WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:11.419 This morning we are looking at Genesis chapter 6 starting at verse 9 through to chapter 8 00:00:11.419 --> 00:00:12.140 verse 19. 00:00:13.120 --> 00:00:19.300 I won't read the entire passage just because of its length, but I'm going to begin by reading 00:00:19.300 --> 00:00:23.460 the chapter 6, 9 through the end of chapter 6. 00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:26.820 I think it's page 5 in your pew Bibles. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:34.340 Let me read this for us. 00:00:35.179 --> 00:00:37.219 Genesis chapter 6 beginning at verse 9. 00:00:37.299 --> 00:00:39.640 These are the generations of Noah. 00:00:41.079 --> 00:00:45.420 Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. 00:00:46.539 --> 00:00:48.240 Noah walked with God. 00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:52.480 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 00:00:53.200 --> 00:00:58.659 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 00:00:58.659 --> 00:01:06.099 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 00:01:06.159 --> 00:01:13.719 And God said to Noah, I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. 00:01:14.799 --> 00:01:17.560 Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 00:01:17.560 --> 00:01:21.120 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. 00:01:21.780 --> 00:01:25.000 Make rooms in the ark and cover it inside and out with pitch. 00:01:25.159 --> 00:01:26.560 This is how you are to make it. 00:01:26.879 --> 00:01:28.640 The length of the ark, 300 cubits. 00:01:28.820 --> 00:01:30.140 Its breadth, 50 cubits. 00:01:30.219 --> 00:01:31.480 And its height, 30 cubits. 00:01:32.060 --> 00:01:34.719 Make a roof for the ark and finish it to a cubit above. 00:01:34.900 --> 00:01:36.980 And set the door for the ark in its side. 00:01:37.099 --> 00:01:39.140 Make it with lower, second, and third decks. 00:01:39.140 --> 00:01:48.200 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. 00:01:49.299 --> 00:01:52.219 Everything that is on the earth shall die. 00:01:53.099 --> 00:02:02.439 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. 00:02:02.439 --> 00:02:09.020 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. 00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:10.520 They shall be male and female. 00:02:11.379 --> 00:02:13.120 Of the birds, according to their kinds. 00:02:13.199 --> 00:02:14.840 And of the animals, according to their kinds. 00:02:14.900 --> 00:02:21.579 Of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come into you to keep them alive. 00:02:22.479 --> 00:02:25.659 Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten and store it up. 00:02:26.180 --> 00:02:28.699 It shall serve as food for you and for them. 00:02:30.099 --> 00:02:31.439 Noah did this. 00:02:32.439 --> 00:02:37.300 He did all that God commanded him. 00:02:39.359 --> 00:02:49.259 So of the major characters in Genesis, Adam, Eve, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Esau, Joseph, the most popular one may well be Noah. 00:02:50.379 --> 00:02:56.479 One person compared over 30 children's Bibles published from 1831 to 2013, 00:02:56.479 --> 00:03:02.259 and the number one most commonly included story from the Old Testament was, you guessed it, 00:03:02.439 --> 00:03:04.419 Noah and the ark. 00:03:05.300 --> 00:03:13.199 If you grew up going to Sunday school or vacation Bible school or any kind of children's church, something or other, 00:03:13.280 --> 00:03:16.300 you can probably remember at least one song about Noah. 00:03:17.300 --> 00:03:18.439 Who built the ark? 00:03:18.680 --> 00:03:19.400 Noah, Noah. 00:03:19.400 --> 00:03:20.400 Noah, Noah. 00:03:20.400 --> 00:03:25.580 Or the Lord told Noah there's going to be a floody, floody, so get those animals out of the muddy, muddy. 00:03:25.580 --> 00:03:33.460 Even outside the church, references to Noah and the ark abound, whether it's the Russell Crowe movie or Evan Almighty 00:03:33.460 --> 00:03:40.300 or the full-size tourist attraction replicas of Noah's ark that you can visit in the Netherlands, in Hong Kong, or in Kentucky. 