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[0:00] I'm thinking about the subject of the ark and God's judgment and what it means for us today.! When you think about the ark, the account of Noah and of the flood, the worldwide flood, it's a fact that nearly every tribe, even in remote areas have got a similar account of a worldwide flood.

[0:29] It's a common thread and anthropologists apparently have collected some 300 such stories all around the world in distant places in all kinds of tribes and people groups.

[0:43] So the story of Noah and the ark is a worldwide story and it's a well-known story. It's well-known for us that of course believe the Bible and we see here of God's warning.

[0:56] It's a message to us of God's warning. And Noah's world was marked by wickedness and God's judgment fell on this culture that was sick and godless.

[1:08] We read in Genesis 6 verse 5 about this story of the world as it was in Noah's day. In Genesis 6 verse 5 it reads, And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

[1:30] And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth and it grieved him at his heart. So we see here man was bent on evil continually.

[1:41] And it speaks of imagination, every imagination, the thoughts of his heart it says. Imagination includes the idea of purposes and desires. So the purpose and the desire of man was only evil continually.

[1:58] And then verses 11 and 12 read, God looked on the earth and the earth was corrupt before God and filled with violence.

[2:10] So Noah's day, the world as it was, was corrupt. And that's got a sense of wrecked and ruined. It speaks of decay and waste. Like clothing that's badly stained or food that's spoiled going off rotten in your house.

[2:26] And that's what sin does to a life. It's corrupt. It's wicked. And you see the escalation of violence in modern entertainment reflects the same message, isn't it?

[2:39] And we see how God is holy. He looks on the world and he sees the sin. He sees the evil of men's hearts and it grieves God's heart. We see as that first verse says, we see man's heart only evil continually and we see God's heart.

[2:57] He was grieved at his heart. And God's wrath is against sin. He's just and he must punish sin. Now, this was quite a colossal judgment that came in Noah's time.

[3:11] Some have reckoned there may have been 750 million people on earth. 750 million, maybe even 1 billion on earth at Noah's time.

[3:22] And God gave warning. In Noah's day, most people rejected. They neglected the warning. But this man Noah, it says that he heard the warning.

[3:37] It says, Hebrews 11, 7, Notice Noah by faith.

[3:59] That's what made the difference. He heard. By faith he heard. He was warned. And he took action. He listened. He heeded the warning. Noah was warned.

[4:10] The whole world was warned, but Noah in particular heard the warning. And Noah was warned of things not seen yet. No rain had ever fallen from the sky. Up to the time of Noah, moisture came up from the earth as a heavy mist.

[4:24] By faith, Noah. Something happened with Noah that was different. Noah believed God. And when God gave Noah the command to build the ark, the ark was still, it was still 120 years until the flood.

[4:37] So it was a long term kind of project for Noah. And Noah believed God. He had faith. And the basis for faith is trusting God. Noah didn't have the Bible like we have.

[4:48] Have it written, but he had God's word direct. And Noah simply heard the word of God and he trusted God to take care of things. And when we think of Noah and what it means for us, we could ask ourselves, am I a Noah kind of person today?

[5:06] Am I going to listen to God's word and hear God's warning of his judgment? We see also God's grace here in Genesis 6 verse 8.

[5:17] Noah, he heard the warning and it says, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. God looked and he saw Noah and he looked with Noah particularly, he looked with grace.

[5:30] And this is the very first mention of grace in the Bible. First mentions are really an important emphasis to something. And grace was the first time mentioned here.

[5:43] Grace, it means undeserved favour. It describes the blessing that God gives to we that really none of us deserve it. Not only did Noah find grace, but grace also found Noah.

[5:56] Grace found Noah and his whole family. And grace is available to you and me too. Even in the darkest moments as this was to be, what was different about Noah?

[6:07] It says Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations. And Noah walked with God. So Noah was a righteous man in an unrighteous world. Noah did what was right.

[6:19] He was blameless. He was, had a living relationship with God. It says of Noah, as we read here in Genesis 6 verse 9, that Noah walked with God.

