Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to Growing in Grace with Pastor Victor Morrison. This is a ministry of First Baptist Church located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas. We are praying that God will bless you as you listen to this message.
Speaker: If you would like additional information on worship times and ministries at FBC Columbus, you can find out more at our website, fbccolumbustx.org. And now, take your copy of God's timeless Word as Pastor Victor gives today's message.
Speaker: welcome to Growing Grace. So glad that you're listening today. and Today, I want to continue in Genesis as we're looking into the story of Noah, a true story, a historical account. And so I want to share with you some things about Noah that I feel we can learn.
Speaker: you know, Genesis chapter six begins at a point in human history that was some 1,500 years since God's creation of the earth or 1,056 years between the creation of Adam until the birth of Noah.
Speaker: Well, the chapter begins with mankind's refusal to turn from evil. The level of wickedness was so persistent and so great that it actually grieved the heart of God.
Speaker: He reached a decision to blot out mankind and all of the animals that either lived on land or flew in the air. But Genesis chapter 6 verse 8 is a turning point.
Speaker: It states, but Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. This was our first introduction to grace. That's that word favor.
Speaker: There are two main truths about the Lord that are too large to miss. You read through this section of Genesis. It's just everywhere. First, God will eventually remove wickedness.
Speaker: When we get to heaven, wickedness will be no more. But second, God offers grace. Try to keep your balance in understanding that God is perfect in holiness and justice, while also at his core, he's merciful and gracious. Only he can balance those in perfect balance, but he does. And it's so exciting that he does.
Speaker: So I want us to look into this passage in Genesis chapter six. We'll begin with verse eight, and I'll just read a couple of verses to get us started, because I think there's so much that we can learn from this godly man named Noah.
Speaker: But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. These are the generations of Noah, Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation.
Speaker: Noah walked with God. Wow. You know, the first thing we notice here is that Noah was a righteous man. Do you know that this is the first time that righteous is used in the Bible? Right.
Speaker: others affirm that this was indeed true of Noah's character. For example, in Ezekiel chapter 14, verse 14 and a verse 20, you know, the Lord brings up three men and he says that all three of these men were known for their righteous living. Even if these three men, and Daniel and Job were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord God. And then again in Ezekiel 14, verse 20, something very similar. Even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither son nor daughter.
Speaker: They would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness. So you can see that somewhere there was this seriousness of judgment that Ezekiel was preaching about. But whenever God spoke to Ezekiel, he reminded him Noah and Daniel and Job were all three known as righteous men, very godly. Hebrews 11, 7 goes on to say, "'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.'"
Speaker: the righteousness that comes by faith. You know, what I think is interesting here is that his righteousness did not come from his good works. His good works came because of his righteousness. His righteousness, just like Abraham's, was God's gift in response to Noah's faith.
Speaker: And that's why they go together hand in hand, just like this. But it also says that he was a blameless man. He was a righteous man. But he was secondly, ah a blameless man.
Speaker: These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Can you think of anyone else that was blameless? Well, there's one that comes to mind that I mentioned just a minute ago in my reference to Ezekiel chapter 14, that being Daniel.
Speaker: Daniel was also, I think, blameless. you know If righteousness described his character before God, then blameless was the description of his conduct before man.
Speaker: Isn't that interesting? That righteousness describes his character before God, but blameless was the description of his conduct before man.
Speaker: So what do I mean? I'm not trying to insinuate at all. So I'm gonna be right up front about it. Of course, Noah was not sinless. That's not what he's saying, and that's not what I'm saying.
Speaker: but he was a man of integrity, just like Daniel. Let me read a portion from Daniel chapter six, verses four, five, and six, how there were some people who were jealous of Daniel because he was of an excellent spirit.
Speaker: He did his work with complete integrity. And here's what it says in Daniel six, verses four through six. Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom.
Speaker: But they could find no ground for complaint or any fault because he was faithful and no error or fault was found in him.
Speaker: Then these men said, we shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.
Speaker: And that's exactly what they did in the days of Daniel. But I want to stay focused on Noah today. But I wanted you to realize Noah was very unique because God looked upon him with grace for sure. But as he did, it's like God began to change and transform his life. His character was known as righteous. His conduct was known as, well, blameless. But that's not all. Verse 9 of Genesis chapter 6 tells us. Let me read it again. These are the generations of Noah.
Speaker: Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. Noah walked with God. Do you know that Psalm chapter 1 contrasts two kinds of people that are in this world? Have you ever read Psalm 1?
Speaker: You know, it's like it contrasts the walk of a godly man with the walk of a wicked man. So what is it talking about? Is it talking about his gait, the way he physically walks and moves upon the earth? No, I think it's talking about the way he lives.
Speaker: We're not talking about the way he ran. We're talking about the way he walked. And so we're slowing it down on purpose and looking at a man's life. And what God is saying is, this man walked step-by-step with his God.
Speaker: And just like Psalm 1 contrasts. Let me just read that just for, it in case you haven't read it in a while. Listen to this. "'Blessed is the man who walks, "'not in the counsel of the wicked, "'nor stands in the way of sinners, "'nor sits in the seat of scoffers, "'but his delight is in the law of the Lord, "'and on his law he meditates day and night.'" He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in season and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. That, my friend, is someone who walks with God. But listen to the contrast as then he goes to the wicked. The wicked, it says in Psalm 1 verse 4, are not so.
