All of his plans. Everything that he had planned for the next hundred. That's on the back burner now. This is front and center. And it would mean looking like a fool since there was no body of water anywhere near to float that boat.

So there's the word from God. When warned about things not yet seen. Now we come to Noah's response. Okay, we've seen. Faith is always the response to a word.

We've seen the word from God. What was Noah's response? And I would say to you that there's nothing more important about you than what you do with God's words.

All of them. That's the most telling thing about you. What do you do with this book? The word of God. Well, let's see what Noah did with the word from God.

First of all, he built an ark. Verse 7 of Hebrews 11. Notice several things about this building project.

First of all, he built it exactly as he was told. You can see that back in Genesis 6.22. At the very end, the last verse that Pastor Jason read. Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

Just as. He built an ark. And it was not one foot longer, shorter, wider, taller than what God commanded. It was just as God commanded.

John MacArthur in his commentary says that naval engineers have discovered that the dimensions and shape of the ark formed the most stable ship design known to man.

Would you expect anything less? This ship was designed by God. To endure a global flood. And the massive upsurging of waters from the deep and the floods coming down from above.

And so Noah did exactly what God told him to do. He made it of the kind of trees that God commanded.

Regardless of how far he had to go to get those trees. He made it with separate rooms. He put the roof on it. He had three decks. He had a side door. Yes, he had pitch.

Dad, this pitch is kind of sticky. Can we skip the pitch? Boys, if God said pitch it, we'll pitch it.

Every single board foot pitched inside and out. Just as God had commanded. And that's what the Spirit of God does in a man.

He moves us to be careful to keep his commands. Ezekiel 36, 27. Noah built it exactly as he was told. Second, it was by faith that he built the ark.

And that's the emphasis of the text. That's the reason Noah is in chapter 11. Because this is a story, a chapter about faith. By faith, Noah.

Those are the first three words. By faith, Noah built an ark. Which is to say, without faith, he never would have built it. What mentally sane man would ever spend 120 years of his life out of the 950 to build an ark like this where there was no water.

We would question his sanity. We would say he's irrational. He's foolish. Unless, of course, God had spoken. And told him to build it. And told him to build it because a flood was coming that would flood the whole earth.

Why then, it would be the most rational thing in the world. It would be the only wise response to build such a boat. So what that he'd never seen that much water?

So what that it had never been recorded that God judged on such a massive scale before? Has God said it will happen? What is faith? Faith is being certain of what we do not see.

No, I haven't seen that. Can't even imagine it. But God said it. Did God say that by building an ark, I would save my family? Then it doesn't matter.

That I haven't seen that yet. That that's a promise yet future. Because what is faith? Faith is being sure of what we hope for. That salvation that God said would come.

And he held to his promise. And he was certain that everything God said would happen just as he said it. And here is the power of faith.

It moves a man to do the most difficult duties. The hundred and twenty years of hard labor. His own plans put on hold.

The scoffing neighbors. The lack of water to float in. The challenges of getting a male and female of every kind of animal onto the ark. The food to feed them all for a year. On and on go the difficulties.

But as Matthew Henry says, His faith silenced all objections and set him to working in earnest. God had spoken.

And by faith he saw the coming flood. It was a reality to him. God said the flood's coming.

And so he set about to prepare for it. It was faith then. By faith Noah built the ark. It was faith that caused him to pick up his hammer and saw.

Not for a day. But for a hundred and twenty years. Faith kept him building. Faith started him building. Faith kept him building.

Faith caused him to finish the job. And do you know that faith will keep you doing your difficult duties? Those things that you find hard.

Not for a day. Not for a week or a year. But for a lifetime. Maybe it's a difficult marriage.

And it's a lifetime project. Faith enables us to do difficult duties. Witness Noah.

Faith moves a man to do things he otherwise would never do. It was that way with Peter, wasn't it, as well? After fishing all night.

And he's mending his nets along the shore. And Jesus says to him, Put out your boat into the deep. Let down your nets for a catch. And Peter just reminds his Lord of a few things.