00:03:40.300 --> 00:03:46.200 And it's not only in cultures influenced by the Bible where we find stories of a great flood. 00:03:46.760 --> 00:03:52.360 The story of a great flood is found in many cultures and people groups on every inhabited continent in the world. 00:03:53.060 --> 00:03:58.200 And in particular, in the ancient Near East, in the time and place where Genesis was written, 00:03:58.199 --> 00:04:04.139 many other nations, the Babylonians, the Sumerians, the Akkadians, and later the Greeks, 00:04:04.239 --> 00:04:07.539 had stories of a devastating flood sent by the gods. 00:04:07.819 --> 00:04:12.239 But one man builds a boat, and only those with him in the boat survive. 00:04:13.339 --> 00:04:20.599 Now, it's impossible to know for certain whether the author of Genesis knew about these other stories or vice versa, 00:04:20.599 --> 00:04:22.839 or whether they were drawing on a common source, 00:04:22.980 --> 00:04:27.620 but the overall story was almost certainly familiar in one way or another. 00:04:27.620 --> 00:04:34.959 And yet, many of the details in the biblical story of the flood are distinct and different. 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:40.600 And we'll point out some of those distinctive aspects of the biblical story as we go along. 00:04:41.600 --> 00:04:43.879 But when we look at the biblical story about the flood, 00:04:43.879 --> 00:04:49.379 it's much more than a cute children's story about a floating zoo. 00:04:50.740 --> 00:04:56.220 And it's far more than a familiar pattern that one finds across many cultures and religions. 00:04:57.620 --> 00:05:03.639 On the one hand, the biblical story of the flood paints a picture of God's terrifying judgment. 00:05:05.939 --> 00:05:10.199 On the other hand, it paints a picture of God's promised salvation. 00:05:11.500 --> 00:05:17.399 And so this morning, we want to look at those two themes, God's judgment and God's salvation. 00:05:17.399 --> 00:05:24.000 The first thing we see from the story of Noah is that God's judgment is coming. 00:05:24.959 --> 00:05:27.199 Verse 11, chapter 6, 00:05:27.259 --> 00:05:30.939 The earth was corrupt and filled with violence. 00:05:32.079 --> 00:05:41.039 That word translated violence can also mean deceit, slander, idolatry, and lawlessness, as well as bloodshed. 00:05:41.040 --> 00:05:49.580 We saw last week how tyrannical leaders were abusing power and sex, 00:05:49.680 --> 00:05:52.260 and how the wickedness of man was great in the earth, 00:05:52.319 --> 00:05:56.120 and every intention of the human heart was only evil continually. 00:05:57.300 --> 00:06:01.480 The righteous remnant, those who trusted and obeyed God, 00:06:01.560 --> 00:06:07.320 had been reduced to only one faithful family, namely Noah's. 00:06:07.319 --> 00:06:10.300 At the end of Genesis 1, it says, 00:06:10.620 --> 00:06:16.480 God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. 00:06:17.800 --> 00:06:19.319 Chapter 6, verse 12 says, 00:06:19.439 --> 00:06:23.420 God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt. 00:06:25.899 --> 00:06:32.079 So, verse 13, God determines to destroy all flesh on earth. 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:41.800 The word translated destroy in verse 13 is the same verb that's translated corrupted in verse 12. 00:06:43.099 --> 00:06:45.879 All flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 00:06:45.939 --> 00:06:51.899 In other words, all flesh had disfigured, spoiled, ruined their way on the earth, 00:06:52.039 --> 00:06:58.819 and so God would disfigure, spoil, and ruin them along with the earth. 00:06:58.819 --> 00:07:08.139 You see, we see here that God's judgment is entirely just. 00:07:09.500 --> 00:07:17.019 Over and over, human beings had refused to live within the moral boundaries that God had put in place. 00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:20.819 Human beings had exalted themselves to God-like status. 00:07:21.539 --> 00:07:27.659 They had blamed and mistreated and threatened and murdered fellow image bearers of God. 00:07:27.660 --> 00:07:33.460 They had trampled upon God's creation and spoiled it, and they boasted of their exploits. 