[6:32] Wow! Think of that. Adam and Eve walked with God for a time. But here it says Noah walked with God. He knew God. He had fellowship with God. There was a closeness.

[6:43] And Noah had faith, it says. He was saved by faith. Really, everyone who's saved, it's by faith. Noah, by faith. He was saved.

[6:54] And he walked with God. He had a godly fear. He didn't follow the crowd. The millions of people who didn't follow God, Noah walked with God. And it was maybe a lonely walk in the sense that he was alone in that.

[7:10] Largely, it wasn't a crowd that he was following, but he followed God. He walked with God. And he walked blamelessly with the wicked of the time. And his witness was clear.

[7:21] Where did Noah walk? He entered, as we see, into the ark. That's where he walked to. He walked into the ark. And Noah's walk was enduring and it was steady.

[7:33] Noah and God walked together. The name Noah means rest or comfort, which Noah found in God, which we can find in him. God's rest, God's comfort, God's salvation.

[7:45] Noah did not become conformed to the world. He walked with God. He took a different path. He walked in holiness and practical living. And God invited Noah and his family to come into the ark.

[7:58] Only those who went into the ark were saved from the judgment of God. And God's judgment did fall. And it says when it happened, Genesis 7, 23, Noah only remained alive.

[8:11] And they that were with him in the ark, the ones that were in the ark were saved. They were saved in the ark. What made all the difference?

[8:24] Grace. Grace made the difference. And grace makes the difference still. Grace beckons still. As in the days of Noah. This is the day of grace for us.

[8:35] There's still that season, that episode of grace. That we're still in that time frame of grace. And grace is the only means of escape. The Bible talks about as it was in the days of Noah.

[8:49] As it will be in the days closer to the coming of Christ. It's referred to as it was in the days of Noah. There'll be a likeness to the days of Noah. So what Noah did, we can do in these days.

[9:01] It's still the day of grace for us. But there's a time limit though. The Bible speaks about Genesis 6, verse 3. How God says that, My spirit shall not always strive with men.

[9:13] It's saying there that there's a limit to God's mercy. He's going to limit that time. That he will stop striving with men. And there's only a time in the striving time where we can trust Christ.

[9:27] When we can receive. Where grace is offered. And Noah believed God. It had not rained before. Yet God told Noah that he was going to flood the earth with rain.

[9:39] Noah trusted God. He obeyed God. And it says he built an ark. So Noah started building this ark when he was 480 years old. So you don't really get too old to quit serving.

[9:53] Noah was 480 before the big job that he had from God started. When he started building the ark. So we've got a way to go yet. Are you one who is by faith walking with God?

[10:06] In that sweet communion. That fellowship with him. Noah lived by faith. And Noah's faith. It says it. Faith moved him with godly fear. So he knew what it was to reverence and honour the Lord.

[10:19] Noah also was a preacher in this hostile ungodly world. It says that God spared not the old world. But saved Noah. The eighth person. A preacher of righteousness.

[10:30] Bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly. Notice it says God saved Noah. He was a preacher of righteousness. So Noah was this faithful witness to this ungodly generation.

[10:44] And he wasn't afraid to stand alone. And that should be the same for you and me. Even though we might feel it's a million to one. Like in Noah's time. We see the odds of how many were following God.

[10:56] In a world that largely was not following God. That Noah kept on going. Even though he was in this real minority. Even though there would have been lots of reasons for despair.

[11:07] Maybe a lack of hope or discouragement. Noah kept on going. Imagine the criticism that Noah would have caught. As he was here building this ark. Here he was building this huge boat.

[11:19] In the middle of nowhere. It was 500 miles. Maybe for the nearest beach. And you can imagine how people would have looked at Noah. And what he was doing.

[11:30] How it would have been a bit of a joke to them. How he would have faced so much criticism. And ridicule. Constant mockery. Year after year. As he stood for his convictions. As he obeyed God.

[11:41] People would have thought him a fool. And they would have told him so. You can imagine it. Can't you? It would have seemed strange to build this huge box type vessel. It would have looked like a huge coffin.

