[0:00] This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.
[0:19] Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Jepheth. 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.
[0:38] 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.
[0:53] 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 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high.
[1:06] Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening, one cubit high all around. Put a door on 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 breath of life in it.
[1:25] 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.
[1:37] 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 to be kept alive.
[1:53] 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. The Lord then said to Noah, Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.
[2:12] Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth.
[2:25] Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made. And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.
[2:39] This is the word of the Lord. Thanks, Craig. Let's just pray as we come to God's word and ask him to bless all that's said, and all that we're reading and we hear from him.
[3:02] Let's pray. Lord, we know you're the one who speaks these words. You're the one who has given us these words to help us to understand who you are.
[3:17] And I pray, Lord, that in this incredible passage that we would see your care, your goodness, your grace, and that we'd understand more of you today.
[3:31] In Jesus' name. Amen. So we can't cover every aspect of this passage, but just to come at it from a particular angle today and help us to see God's care.
[3:51] If you made the trip to Cove in East Cork, you can visit a Titanic exhibition. And you can be allocated a person randomly who sailed on that ship from Cove.
[4:09] And you can find out at the end, did you survive or did you not? And of course, there's also an impressive exhibition in Belfast.
[4:19] And you can learn about the various classes of people on board and the characters who sailed on the great ship. And you can find out about how the ship sank.
[4:35] You can think with a morbid wonder, maybe, what was it like on those lifeboats. And you can learn about the characters and the aftermath.
[4:46] And I think there was investigations in New York and London. I'm not sure how many of you remember them. But you can even stand in one area in Belfast.
[5:01] And you can see this glass floor. And you look through the bottom. And you see the ship as it is now. As though you've gone down. And you see where it is on the floor, the wreckage.
[5:14] But one of the things you'll notice is how plush this ship was. It was a ship like no other. In its time, it was beyond anything ever seen before.
[5:29] And the wonder of the first class cabins. It was a modern vessel. And you think, you know, turn of the century. It was 1912 after all.
[5:42] Funny how we do that with dates, isn't it? Funny how we say, oh, it's shocking. This is 2024, actually, after all. And we're not living in 1990, you know.
[5:59] And probably arrogance. When we might be embarrassed in five years about how we were today. It was a modern ship.
[6:11] And it was 1912. Another vessel that was built in the modern age at the time. We read about in Genesis 6.
[6:24] Noah was asked to build an ark. And there was a great deal of detail about this ark. It was full of instruction as to how to build this ark.
[6:41] Chapter 6, verse 14. It was to be made of cypress wood and made waterproof with pitch. This was standard in the ancient world, but there was nothing standard about this boat that was to be built.
[6:56] It was something else again. Completely out of the ordinary and unique in that time. Make rooms in it.
[7:07] Verse 14. It's just there, like we always say in Scripture. Scripture often does that. It says something matter of fact. Matter of fact.
[7:20] Make rooms in it. Someone has written these words. Prior to the invention of seaworthy vessels, which could carry sailors and cargo through the heavy seas of the Mediterranean, most boats were made of skin or reeds and were designed to sail through marshes or along the river bank.
[7:43] They were used for fishing or hunting and would not have been more than 10 feet in length. True sailing ships with a length of 170 feet are first depicted in Old Kingdom Egyptian art about 2500 BC and are described in Ugaritic and Phoenician texts 1600 to 1200 BC.
[8:09] Even this late, they still generally navigated within sight of land with trips to Greece, Cyprus, as well as ports along the coasts of Egypt, the Persian Gulf and Asia Minor.
[8:21] Noah's boat was a boat like no other. Again, the detail goes to the dimensions, which are seemingly quite easy to determine along with the shape.
[8:37] 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, 45 feet deep, one and a half football pitches. Don't get bogged down on what type of football. Verse 16 talks of a roof.
[8:54] It's a bit unclear in the translations. The word roof appears only in the Hebrew Bible, translated as window, skylight, vaulted roof, peripheral window.
[9:05] Then God explains what will happen in verse 17. I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens.
[9:21] Every creature that has the breath of life in it, everything on earth will perish. And people say, what kind of God is this? We might ask that question.
[9:33] We won't answer every aspect of it. But two things we saw right at the start, God cares. And we see also, he is the Lord of the deluge.