He's bone tired. He's been fishing all night. He's ready to go home and crash. He knows they're not biting. And yet he says to his Lord, Master, we've worked all night. We've worked hard all night.

And haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets. All the reasons for not letting down the nets aside, I will do so.

Why? Because you say so. That's faith. Faith moves a man to do things he otherwise would never do. And so Noah stands before the word of the Lord.

Build an ark of cypress wood. Wood. That's going to mess up my schedule for a while. Yes. We don't have any water around here for such a boat.

Yes. There's never been a global flood. Yes. I don't know where you're going to get all that water. Yes. But Lord, because you say so, I will build the ark.

Faith causes a man to do things he otherwise would never do. It is a powerful principle. It is an active principle. It places God's word over our own understanding.

It places God's word even over our feelings and over our desires and over what others might think about us. And it simply obeys. It obeys. Now, there's many things about the life of faith that make no sense to the eyes of men.

You think that Noah's neighbors saw the wisdom in Noah's building? No, it didn't make a hill of beans of sense to them.

He's flipped. Something's wrong with Noah. And he had to endure that scoffing and mockery. What is there about your life that can only be explained by faith in what God has said that is yet unseen?

I do believe that many of you believers have put all of your plans on hold. Your life as you wanted it, you put on hold.

Not just for a day, a week, but for a lifetime. You came and you offered that life to the Lord Jesus Christ. And you said, you take it, Lord.

And the world scratches their heads. Why would they give up their life? Because of faith. The power of faith. You believe that when Jesus said that if a man tries to keep his life, he will lose it.

But if he will lose it for my sake in the gospel, he will find it. And so you gave up your life. Looks like insanity to the world not to be in control of your life, to give the controls to Christ and to sit in the back seat.

But that's pure wisdom because of what God has said. Some of you are giving your hard-earned money to the Lord and his kingdom causes.

You're laying up for yourselves treasures in an unseen heaven. something you've never seen. And to the world, it looks like you're pouring good money down a rat hole.

Why would he do that? But to the eyes of faith, you see that every dollar invested has a day of reaping.

That you are laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not corrupt and where thieves cannot break through and steal. Yes. Because by faith, you see the reality of heaven that the world around you doesn't see.

What will cause you to live out a step with the world? Its values, its morals, its priorities, its habits, its dress codes, its standards for what is right and wrong.

What will cause you to be willing to go out of step with the world? Only one thing is strong enough. Faith. Faith. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.

Faith is a powerful, active principle that shapes our lives. And living by faith means that there's lots of things that you do just because you believe God's word is true.

And the more out of step this world gets with God's truth, the more out of step you're going to be with the world because faith takes God at his word. It was by faith that Noah built an ark.

Very briefly, it was also by holy fear that he built an ark. You see that in verse 7. It was in holy fear he built an ark to save his family. In holy fear.

That means when God spoke, Noah trembled before his word. That's a positive mark. To that man, God looks. Isaiah 66, 2.

To him who trembles at my word. Noah had a holy fear of God. It was the fear of God that got him out of bed every day to reach for his saw yet another day.

Now some of you say, now wait a minute, I'm a bit confused. I thought you just said it was by faith that he built the ark and now you're saying it was by holy fear that he built the ark. Which is it? Well it's both because that's what verse 7 tells us.

By faith, in holy fear, he built the ark. Isn't that understandable? Faith takes what God says is true.

There's going to be a flood and it's such a flood and God is so angry with the world that it's going to kill all of human life and animals except those that are on the ark.

And Noah's trembling for fear. And in holy fear, he got right at it, building an ark. Wouldn't you tremble if you had been given such a word of judgment and to know that the only salvation will be in the ark?

Oh yes. Faith worked with fear and caused him to build the ark. Don't take away one of God's motives for obeying him.

Don't take away from Noah a godly fear of him. Or you take away one of God's aids and helps to the poor man.

What will help him stick with it for 120 years? Yes, faith. And yes, holy fear. So we work out our salvation with what?