[11:53] And it was a prediction really. That a flood would come. Even though it had never yet rained upon the earth. That was the message of the ark.

[12:06] Noah was a persevering preacher. He gave warning. He preached for some hundred years. Without one single convert. Imagine that. If you were trying to reach out and witness.

[12:18] To give the gospel. And all the knock backs he would have got. Really only his family. Heeded his preaching. In Noah's day. Men laughed to scorn.

[12:29] His words of warning. Imagine what it would have felt like. How they would have ridiculed him. And rejected the message. All the world was against Noah. But he kept on. Kept on witnessing.

[12:41] Every day. As Noah labored. As he built that ark. He was saying. I believe in God. As he was there persevering. Building that ark. There was a persistence there.

[12:53] Now some say. Of persistence. That's how the snail made it. To the ark. It's almost like. There's a time. Where things take a while. Don't they? And you can imagine.

[13:04] Noah. Time after time. Day after day. Year after year. He was persistent. He stood faithful. In a faithless. God projecting. Kind of world. And Noah.

[13:15] And the family. And animals. Sat in the ark. It says. Seven days. Before the first drop of rain. God sealed the ark. He determined. When to close the door. God's got his time.

[13:26] When he says. Time's up. And that's what happened. In Noah's day. It wasn't Noah. Who shut the door. But God. And so. There is a limit. There's a time limit.

[13:37] To God's. Mercy. To that invitation. Only eight people. Imagine that. Eight people. In total. Survived the flood waters. Of the whole planet. And. It's.

[13:48] A like. To our day. When. It seems. The many. Are hardened. By the deceitfulness. Of sin. The rejection. Of the gospel. Is corrupt.

[13:59] It's wicked. As it was. In the days. Of Noah. And friends. We're on the verge. We're on the. We're on the edge. Of judgment. And judgment. Is surely coming.

[14:10] To our world. When judgment. Came in Noah's time. It showed the world condemned. In unbelief. They'd rejected. They refused. The salvation of God. Which was effectively. The ark.

[14:21] So there was. More waiting. For Noah. And his family. While on board. The vessel. On the flood waters. In the ark. For one year. And ten days. So there was.

[14:32] Again. A long time. Of waiting. To be able to. Depart from the ark. Can we be like Noah. Who had that determination.

[14:43] To stand. To serve. To commit himself. To God's plan. Even when. This was an unusual thing. It was by faith. He did it. That he followed. And went on.

[14:55] To the ark. And when you think. Noah. It wasn't all. That he was. A perfect man. There was. Imperfections. In Noah.

[15:06] In Genesis. Nine. Verse 20. It talks about. How he. Planted a vineyard. And Noah. Got drunk. He made mistakes. And that was.

[15:17] To his shame. But the good news is. For us. That God can use. Ordinary. Fault filled people. God can use. You and me. Noah had.

[15:28] His faults. But God. Used him. Despite them. So thank God. We can receive. God's forgiveness. Like Noah. Noah was obedient. To the Lord. And the world rejected.

[15:39] The message. When you witness. To people. You know. When you. Stand for Christ. In your home life. Your work life. There's rejection there. No one knew what it was.

[15:51] To have that. And God looked upon Noah. With grace. It says. And we can. Look at Noah's life. And what he went through. And we can thank God. For God's grace. Can't we? That we found grace.

[16:03] Where is grace? It's in the eyes of God. God looked on Noah. He looked with the eyes of grace. And God extends mercy. God took the initiative. To spare Noah and his family.

[16:14] And so too. For us. As we read. Of the gospel. Where we read. God commanded this love. Towards us. In that. While we were yet sinners. Christ.

[16:25] Died for us. God's gracious provision. Is salvation. And we see all of this. Pictured in the ark. Really the ark. Is a kind of symbolic. It's symbolic.

[16:36] Of salvation. Of Christ. God's provision. We see in the ark. And God told Noah. To build the ark. And to take these. Exact dimensions. And measurements.

[16:47] And the materials. That he told him to use. It says. Genesis 6.14. God says to Noah. Make thee an ark. Of go for word. And Noah obeyed.