Speaker: but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Speaker: Isn't that sobering? You know, it's amazing that since Noah's great-grandfather Enoch was would have modeled his walk with God before his son, Methuselah, Noah's grandfather, surely told his son, Lamech, who in turn passed the testimony of Enoch's godly walk with the Lord, to his son, Noah.
Speaker: And that's how Noah said, I want to walk with God, just like you know Enoch did, my ah great grandfather. So anyway, may you and i leave behind us an incredible legacy of a walk with God.
Speaker: Someone who says, God, I don't wanna get ahead of you. I don't wanna be lagging behind. her don't want you have to drag me. I wanna walk in step with your purposes and your character. you know I think it's probable that Noah's kids watched their daddy walk with God in the midst of an ungodly world that was walking away from God and His ways of holiness.
Speaker: May we also be known as someone who simply walks with God. He's the one that we give the glory to. He's the star of the show, so to speak. But what I'm saying is we wanna walk beside Him and keep up with Him.
Speaker: Well, if you were to hop on down to Genesis chapter six and verse 22, here's what you would see. Noah did this. What did he do?
Speaker: Well, God gave him instructions on how to construct and build the ark. And it says, Noah did this. And then it goes on to say, he, that's Noah, he did all that God commanded him.
Speaker: Isn't that amazing? Do you know that it's said two more times, that same kind of idea? For example, in Genesis 7, verse 5, it says quite similarly, and Noah did all.
Speaker: that the Lord had commanded him. That's a second time. But in Genesis 7, verse 16, it says, and those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. That means Noah.
Speaker: And the Lord shut him in. This is whenever they're ready to take off and set sail in the ark. But my point is, all this time, he's walking with God.
Speaker: All this time. He's obeying God. You know, it's important that we obey God. You know, um in the New Testament, in the book of James, James chapter 1, verses 22 and 25, 22 through 25, it talks about people who are not just hearers of the word, they're doers of the word.
Speaker: They want to obey what God has said. Let me read that for you. But be doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he's like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
Speaker: For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets, but a doer who acts,
Speaker: He will be blessed in his doing. Don't you want God's blessing? Man, I do. I long for God to say, I just wanted to bless you. and And because you were doing what I wanted you to do, I'm going to continue to give out those blessings to you. Even though it's all by grace, it's still just amazing that obedience gets me ready for the storms of life.
Speaker: Wouldn't you say that his obedience, Noah's obedience, got him ready for the storms that he faced? It sort of reminds me of Matthew 7, verses 24 to 27, where Jesus gave a parable of a wise builder and a foolish builder.
Speaker: And here's the difference. It says in Matthew 7, 24 and following, everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them,
Speaker: will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock and the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock.
Speaker: And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.
Speaker: You know how to best be ready whenever hard times come in your life? Whenever those storms come, The best way to be prepared is obey God every day. Be walking with God in obedience and God will see to it that you can make it through the storms.
Speaker: Obedience to God doesn't always prevent storms from coming. but it does help you withstand them when they do come against your life.
Speaker: Noah, well, what we've learned already, he's an obedient man. He's a man who walks with God. He's a man whose conduct is blameless, whose character is righteous.
Speaker: But as I was saying, he did exactly what God told him to do. So you know what that also makes Noah? It makes him a listening man.
Speaker: Do you listen when others are speaking? Do you listen when God is speaking? Here's what I noticed. I'm certain that Noah's family must have thanked the Lord that Noah listened when God spoke to him.
Speaker: The first recorded words of God speaking to Noah are found in Genesis 6, verses 13 through 21. He has given some very important instructions in this passage.
Speaker: For example, let's just sort of read it a little bit at a time. But in verse 13, he's listening as God gives him the rationale for the destruction of mankind.
Speaker: Here's what God said to him. And God said to Noah, I've 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.
Speaker: So that's God giving him his rationale for what he's about to do. He's about to send such a flood that it's going to destroy mankind, all those who are not in the ark.
Speaker: So how are they going to escape such a deep flood? Well, God gives him the blueprints for the construction of the ark. In verses 14 down through verse 17, make yourself an ark of gopher wood.
Speaker: Make rooms in the ark and cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you're to make it. The length of the ark, 300 cubits, its breadth, 50 cubits, and its height,
Speaker: "'Thirty cubits, make a roof of 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. "'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.'" So God gave him the blueprints, but also notice his promise of a covenant with Noah.
Speaker: He says in chapter 6, verse 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." So what if he had not been listening?
Speaker: What if he thought God's only gonna save just me and my wife? Nope. Yes, we want Mrs. Noah on there, but we also want your sons and all of your sons' wives on there with you. I'm so glad that Noah listened when God was speaking.
Speaker: But then notice in verses 19 through 21, he gives instruction for gathering the animals. So if Noah's gonna build an ark, How is he going to get all of the animals into the ark?