With fear and trembling. And with faith, you see, these work together. And then lastly, it was to save his family that he built the ark. Now when you read that, you must not think salvifically or being saved from sin.

Noah did not save his family from hell by building an ark. There's only one thing that will save you from hell and that's Christ. No, he saved them from drowning with the rest of the world.

That's what he did. He built an ark to save his family from the flood. It's not an ark that can save you from hell. It's only God's Savior.

So eight in all were saved from drowning to continue the human race and bring forth that promised seed, Jesus Christ, who would save all his people from their sins from hell and from Satan.

Well, by his faith, Noah built an ark. That's the first thing faith did. Very briefly, the last two, he condemned the world. The second half of verse seven starts, by his faith, he condemned the world.

Let me mention just two ways by which he condemned the world by his faith. First of all, by his faith preaching. It was by his faith preaching.

First Peter 2.5 calls Noah a preacher of righteousness. Indeed, the psalmist says, I believe, therefore have I spoken. And Noah believed the message of coming judgment and therefore spoke or preached.

He explained to the people then why he was building such a big boat. That the righteous God was so offended by their sin that he was sending a flood to destroy them all. And he told them that they were condemned by God for their sin and that the only safe place for them would be in the ark with him.

He preached to them. He condemned them by his preaching. He didn't keep to himself the warning of coming judgment but preached it to others. I wonder when's the last time you have told someone else about the coming judgment of the Lord.

Do we keep that revelation from God to ourself or are we proclaiming that? It's no small thing. Every man, every woman, every boy and girl must stand before their maker one day and how it goes on that day will determine whether they spend eternity in heaven or hell.

Should we not warn them there's a day of judgment coming. You need to be prepared. Can I tell you about the only way to be prepared for it? Noah preached and in his preaching he condemned the world and he proclaimed salvation in the ark.

You know that unless men are repenting and believing they are condemned already Jesus says. They're already condemned. They need to know that. They're guilty before God.

So he preached as he built. No doubt had many curious onlookers while he's there with his saw every day and as he built he preached and he preached by building.

He preached with his words and he preached with his hammer and saw every crackling you know that sound when a tree is coming down every crackling in the woods of another tree being cut down by Noah rang in their ears and condemned them as guilty before God.

But there's another way in which Noah condemned the world by his faith and that was by his faith living. His faith living. When he received the word of God he believed it and took appropriate action didn't he?

But when they received the same word of warning they refused to believe and were just careless. And so his faith condemned them for their disbelief.

It exposed them as being in the wrong that they were guilty for not having believed and therefore justly condemned. It was by his living that he condemned the world by his faith living.

Noah was the curve breaker we might say. So it's the end of the year it's the final test in algebra 2. and you were a little bit spring fever crazy and so you didn't study as hard and the highest grade in the class was a 75%.

Nobody scored higher than 75% except one guy Pete. Pete had a 98%.

He's the curve breaker you see. Because if Pete hadn't scored the 98 if everybody had had 75% and under well then you might have been able to make your case that the teacher was really at fault she hadn't prepared you well enough for the test she hadn't it was too difficult it could have been put off as somebody else's fault but Pete's 98 just stares them in the face and it leaves them without excuse you had the same amount of time as Pete had to study for this test he had a 98 why didn't you you had the same materials that Pete had he had a 98 why didn't you and even so Noah's faith condemned his generation and left them without excuse you had the same warning that Noah had about this coming flood he prepared he believed and prepared for it why didn't you and so his righteous life condemns you for your unrighteous life and his obedience condemns you for your disobedience and his fear of me condemns you for your carelessness and at the bottom of it all it was his faith that condemned you for your unbelief could it be dear ones that there are some of you here this morning that if you do not turn from your sins and trust in this savior that in the day of judgment you will have people who live close to you condemn you rise up and condemn you because you heard the same saving gospel of