00:07:34.300 --> 00:07:38.480 This is what we've seen in the last couple of chapters of Genesis. 00:07:39.780 --> 00:07:40.840 And so, God says, 00:07:41.040 --> 00:07:46.379 because you have rejected my moral boundaries and transgressed them, 00:07:46.440 --> 00:07:53.520 I will now remove the physical boundaries that I set in place to sustain life on earth. 00:07:53.519 --> 00:07:58.899 Behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth. 00:07:59.620 --> 00:08:01.799 Everything that is on the earth shall die. 00:08:02.740 --> 00:08:10.659 Creation would revert to a state of watery chaos without any of the wise boundaries between sea and land. 00:08:12.159 --> 00:08:17.019 Waters and the sky that God had instituted to promote and preserve life. 00:08:17.019 --> 00:08:19.599 Everything would be let loose. 00:08:22.979 --> 00:08:29.379 Now, the justice of God is one of the distinctive aspects of the biblical story of the flood 00:08:29.379 --> 00:08:33.659 compared to other stories of a flood from the ancient Near East. 00:08:34.600 --> 00:08:40.360 In the other stories, the gods send the flood because the world is overpopulated 00:08:40.360 --> 00:08:45.659 or because the people become too disruptive or for no stated reason at all. 00:08:47.500 --> 00:08:51.539 And then after they send the flood, they are frightened and dismayed by it, 00:08:51.620 --> 00:08:54.220 and they realize they don't know what they've got themselves into. 00:08:56.259 --> 00:09:00.580 But the God of the Bible sends the flood because of humanity's moral corruption. 00:09:00.580 --> 00:09:06.879 He destroys the earth because its people are destroying themselves. 00:09:09.100 --> 00:09:17.080 In some ways, the flood prevents sin from simply spiraling downward to its ultimate conclusion. 00:09:17.520 --> 00:09:21.520 It cuts it off and puts an end to it. 00:09:24.620 --> 00:09:28.860 God's judgment in the Bible is entirely just. 00:09:28.860 --> 00:09:34.259 But God's judgment is not only just, it is also inescapable. 00:09:36.000 --> 00:09:41.180 Genesis emphasizes the totality of the corruption and the totality of the destruction. 00:09:41.740 --> 00:09:45.940 All flesh, verse 12, had corrupted their way on the earth. 00:09:47.740 --> 00:09:51.320 Verse 13, I have determined to make an end of all flesh. 00:09:51.539 --> 00:09:57.220 Seven times in chapter 6, that phrase, all flesh, comes up. 00:09:57.220 --> 00:10:02.139 Verse 17, everything that is on the earth shall die. 00:10:02.240 --> 00:10:05.019 Chapter 7, verse 4, every living thing I will blot out. 00:10:05.120 --> 00:10:08.560 Chapter 7, verse 21, all flesh died that moved on the earth. 00:10:08.680 --> 00:10:13.180 Chapter 7, verse 23, every living thing that was on the face of the ground. 00:10:13.179 --> 00:10:20.779 Now, modern scholars debate how we should interpret these expressions. 00:10:21.000 --> 00:10:26.500 Some say that these expressions indicate that the flood literally covered the entire globe. 00:10:27.379 --> 00:10:30.899 Others say the language could just as well refer to a localized flood. 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:32.579 The author was speaking of the known world, 00:10:33.459 --> 00:10:37.879 where the author used intentionally expansive language to communicate an important message. 00:10:37.879 --> 00:10:43.200 For example, later on in Genesis 41, verse 57, it says, 00:10:43.460 --> 00:10:46.320 all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, 00:10:46.439 --> 00:10:48.840 for the famine was severe over all the earth. 00:10:49.419 --> 00:10:53.700 The author is painting a picture, not necessarily making a precise statement, 00:10:53.820 --> 00:10:57.000 but the picture, regardless of how we interpret that, 00:10:57.080 --> 00:11:01.620 the point that Genesis is making is very clear and should not be missed. 00:11:01.620 --> 00:11:08.840 Nothing and no one can escape from the just judgment of God. 00:11:11.659 --> 00:11:18.019 If you go to the end of chapter 7, verse 17 or verse 18, 00:11:18.179 --> 00:11:20.580 it talks about the waters prevailing. 