Speaker: Listen to what God said. It's amazing. And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you.
Speaker: They shall be male and female. of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing, of the ground according to its kind, two of every sort shall come into you to keep them alive and take with you every sort of food that is eaten and store it up.
Speaker: It shall serve as food for you and for them. Isn't that amazing? I mean, all of this is just amazing. You know, that God would tell him exactly how to make a wooden vessel made for flotation more than navigation, ah covered with resin substance to seal the seams and cracks in the wood. It would have had three decks, each 15 foot high with various rooms on each level.
Speaker: A cubit was roughly 18 inches in case you were wondering. So the boat was to be 450 feet long by 70 feet wide by 45 feet high.
Speaker: It would have only one door to access the vessel. There would be a small small windows 18 inches high just underneath the roof providing both illumination and perhaps ventilation.
Speaker: Henry Morris once wrote that it could hold 500 livestock railroad cars, providing space for over 125,000 animals and their food. Isn't that incredible?
Speaker: all of this as Noah says, God, while you're speaking, I'm paying attention and I'm listening. But there was something else that we learned from Noah that I don't want you to overlook.
Speaker: We also have to work. There's something we're supposed to do. And so not only was he a listening man, an obedient man, a man who walked with God, who was blameless in his conducts, righteous in his character, but he was also a hardworking man.
Speaker: There's a lot of work and time behind the simple words of Genesis 6, verse 22, where it records, Noah did this.
Speaker: He did all that God commanded him. So now just think about that big arc and how he must have put all of that together. Can you think of any other working men that were mentioned in Scripture?
Speaker: Well, why don't we start with the Lord Jesus Christ? He was a carpenter. We could go to the apostle Paul. He was also a tent maker. We could go to David, who was a shepherd, or to say Nehemiah, who was a city planner and definitely a project manager.
Speaker: We could go to a man who lived during the days of Moses and helped to craft the tabernacle. Yep, Bezalel, a craftsman who designed that whole tabernacle.
Speaker: Or you could go to Peter, Peter and James and John and Andrew. They were all fishermen. How about Cornelius, a soldier? how about Cain, a farmer?
Speaker: Yeah, there were a lot of working men. As a matter of fact, never forget this. The Bible does not condone laziness. It condemns laziness. But what it does condone and encourage is to work hard.
Speaker: Whatever we do, God says, do with all your heart. I believe that as Noah built that boat, and can't you imagine the laughs? I mean, people would have probably been laughing at him, and they were probably thinking, what is it you're building?
Speaker: and And why? He tells them it's going to be a boat. And they're like, what is a boat for? They'd never had a rain like this. So anyway, it probably just looked ridiculous to them.
Speaker: But I'll give you another thing about Noah. He had to have been a patient man. I think he Noah patiently waited for 378 days for God to complete his plan, not only of judgment, but also of rescue and redemption.
Speaker: Noah and his family were safe and sound. during that terrible period of wrath being poured out upon a rebellious earth. Many theologians understand scripture to teach a similar deliverance for God's people called the rapture, just before the wrath of God is poured out during the great tribulation.
Speaker: But what I see just based upon the Genesis account is how Noah must have been so patient to say, I will build this boat like you told me to, and I will wait, and I will trust you. I believe that your timing is perfect, God, so I will wait for you. And of course, he and his family were spared And so what would you think would be the first thing that Noah would want to do after he had been locked into that boat with all of those animals over that long period of time?
Speaker: What would you think his first thing, what would you do? Let's say you were out there. Well, let me read verses 20 to 22 to wrap up our message for today. Then Noah said,
Speaker: noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal, some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, "'I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth.'" Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I've done.
Speaker: While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease.
Speaker: Wow. You know what? That's amazing. What was the context in which God spoke those words, those gracious words that he promised not to do that again?
Speaker: Well, he was a worshiping man. The very first thing Noah did when he got off the ark was he said, God, I got to thank you. I got to thank you because you knew what you were going to do. And by grace, you had me construct this ark so that me and my family could be safe and sound whenever you sent that terrible flood. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, God, for saving our family.
Speaker: Imagine being on that ark and the first thing you do when you disembark, you say, I want to thank you, God. He wanted. to do to take his family to worship.
Speaker: Is that the first thing you think of doing with your family? I just wanna take my family to worship. I just wanna bow our heads around this table and give thanks to God for his blessings to us. He built an altar and he offered a sacrifice. And what did God say his response was?
Speaker: Well, God said, you know what? That is a pleasing aroma. I will never again curse the ground because of man. Isn't that amazing? I'm so grateful for the example in scripture we have of biblical characters like Noah.
Speaker: Well, let's close in prayer. Thank you so much for listening to these inspiring words about Noah. Lord, thank you so much for giving biblical characters like Noah because we can relate to him. We see him obey you. We see him follow you and work for you. We see him wait for you. Maybe we're waiting.
Speaker: Maybe we're working. I don't know what's going on in our lives, but if we have a storm or we have sunshine, help us to build an altar and say, thank you, Lord, that you're here with me.
Speaker: In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thank you so much for listening to Growing in Grace.
Speaker: This is a ministry of First Baptist Church located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas.