Christ and your younger brother believed why didn't you your parents believed why didn't you your children believed why didn't you their faith leaves you without excuse it condemns you see the destructiveness of unbelief and trust in Christ and his gospel today Noah by faith by his faith condemned the world the last thing Noah's faith did by faith Noah became heir of the righteousness that is the righteousness that comes by faith now simple question but the most important question you'll ever answer how do you become righteous before God how do you become justified how do you become right with God so that God with all of his holy commandments as he sits as judge can look at you and say you know there's there's a perfect match between what I expect and what you have rendered how can you be right righteous with God because that's what you need to get into heaven there's no grading on the curve well by faith in Jesus

Christ is the way the Bible answers from Genesis to Revelation the righteousness you need to be right with God is a perfect righteousness the very righteousness that Jesus Christ God's eternal son worked out for sinners when he came to this earth became a man like us and lived under God's law under every one of his commandments a perfect obedience and so he has now a perfect righteousness to give to sinners who are guilty in their sins and who does he give it to to those who have faith in him to those who believe it's the righteousness that comes by faith those who come as sinners and cast themselves upon his mercy trust in his righteousness to cover them by faith Noah became heir of righteousness now to be an heir means that you get an inheritance and that's all gift isn't it you don't earn an inheritance it's a gift and Noah became an inheritor he inherited the gift of righteousness the righteousness that comes by faith so it doesn't come by your works it doesn't come by your obedience your efforts to keep the law and comes by the empty hands of faith held out to receive righteousness from Christ you see faith in itself repudiates anything of my deeds and receives everything from

Christ all of his righteousness for God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God in him in Christ we become righteous so God the just is able to look at his holy record and as I stand there before him in judgment he's able to say he's just he's right with me there's nothing on the books against him because all of my sins were placed on Jesus and he bore them to the cross and took the hell the damnation that I should have received forever and all of his righteousness his perfect report card he put to my account so I can stand there as a man clothed in the righteousness of Jesus just as if I had obeyed every last commandment perfectly yes he became heir of the righteousness the righteousness that comes by faith you know that's the way that's the way

Noah became right with God the same way any sinner in any age became right with God it was by looking to Christ turning away from themselves and throwing themselves upon God's Savior whether you were looking forward to the coming of that Christ like Noah was or looking back as you and I look back to the incarnated dying resurrected Christ we all sinners from every age look to the same Christ and only in him are we counted righteous it's a righteousness that comes by faith now you must know that Noah was righteous before he ever built the ark you see that don't you in Genesis 6 and verse 9 this is the account of Noah he was a righteous man this is even before he got the command from God he's a righteous man he already had placed his trust in that gospel promise in Genesis 3 15 that had been passed down to him that there would come one day a seed of the woman to rescue us from

Satan's power and so by faith Noah was looking forward to that coming savior that God himself would provide from the seed of the woman he was declared righteous he had a right standing in heaven he also lived a righteous life which means he was very concerned about what God says and his commands do this and don't do that he was very concerned about that he lived a righteous life in line with God's commandments that too by the spirit of God who worked upon his heart and when God came to this righteous man and told him about a coming flood that would destroy everyone except those in the ark Noah believed just as he had dozens and dozens of times before as he stood before Genesis 315 that promise he believed and when this word from God came he believed you see he's one of those that God is speaking of in

Hebrews 10 and verse 38 my righteous ones live by faith they take my word seriously that's their hallmark that when I speak they jump they obey they're moved by what I say by faith he built an ark by faith he condemned the world by faith he became an heir of the righteousness that puts a man in good standing with God forever so what about us so what about us Matthew Henry says it's easy to be religious when religion is in fashion but it's another thing to swim to heaven against the stream do we live in evil times do the days seem to have a dark cloud that's moving our direction does it seem like times are getting worse well here's what faith will do in evil times it'll go on receiving

God's word as truth and living according to it no matter the cost no matter what others around you are doing so consider Noah and imitate his faith that's how to please and glorify God in evil times but then surely when we come to this passage we must realize that God's judgment in the global flood was just a precursor of the final judgment there is coming a greater judgment than what happened in Noah's day and we need to realize that I mean that was an amazing judgment wasn't it the whole human race gone into eternity without God except for eight who were spared to live a while longer there's something more dreadful coming upon this world the final judgment I described it earlier when all of us must stand before the judgment seat of