00:11:21.159 --> 00:11:25.159 Four times, verse 18, verse 19, verse 20, verse 24, 00:11:25.460 --> 00:11:30.460 the waters prevailed, the waters prevailed, the waters prevailed, the waters prevailed. 00:11:30.460 --> 00:11:34.460 That word prevailed is the same word that's translated triumphed. 00:11:35.680 --> 00:11:41.540 Like hostile warriors, the flood waters attack and undo God's creation 00:11:41.540 --> 00:11:44.379 until the devastation is complete. 00:11:44.780 --> 00:11:48.240 God's judgment is just and God's judgment is inescapable. 00:11:51.259 --> 00:11:53.280 And when we go ahead to the New Testament, 00:11:53.420 --> 00:11:57.840 the New Testament says that God's judgment is not just something that happened way back then, 00:11:57.840 --> 00:12:00.300 once a long time ago in the days of Noah, 00:12:00.460 --> 00:12:04.460 Jesus says he will come again in the future to judge the world 00:12:04.460 --> 00:12:08.800 and his judgment will be both just and inescapable. 00:12:10.460 --> 00:12:11.680 Jesus himself said, 00:12:11.980 --> 00:12:14.300 just as it was in the days of Noah, 00:12:14.540 --> 00:12:17.100 so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 00:12:18.360 --> 00:12:21.420 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage. 00:12:21.500 --> 00:12:23.200 In other words, people were carrying on 00:12:23.200 --> 00:12:27.440 with their daily activities and with their worldly ambitions and pleasures 00:12:27.440 --> 00:12:33.120 until the day when Noah entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all. 00:12:36.400 --> 00:12:38.180 We read earlier from 2 Peter, 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:44.580 the world that then existed was deep, deluged with water and perished. 00:12:44.580 --> 00:12:49.840 And the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire. 00:12:50.160 --> 00:12:51.840 The day of the Lord will come like a thief. 00:12:52.660 --> 00:12:54.420 The heavens will pass away with a roar. 00:12:54.560 --> 00:12:57.300 The earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 00:12:57.299 --> 00:13:04.139 You see, the Old and New Testaments speak with one voice. 00:13:05.179 --> 00:13:07.120 God's judgment is coming. 00:13:08.699 --> 00:13:11.319 Because the earth today, like the earth back then, 00:13:11.359 --> 00:13:16.359 is full of deceit and violence and idolatry and lawlessness 00:13:16.359 --> 00:13:19.919 that cries out for divine intervention and justice. 00:13:20.259 --> 00:13:25.139 Tyrannical leaders still abuse sex and power and boast about it. 00:13:25.139 --> 00:13:28.480 God still looks upon the corruption of the human heart, 00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:31.179 our evil intentions, our self-deception, 00:13:31.580 --> 00:13:35.779 our stubborn refusal to live within God's wise moral boundaries. 00:13:36.220 --> 00:13:38.939 And God says, this must not last forever. 00:13:39.399 --> 00:13:44.740 One day I will expose and wipe out the evil in the world for good. 00:13:47.199 --> 00:13:49.740 But the scary thing is this. 00:13:51.039 --> 00:13:54.759 We are all tangled up in the corruption. 00:13:55.139 --> 00:13:59.000 That God is utterly committed to wiping out. 00:14:01.580 --> 00:14:07.240 Sin infects each of our hearts far more deeply than we realize. 00:14:08.799 --> 00:14:13.539 We have all transgressed God's good moral boundaries. 00:14:13.539 --> 00:14:19.339 And we participate far more than we want to admit 00:14:19.339 --> 00:14:25.399 in the deceit and violence and idolatry and greed 00:14:25.399 --> 00:14:27.339 of the world in which we live. 00:14:29.819 --> 00:14:34.439 God cannot wipe out evil without wiping us out too. 00:14:34.440 --> 00:14:42.680 So is there any hope for creatures like us? 00:14:44.800 --> 00:14:49.360 Well, thankfully, the story of Noah is not only a story of God's just 00:14:49.360 --> 00:14:50.600 and inescapable judgment. 00:14:51.020 --> 00:14:53.260 It's also, and perhaps even more, 00:14:54.300 --> 00:14:58.220 a story of God's promised and provided salvation. 00:14:58.220 --> 00:15:01.080 Judgment is coming. 