[9:47] The word for flood occurs 12 times in Genesis 6 to 11 and once outside that in Psalm 29 verse 10.
[9:59] The Lord is enthroned over the flood. The Lord is enthroned forever. And he's thinking of his people.
[10:11] Verse 18. Like he thinks of you and me in January 2024. God cares for you.
[10:26] God provides rescue in the form of his saviour. And he carries you safe to shore, as the kids' song says.
[10:40] This is happening because of a promise. I will establish my covenant with you. And you will enter the ark. You and your sons and wife and your son's wife with you.
[10:52] Not just Noah, but the family as well. Part of the promise. Maybe because they were all righteous like Noah. Or maybe because he was righteous and they benefited.
[11:04] None of them were perfect. But then we have the animals. Even the animals. Verse 19. Two of every living creature, male and female, to keep them alive with you.
[11:19] Two of every kind of bird, every kind of animal, of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to 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.
[11:33] Chapter 7, verse 2 talks more specifically of seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth.
[11:55] It's interesting. Clean and unclean, even at this stage. But again, we move on in verse 6, chapter 6, verse 21.
[12:07] Every kind of food is to be taken and stored. And then chapter 7, verse 1, the Lord says to Noah, go into the ark. Go into the ark. You and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.
[12:24] And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him. So what are we to make today of these passages?
[12:36] This account. Just a few simple things. Firstly, Noah was a righteous man and God cares for his people. Noah was a righteous man and God cares for his people.
[12:54] What does it mean to be righteous like this? I wonder how I can be righteous like Noah this year. Well, Noah was a man who didn't conform. That's one thing. He wasn't a Christian just on a Sunday.
[13:07] He was a Christian every day of the week when you leave here and how we live today. and Tuesday and on through the week.
[13:24] You could see by his life every day there was a difference. Is that what people can see in ourselves? He was a man who obeyed God and it was visible.
[13:38] There was a visible difference. We need that again, don't we, to be reminded New Year. Is there a difference in how I live my life?
[13:49] Among the people he's placed around me. The people I come into contact with. In the mission field where he has me.
[14:00] wherever that is. He was a man who obeyed God. Chapter 6, verse 9. This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man blameless among the people at this time and he walked faithfully with God and his three sons.
[14:18] Someone has said Noah is described in superlative terms. That doesn't mean he's perfect. He's a sinful man but his righteousness is shining through.
[14:33] We are sinful people but that our righteousness would shine through. He's standing out from the crowd and may that be the prayer of your heart this year to be a Christian living lives of righteousness.
[14:50] something that goes against the flow of what we are seeing all around. So often we conform.
[15:01] So often we are Christians who almost want to exhibit that we conform. You know, we're no different. We're no different after all. Well, in a sense you want to show that you're sinful.
[15:14] You want to show that you're imperfect. People might take you wrong. They might think there's something special about you and you want to show that you're I'm a sinner. I need his grace.
[15:27] But on the other hand you want to also show that you're different and for that to be visible and seen. I also think sometimes we do exude that when we don't realise.
[15:46] We don't realise what people see from a positive perspective. Believe that God can show people that your life is different even when you don't feel that way.
[16:06] So Noah's world we see in verse 11 of chapter 6 and we probably know very well the earth was corrupt in God's eyes and was full of violence.
[16:20] God saw how corrupt the earth had become but God could see that Noah was righteous. The world we live in is no easier than the world of that time.
[16:34] Christians face new dilemmas today. You face new battles new issues. Kinsale carried a line mission fields and to some people you know they look on Christians as a danger.
[16:51] You know you're bad you're a Christian. You believe in one God you believe that Jesus is the only way. The things you believe are not accepted are not acceptable.
[17:05] It's difficult days to be a Christian. We believe we have an answer to give to people but we are living in a world that is corrupt that does not think of him does not honour him and we are called to do so.
[17:28] He sees you. He sees everything that you go through and he sees everything you do for him. He knows you in the workplace or at home today.
[17:42] He knows you in school. He sees you in college and he sees your righteousness. I wonder do you feel awkward as we talk about this righteousness?
[17:57] Psalm 14 The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand any who seek God. All have turned away. All have become corrupt. There is no one who does good.