[16:59] What God told him to do. It says. Noah did according to all. That the Lord. Commanded him. Now the ark. It was painted. Pitch black. Wasn't much to look at.

[17:10] It was nothing fancy. It had no decorations. Or name. There was no tapered. Prow. Or a rounded stern. And both ends. Were likely square. It was like this big. Box.

[17:21] And it had only one door. In its side. There was no window. You could see. From the ground. Noah built this ark. To God's design. A perfect design. And the ark. It was designed by God. It was God's design.

[17:32] And it was virtually impossible to capsize. Its length was six times its width. The ark had a ratio. Of length. Width. Height. Of 30 long. Of five wide. And of three high. And experts in shipbuilding say.

[17:43] That this is the optimum. Ship design for stability. In rough seas. It was huge. And I know brother Williams. Has seen the model of the ark. Over in the US. And showed me a picture of him.

[17:54] Standing. Up. Up. Up. Up. Up. Up. Up. Up. Up. Up.

[18:05] Up. Up. Up. Up. Up. Up. Up. alongside it. It's a massive structure.

[18:16] The actual dimensions that they've used to make this modern day replica of the Ark. It was so huge that in fact it wasn't until 1884 that a vessel larger than the Ark was built.

[18:32] So that's saying something, isn't it? So the Ark in modern dimensions, it was 137 metres long, 23 metres wide, 14 metres high and it had three decks divided into rooms and this door on its side. In its internal space it was 100,000 square feet and its volume was 1.5 million cubic feet.

[18:58] Think of the Ark, it had no sail, no oars, no navigational system, no rudder. Noah had no control over the vessel. Really God was the captain of the ship and he steered the Ark through those massive floodwaters and kept its occupants safe and dry.

[19:18] After 40 days and nights of rain and flood conditions that lasted 150 days, the floodwaters began to recede. Now it's interesting that at the top of Mount Everest, the top 3,000 feet of Mount Everest, which is from 26,000 to 29,000 feet, this top 3,000 feet of Mount Everest is made up of sedimentary rock packed with seashells and other ocean dwelling animals.

[19:50] So sedimentary rock is found all over the world. Imagine that even on Mount Everest the sedimentary rock is formed in water. So it's again an evidence of the worldwide flood, of the truth of the Bible.

[20:06] And there's petrified clams being found in the closed position all over the world. So this is a picture that they were buried really quick while they were closed, while they were still alive, even on the top of Mount Everest.

[20:21] So there's this evidence here in the findings of anthropologists that prove the validity of a worldwide flood.

[20:35] God gave Noah some simple instructions. Noah had to trust in God. He had to make the ark and trust as he travelled in it.

[20:46] It was a mammoth construction project, as we say. Some 120 years of labour, building the ark. And Noah made the ark just as God designed it.

[20:58] He didn't add this or that. He did what was scriptural. He did what God told him. And Noah was a man of God in a time of godless men. Noah followed God's instructions as given.

[21:09] He didn't reword them or revise them. He just obeyed them. And so God's directions to Noah, given 5,000 years ago, are still the prototype for building ships today.

[21:21] They're still the fundamental principles of Noah's vessel that are copied today in modern shipbuilding. So is it any wonder that God has a divine blueprint for our very lives?

[21:35] God allowed Noah nearly 100 years to complete the building of the ark. And so you can imagine there as he's working away, perhaps with others, chipping away and banging away, as he was constructing this, building this vessel, that the world, as they would watch him, had ample time to hear of God's saving grace.

[21:58] And as he was working, in effect he was preaching as he was working, but he was also a preacher of righteousness. So he deliberately witnessed for Christ, but people disregarded the warning.

[22:12] And friends, it's the same today, isn't it? People reject God. It's the same today. They still reject the Saviour, the ark, who is Christ. They reject. And when the time came, God invited Noah into the ark.

[22:25] Now it's interesting, God's presence was inside the ark. So he invites him, he says, Come thou and all thy house into the ark. God is in the ark. He says, Come into.

[22:36] Come thou into the ark. For thee have I seen righteousness before me in this generation. He said, Come into the ark. God was in the ark himself.