Christ and give an account for the things done in our body whether good or bad and from that day of judgment men will go off into everlasting destruction everlasting torments without any mercy and others will go away into everlasting life oh what a day the day of judgment and you know the word has gone out from heaven that such a day is coming that word is being sounded out it was written down for us by prophets Enoch himself says the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge all the world he was preaching that the seventh from Adam and people are still preaching that message what's the world's response to that message don't believe it don't believe it I don't believe it hell to pay for our sins forever and ever oh my

God's not like that he would never do that to people that he created the word of judgment is largely unheeded ignored scoffed at dismissed as empty threats of religion they don't have faith to see it it's not seen so it doesn't exist to them and yet along with that word of judgment God has given a word of salvation a word of good news that he's so loved this world that he is sent as one and only son and whoever believes in him should not perish with the rest of mankind on that day but have everlasting life that there's one safe place to be in the day of judgment and that is in Christ alone that's the one safe place to be get into Christ how do I get into Christ by faith by faith because faith brings you the righteousness of

Christ that puts you right with God and how is that message being received today nothing more despised and rejected than Jesus and his gospel they see no need of him they see no worth in him he's irrelevant he's unwanted it's all unbelief you see they don't see their predicament they don't see the coming judgment they don't see that this Jesus would save me if I came and trusted in him so the loving invitation of Jesus receives the same response as it received in Noah's day no thanks it's not for me my sinner friend you're wrong it is for you the judgment that is coming is for you the Savior who has come is for you and he would save you if you had him if you would receive him he says come to me and whoever comes to me

I will in no wise cast out Jesus says his coming in judgment is going to be like the coming of the flood in Noah's day how did Noah's flood come well he he rang out the warning for 120 years it's coming it's coming it's coming it's coming and then one day Noah got in and nothing happened nothing happened so people went on with their lives marrying buying selling giving in marriage doing what people normally did and then on a day that started like every other day Noah and his family got onto the ark and God shut the door and it started raining and the foundations fountains of the earth broke up and the rains came down and the floods came up and Noah who seemed to be the stupidest man in the world suddenly became the wisest man in the world and that door that it stood open for so long was the despised door the open door is ever the despised door but now that it was closed it's the desired door and everyone wants in but it's too late and when

Jesus comes back it's going to be the same thing it's going to be the same way what's the message that's been going out for thousands of years he's coming he's coming to judge the world in righteousness get into Christ he's the only safe place to be he's coming he's coming he's coming and people just go on with their lives they're going to work they're trying to make a living they're struggling with health problems marriage problems they got all kinds of things to keep them focused on anything but that day and then he comes and he who stood for thousands of years with his arms outstretched calling a rebellious and stiff necked people to come to him will no longer be welcoming sinners but be coming to judge them in wrath do you see the message the message of Noah for you my friend is to get into Christ today today is the day of salvation not tomorrow today is still a day of grace his arms are still open he's still saying come but you don't know when that will be the last time so come to him today today if you hear his voice harden not your hearts but come to Christ and live and then live in this present evil age by taking

God at his word and so glorify him in what are indeed evil times let's pray our father thank you for your word thank you for showing us the kind of God that you are a God of justice and righteousness and holiness who said that the soul that sins it must die and I will by no means clear the guilty and yet you've also revealed yourself to be a God of salvation and grace who delights in mercy and sent your son to be the ark that would save us from the day of wrath thank you for the faith to believe such words about things that we've never seen open the eyes of others that they might see and believe on our savior open our mouths that we might tell this godless world that a day of judgment is coming make us to do things because of our faith in your word that we otherwise would never do make us to stick close to our duties difficult duties lifetime duties because we believe your words of promise so help us we believe but help our unbelief and thank you so much for a righteousness that counts us as ready to meet the lord should that be this day we praise you in

Jesus name amen amen