Noah’s Faithfulness

Genesis 6:22; Hebrews 11:7

 

Introduction

1. Genesis chapter six provides an overview of the extent of sin in the early world and God’s response to it.

    a. The Conflict (1-4): The wicked have corrupted the righteous by marriage; Men strive against God.

    b. The Corruption (5-12): Every thought of man’s heart is defiled; Only one man finds grace.

    c. The Condemnation (13): God’s good creation has been filled with violence, so God will destroy all flesh.

    d. The Conservation (14-22): Salvation for the human race will come thru Noah, who faithfully obeys God.

2. Noah’s adherence to God’s commands is a prominent theme in Genesis six and seven. 6:22; 7:5, 9, 16

    a. In illustrating the necessity of faith, the Hebrew writer uses Noah as a defining example. He. 11:7

    b. The story of Noah shows us the inextricable links between faith, obedience, and salvation.

 

“By Faith” – This is what it means!

I.       The RULING

A.            Noah Heard God’s Warning (Attentiveness)

1.    Noah was divinely warned of what was coming on the earth.

a)         The LORD had told Noah of His plans to judge the wickedness of the world. 6:13

b)        The patriarch was even told by what means God would bring His judgment. 6:17

2.    Noah was attentive to what God had said, even though it did not come to pass for many years.

a)         Judgment was determined 120 years before the flood; Noah knew for at least 100 years. 6:3

b)        It took more than one-tenth of his life to build the ark, but Noah never seemed to lose focus.

3.    Imagine being warned of a cataclysmic event that will not take place for seven to ten years.

a)         Could you devote the next ten years to preparing for that event while fulfilling daily chores?

b)        Could you maintain an urgent outlook all those years, or might your concentration wane?

4.    The application for out time is obvious: We too have been warned of God’s coming judgment.

a)         We know the means of judgment, and we have been told how to prepare. 2Pe. 3:10-12

b)        We do not know how long we have to wait, so we must always seek to be ready.

B.            Noah Believed in the Unseen

1.    Noah believed God’s warning even though it concerned things that he could not see.

a)         Scholars debate whether it had ever rained on the earth prior to the flood.

b)        Whether it had or not, it had never rained like it did for those forty days and nights!

2.    Noah knew the flood was coming, but he may have struggled to imagine a worldwide deluge.

a)         We know God will destroy the world with fire, but we may wonder what it will be like.

b)        Our faith must grasp the invisible by trusting in unseen, spiritual realities. He. 11:1, 13-16

 

II.    The RESPONSE

A.            Noah Moved with Godly Fear (Godliness)

1.    Godliness is the reverent awareness of God that inspires devotion and God-pleasing conduct.

a)         Noah was a godly person; he heard the warning of God, believed it, and moved with fear.

b)        The believer fears God’s judgment, but he does not live in terror, but in awe. 1Jn. 4:17-18

2.    Some people hear God’s warning and are neither reverent nor terrified. Ge. 19:14; 2Pe. 3:1-4

a)         The story of the flood is a warning to all who would scoff at God’s judgment. 2Pe. 3:5-7

b)        There will always be people who dismiss the danger, but God’s servants are aware and alert.

B.            Noah Obeyed God’s Instructions (Righteousness)

1.    Noah prepared an ark for salvation, not because he conceived it, but because God commanded it.

a)         Noah didn’t adhere to the general concept spoken by God, modified by his own wisdom.

b)        Noah did exactly what the Lord had commanded. 6:14-16, 19-22

2.    Many people today have disconnected obedience and salvation; it is all by grace!

a)         But Noah’s godly faith led him to work righteousness, not his own but God’s. Ac. 10:34-35

b)        Man can’t be saved by his own works, but he cannot be saved without God’s. Jas. 2:14-26

By hearing, believing, and obeying God:

III. The RESULT

A.            Noah Condemned the World

1.    The Bible suggests two ways in which Noah condemned the wicked society he lived in.

a)         Noah was a preacher of righteous and as such would have condemned sin. 2Pe. 2:5

(1)      The preacher must faithfully proclaim God’s warning against evil. Eze. 3:18-19

(2)      The preacher’s fate is decided by his faithfulness in delivering God’s message.

b)        Noah also condemned the world silently, by his righteous example.

(1)      The world hates whatever exposes its deeds as unholy. Jn. 3:19-21; 1Jn 3:13

(2)      A committed spiritual life will always invite opposition. Jn. 10:32; 2Ti. 3:12

2.    Too often, Christians are reluctant to be perceived as condemning those around them.

a)         Yet Jesus taught that He came to bring division thru the gospel. Mt. 10:34-38

(1)      We should not aspire to be obnoxious or personally offensive to others.

(2)      But the truth will offend; if our lives do not offend, we are not practicing the truth!

b)        The world and the faithful servant of God are irreconcilable. 1Jn. 2:15-17

(1)      If we seek to make peace with the world; we will be overcome by it. Jas. 4:4

(2)      There can be no peace with unrighteousness; we must not encourage evil. 2Chr 19:2

B.            Noah Became an Heir of Righteousness

1.    Anyone who denies that one must obey God to be saved by faith contradicts the word of God.

a)         Noah became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

b)        It was by faith that Noah pleased God, but he pleased God by obeying what God said.

2.    Human theology separates what God never divided: grace, faith, and the duty of obedience.

a)         Man teaches that salvation is either by grace thru faith or nullified by works.

(1)      Man is not saved by works of righteousness, but by grace. Tit. 3:4-7; 2Ti. 1:9

(2)      Nevertheless, grace is not received until our faith obeys God. He. 5:8-9; Ro. 1:5

b)        There is a difference between works instituted by man and those appointed by God.

(1)      Manmade religious rites cannot save; they can only condemn. Mt. 15:8-9

(2)      But God’s works of obedience are mandatory for salvation. Mt. 7:21; Lk. 6:46

c)         We do not earn our salvation or make ourselves worthy of receiving it thru obedience.

(1)      Paul sought the righteousness given thru Christ, not that earned by law. Php. 3:9

(2)      Nevertheless, Paul understood his responsibility to obey God. Ac. 22:16; 26:19-20

d)        Could Noah be saved without building the ark? Did he trust in grace alone to save him?

(1)      The Bible draws a parallel between Noah and New Covenant salvation. 1Pe. 3:18-21

(2)      If Noah built an ark to be saved by grace, can’t we see the necessity of baptism?

 

Conclusion

1. The scriptures describe the people of God as those who walk by faith, not by sight. 2Co. 5:7

a. But what does it mean to walk by faith? Noah’s example shows us what a life of faith looks like.

b. To walk by faith means to listen to, believe in, and obey God.

2. Are you walking by faith so to become an heir of the righteousness of faith? Co. 2:11-12; 3:1-4

 

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