[22:47] Only Noah and seven members of his family survived the judgment of God. They trusted God. By faith, Noah. Here's another first mention.

[22:58] The first time the word come is mentioned in the Bible. This word come, it occurs, it recurs over 500 times in the rest of the Bible.

[23:09] For example, as Christ says, Come unto me. He still invites us, Come unto me. Come to me, he says. We see the word of God says that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself.

[23:22] Some people question how every kind of animal would have fitted into the ark. The sun that would mock and scorn and ridicule the thought that all the animals could have fitted into the one vessel.

[23:37] But of course, only air-breathing animals needed to be included on the ark. And experts tell us that there's not even 18,000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians alive in the world today.

[23:51] So we might double this to allow for extinct species, say 36,000 species times two or 72,000 animals.

[24:02] Adding extra for clean animals, we might say there was as many as 75,000 animals. The ark had over 100,000 square feet of floor space, so that could have carried 569 standard railroad boxcars of animals.

[24:18] So when you see that train go down the track with those big boxcars full of whatever they're full of, 569 of them would have to go past.

[24:31] And if you think of the average sized animal was the size of a sheep, that means the ark could have held over 125,000 sheep. Now most animals are actually smaller than a common cat by average.

[24:45] And of course they could have been quite young animals, quite small animals when they entered the ark too. Of course it's possible that some animals could have been in a state of hibernation as well while they were on the ark.

[24:58] So there's plenty of space to preserve the wildlife. And this vessel, as we see the dimensions of it, it was certainly large enough, sufficiently large to carry two of every species of animal in the world.

[25:11] Plus there was enough space for Noah and his family and some additional animals for sacrifice for food. It's also possible that Noah only took pairs of kinds or species.

[25:24] So God created these kinds with the potential for rich genetic diversity. For example, it's a fact that at the time of Christ there existed only two types of dog.

[25:36] All the diversity in modern breeds came from these two. Of course the dog breeders would breed them such that certain characteristics would make certain breeds of dogs.

[25:48] But it was the dog kind. That's the point. So it's clear that the ark was large enough to hold all of the required animals, the people, the food, with room to spare. Now only a supernatural revelation could design a ship just so of that size, of that dimension to contain that population of animals.

[26:09] So again, it's a great proof. In fact, I've got a large book that's like a research project on the subject of the ark if anyone wants some really in-depth detail about this that they've researched this academically and they've proven that this is the case that it's very much scientific and rational and reasonable and proven the prospect of this thing so.

[26:39] Noah was a preacher of righteousness but no one listened, no one cared and men still refuse the message today, don't they? When you try to share Christ, even now. So Noah was warned and he was also warning and it's the same for you and me, brothers and sisters, that we get the warning, judgment's coming, get ready, get saved and we are relayers of that message, of that warning.

[27:06] Our message really is that it's important to consider are you in the ark? When you think of the prospect of this, when you think as it was in the days of Noah, the judgment of Noah's time, friends, it's getting closer to that season of Christ's coming and the Lord says as it was in the days of Noah so shall it be.

[27:27] And so we've got that same urgency, that same vital message that Noah had for his day, we've got that same message that should burn in our hearts to tell.

[27:39] The ark of Noah is a picture of salvation, the salvation provided in Christ who today is our ark of safety. We're told, as I say, that Noah was a preacher of righteousness.

[27:50] This word preacher refers to a herald or one who announces as we could think of old times, hear ye, hear ye, the word of the king, whatever, as they would go down and announce it, I guess before modern news, they had these heralds that would go out and declare the king's message.

[28:10] They would announce what's going on in the kingdom. And Noah was such a man, he was a herald, he was a preacher, preaching, yet men harden their hearts. Friends, it's the same as today, as many harden their hearts, they don't realise the peril that they're in of facing God's judgement.

[28:27] They will not receive Christ as their saviour, their only way to be saved. So Noah worked for God. Really, he was the first evangelist. It took Noah 120 years to build the ark all the while he was preaching to those around.