[18:08] Not even one. Were you wondering that? Were you thinking to yourself all this talk of being righteous? Noah being righteous? I need to be righteous.
[18:19] And you are thinking I am not very righteous. You think to yourself how can I be righteous? I know what I am actually like. I know what I am really like.
[18:30] All this talk of righteousness. I don't feel that way at all. This is where the gospel comes in. This is where the rescue comes in.
[18:47] We know that the only righteousness we have is in Jesus. The only righteousness we can have comes from him. Truth is we are not holy.
[19:01] To stand in God's presence, to serve him, we are not righteous in our own righteousness. Noah wasn't perfect and he didn't have a righteousness that came from himself.
[19:19] But by grace it is possible for God to look down on those who seek to serve him and to see Christ's righteousness.
[19:36] To see Christ in us, to see Christ for us, to see Christ with us. What does that mean for us as believers today here in Carigoline and in Kinsale?
[19:52] What did it mean for Noah? well, we talked about the features on the boat that Noah was to build and one final feature that I didn't mention.
[20:05] The boat had no rudder and it had no sail and it was not designed to be navigated.
[20:16] it wasn't a ship with Noah as captain. It wasn't about him navigating this ship through the ice fields.
[20:34] It's not a ship that needs to show itself to be the best or the fastest or the greatest. It doesn't need satellite tracking to follow it.
[20:55] And do you know what it didn't have? It didn't have life boats because it was the life boat. no man or woman will be in charge of this boat when the doors close.
[21:15] It will be a boat simply left in the hands of God. You and I in the gospel this year. In the hands of God.
[21:29] Noah will build. Maybe his sons will help him. Maybe people will mock him. We don't know actually all the facts that we sometimes assume or attribute to the story.
[21:44] But when it's finished they'll get on board and they'll sit tight. That's the gospel. We have very little to put our hope in in this world.
[21:58] No hope of guiding our own course. And knowing exactly how that will turn out. We can't predict the years ahead never mind the months or the weeks ahead.
[22:15] Kingdoms will rise and kingdoms will fall. Only that we get into the boat God has for us. A lifeboat.
[22:26] The gospel of Jesus. And he will take us. And he will change us. And he will guide us. He will direct our lives.
[22:41] And it's all grace. And the righteousness we have is just from him. But it is righteousness. It's the righteousness of Jesus who hung on the cross for our sins, paid the price that we should have paid, that we couldn't pay.
[23:02] The Father who gave up his son for us and told us to get on board in a sense, like with this great ship.
[23:15] And when we get on board, sometimes we think of all kinds of things. We think, what about this? What about that? Even what about other people?
[23:26] people. And a lot of our time as Christians is spent caring about other people. A lot of our ministry, called Kerry Project, is about other people.
[23:40] The way we've done things, we think about other people, we care for other people. But sometimes you just have to be so thankful for what God has done in your life, that he has saved, that he's rescued, that he's called you, that he has you, that he cares for you.
[24:04] Exactly that verse in 1 Peter. 5. Let's bow our heads and let's pray.
[24:16] Lord, we give you praise and we give you thanks for your mercy shown to us in Jesus. We just pray and thank you Lord that we don't deserve any of this but we get to enjoy your grace and your freedom and your righteousness.
[24:35] The way you look on us because of Jesus when we know and love you. I pray Lord that we would know you in our hearts.
[24:46] I pray you'd encourage us that you care. You care for every person, every single person. I pray Lord that we would understand this gospel of Jesus not an old religion but a gospel, a good news of freedom from sin.
[25:11] We are not righteous but in your grace because of what Jesus did. We can be seen that way when we don't deserve it.
[25:23] Thank you Lord. Help us to be grateful this week for all you've done in our lives. Forgive us Lord for our desire to live our own way. Forgive us for the times when we are cynical about your love.
[25:42] When we suffer and we blame you, forgive us. Cleanse us Lord from our heart and our suffering that causes us to often live as though we don't have you in our lives.
[26:00] Help us not to live as orphans but to live as sons of you. Lord we give you praise and thanks for this great mercy you've shown us in Jesus.
[26:12] Thank you for the example of that great boat that Noah built his obedience. We pray that we would follow and we pray Lord that you would lead us this week.
[26:26] In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you so much Craig.
[26:40] We're going to sing our last song now. Thank you Thank you.