[28:42] And Noah had faith. Noah, by faith Noah, it says, he preached to the world of the coming wrath of God. We've got that same message today, brothers and sisters.

[28:53] This whole world is corrupt, it's wicked and ever more so. And we need to stand firm like Noah did. And God will bring his salvation, his rescue plan.

[29:05] That was the ark. And it tells of Noah as the animals went in and then it says he went in, they went in, his family.

[29:18] The rescue plan of the ark, God's ark, was God's plan to save humanity. And it says, after Noah had entered the ark, the Lord shut him in.

[29:30] God takes care of Noah. There was great security on the vessel for the passengers of the ark. And it's the same picture again of salvation. There's a great security in Christ.

[29:42] It's the same for us who fled for refuge to Christ. Christ is our ark. It tells of those who are in Christ in 1 Peter 1, verse 5, that we are kept by the power of God unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.

[29:59] As it was in the days of Noah, we're faced with a choice as evil and carelessness overtakes the world just as in Noah's day.

[30:10] Judgment is imminent. And some people will literally miss the boat. Think of that. The ark is a boat you don't want to miss. And some people miss the boat.

[30:21] Seriously. And that's serious, isn't it? They missed the judgment. They didn't heed the warning. And we have need like Noah to find grace in the eyes of the Lord.

[30:32] God still says to us, come. He says, come, into the ark. He says, come, come unto me. And by faith we can. By faith Noah, by faith Noah did.

[30:43] By faith Noah heard the warning. By faith Noah received God's word and acted on it, trusted, believed. We can take shelter from the storm of God's wrath.

[30:56] And friends, there's a comfort here that in the ark we have absolute security. It's a place of safety. It tells of the ark that it was pitched within, without, with pitch.

[31:07] That it had this pitch, this bitumen that gave a fully watertight seal. It was a perfect shelter. It didn't matter how hard it rained or how high the waters rose.

[31:23] All inside the ark was secure. And the ark is a type of our salvation. So this word of the ark, the gopher word, it was perfectly sealed by this covering within, without, with pitch.

[31:38] As I say, this word pitch or bitumen is the same word translated atonement in at least 70 other places in the Old Testament. For example, this one where it talks about the blood, the life of the flesh is in the blood.

[31:53] Leviticus 17, 11, I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement, same word, covering, an atonement for your souls. For it is the blood that makes an atonement for your souls.

[32:05] So only Christ's blood can shelter us from God's wrath and judgment against us, our sin. So the ark, this word, was covered with this pitch, a picture again of atonement, of covering, God's covering.

[32:21] The ark being made of gopher wood, again it pictures life comes out of death. Trees had to die for the ark to be offered. Life comes out of death.

[32:33] The trees had to die in order that the life of Noah and his family could be secured. We read how the Lord Jesus Christ is called a root out of dry ground and it shows his substitution that his death gives us life as Christ is that picture of the ark he gave life as the people entered in.

[32:55] Another aspect of ark is that the very word translated as ark is also translated in our King James in Genesis 50 verse 26 as a coffin.

[33:08] Talking of Joseph's coffin in Genesis 50 verse 26 they put his bones in a coffin. Same word, ark. And so again a picture of death that the ark was a symbol of death of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[33:26] It pictures how he was to die so that we might be saved. All who entered into the ark were preserved. All who went in came out alive one year or so later on the destruction swept earth in Genesis 8 verse 18.

[33:43] Now notice Noah only built one ark. There was only one ark and there was only one door into the ark. Only one way to enter and it's the same with salvation.

[33:55] There's only one way. As our Lord says I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh unto the Father but by me. The ark had only one door and it's the same with the tabernacle too.

[34:07] There was only one entrance a single entrance. So too for us today there's only one way that we can be saved. There's only one way of escape from eternal death.

[34:18] Only one way of deliverance from the wrath to come. As we read Acts 4 verse 12 Neither is the salvation in any other. There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.

[34:32] There's only one saviour from the lake of fire the Lord Jesus Christ. So as we think of this truth of judgement to come we see the picture of Noah and the ark we see the world alike to Noah's time filled with corruption headed for destruction we can by faith like Noah we can trust God we can walk with God.

[34:58] Who are you walking with? Who are you taking along with you on this journey? Fact is the majority will miss heaven. In Noah's time millions God's judgement looms only eight were saved.

[35:15] We must flee to Christ for safety we must flee to him enter into the ark he says come into the ark soon it will be too late to escape some will be taken by surprise we've seen God's warning of judgement we've seen God's grace God looked with grace Noah found grace in God's eyes and we see God's provision his salvation the ark not only was it a place of salvation it was a place of safety and the invitation was extended but it was a limited time God shut the door the ark came to rest upon Mount Ararat Ararat Ararat means holy ground so the first thing Noah did as he left the ark is that he worshipped God in Genesis 8 verse 20 it says he offered burnt offerings he put the Lord first the first thing that he did was to worship God offers a way of escape to us from the impending wrath the coming judgement he's made provision just as with Noah it was the ark for us it's the sure shelter of Christ of his salvation a safety from the wrath

[36:32] God's wrath to come when the flood of God's judgement came the waters gushing up from the earth and pouring down from heaven the ark ensured that divine anger was held back for those that were in the safe keeping of the ark and it's the same for us if we're in Christ God's wrath against our sin has been venced on Christ those raging waters beat upon the ark yet the ark was not destroyed it was lifted above the waters our world like Noah's is completely unprepared for the coming judgement we see even worldly wise politically wise we see the trends are bad and getting worse aren't they it's like our world is ever more wicked there's ever more wickedness it's so widespread gripping the planet will we be like Noah by faith

[37:33] Noah he heard the warning he was moved with that fear of God he was one who obeyed God and acted on that vital message and not only was he a recipient of the warning he faithfully was a messenger of the warning this vital message of warning must fall on every ear sadly it falls largely on deaf ears but our only hope is Christ that ark that he is our only hope must be to tread a different path to be like Noah to walk with God as Noah did even though Noah was faulty he walked with God and we can want that too can't we aspire to that friends judgment is coming on planet earth it's it's ever closer and the time of grace will end there is a limit

[38:33] God won't strive with men forever there's a limit there's only one arc provided by God likewise there's still only one way to heaven there's not many paths lead to God as some would foolishly think we must flee to Christ for salvation only Christ can save God shut the door those who were shut in were saved we want to make sure we're in the ark when God shuts the door it's the same with salvation if we're not certain that we're saved enter in he says come unto me come to Christ enter in until your earthly time span comes to a close you have that opportunity but once death comes there's no more there's no chance to be saved after death so there's a very limited time frame to trust

[39:37] Christ and it tells how the rain fell for 40 days and 40 nights the ark was strong and safe for those inside and friends if you trusted Christ if you're in the ark the ark is strong and safe to carry you over those flood waters through that storm there is a time limit you must be in the ark are you in the ark I urge you today and friends maybe we could take heart that even when the world is corrupt is filled with wickedness and violence we see the way the world is there is an ark for us Christ Jesus there is a safety in him there's his saving his safe keeping and we can take heart in that and we can be like Noah by faith believe him believe God and be one who shares that that same message of hope to those who have yet to trust him so they can enter into the ark too amen let's pray

[40:43] Lord we thank you that you are the ark you are that place of safety you keep us safe Lord as we saved and we thank you Lord for those that can trust you pray if there's any yet to trust you that they won't delay Lord we know time is short and judgment is sure help us Lord to know your salvation personally know it and be like Noah Lord to walk with you even when it's unpopular it's against the crowd we're outnumbered we're in the minority in workplaces and settings where we really the lone Christian at times I know some are like that in their family situation and situations such as that Lord help us yet to be strong like Noah he persevered he kept on trusting Lord help us to follow his example in all of these things and Lord encourage our hearts we know as we see these darkening times these times of storm on the horizon we know that it was as it was in the days of Noah it's all the more reason for us to know the blessed hope and that assurance of your coming soon

[42:01]  Lord and to be a prepared people we ask you Lord to help us in that walk with you that we might walk with you like Noah did in Jesus name we pray amen