00:15:01.080 --> 00:15:03.720 That's the first thing we learn from the story of Noah. 00:15:03.820 --> 00:15:08.960 But the second thing we learn is that salvation is provided. 00:15:11.220 --> 00:15:15.320 And the story emphasizes two aspects of God's salvation. 00:15:15.720 --> 00:15:19.420 First, it emphasizes God's initiative in providing salvation. 00:15:19.419 --> 00:15:23.759 And then it emphasizes Noah's obedience through which many are saved. 00:15:25.319 --> 00:15:29.519 So throughout the story, we see God's initiative to provide salvation. 00:15:29.699 --> 00:15:34.099 Verses 11 to 13 of chapter 6, God declares to Noah in advance 00:15:34.099 --> 00:15:35.819 his intention to destroy the world. 00:15:36.039 --> 00:15:40.099 But then in verses 14 to 16, he provides Noah with the means of escape. 00:15:40.479 --> 00:15:42.139 Make yourself an ark. 00:15:42.139 --> 00:15:48.340 And God doesn't leave it up to Noah to figure out what kind of ark to make 00:15:48.340 --> 00:15:49.620 or how to build it. 00:15:49.960 --> 00:15:53.699 He specifies precisely how the ark was to be constructed, 00:15:53.960 --> 00:15:56.580 just as later on in the book of Exodus, 00:15:57.080 --> 00:16:01.019 God would specify precisely how the tabernacle was to be constructed, 00:16:01.240 --> 00:16:04.539 where he would come and meet with his people. 00:16:04.539 --> 00:16:12.360 Now, chapter 6, verse 14, 15 says it should be 450 feet long, 00:16:12.459 --> 00:16:16.219 300 cubits, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 00:16:16.839 --> 00:16:21.639 Now, it's hard for us to imagine Noah building such a massive ark 00:16:21.639 --> 00:16:23.139 without any modern power tools. 00:16:24.279 --> 00:16:26.139 It's also hard for us to imagine, 00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:29.379 and even people who have studied it don't really know, 00:16:29.500 --> 00:16:32.179 how people in the ancient world built the pyramids in Egypt, 00:16:32.179 --> 00:16:36.819 the largest of which is 750 feet long and 450 feet high. 00:16:37.359 --> 00:16:40.939 Yet, unless those pyramids are evidence of the existence of aliens, 00:16:41.500 --> 00:16:42.719 somehow or other they did. 00:16:44.519 --> 00:16:47.819 Now, some scholars suggest that the dimensions are meant to paint a picture, 00:16:48.439 --> 00:16:50.279 shouldn't necessarily be taken at face value, 00:16:50.399 --> 00:16:53.120 but regardless, nobody in the ancient world 00:16:53.120 --> 00:16:55.519 would have been troubled by the dimensions of the ark. 00:16:56.479 --> 00:16:58.639 That's a particularly modern concern. 00:16:59.459 --> 00:17:00.620 In the Gilgamesh epic, 00:17:00.620 --> 00:17:02.600 one of the other ancient Near Eastern flood stories, 00:17:02.700 --> 00:17:03.639 the boat is a cube, 00:17:04.039 --> 00:17:05.779 180 feet on all sides, 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:08.619 which ends up being four times the cubic volume of the biblical ark, 00:17:08.700 --> 00:17:11.259 far bigger and more unwieldy in the storm. 00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:16.839 So, the dimensions would not have been a worry back then. 00:17:18.200 --> 00:17:20.940 What people in the ancient world probably would have noticed 00:17:20.940 --> 00:17:23.099 is that this is no ordinary boat. 00:17:23.900 --> 00:17:25.259 There's no rudder, 00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:27.039 there are no sails, 00:17:27.440 --> 00:17:28.460 there are no oars, 00:17:28.460 --> 00:17:30.440 and there are no professional boatsmen 00:17:30.440 --> 00:17:31.840 or sailors. 00:17:33.100 --> 00:17:35.360 In the other ancient stories of the flood, 00:17:35.539 --> 00:17:38.640 it's not just the hero and his family who go into the boat, 00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:41.779 but they also bring sailors and a boatsman, 00:17:42.740 --> 00:17:43.680 professional people 00:17:43.680 --> 00:17:46.819 who can help them with their skill. 00:17:48.600 --> 00:17:51.579 And in fact, the word ark does not normally mean boat, 00:17:51.579 --> 00:17:53.639 it means something more like a box 00:17:53.639 --> 00:17:55.059 or a chest 00:17:55.059 --> 00:17:57.079 or even a coffin. 00:17:59.480 --> 00:18:01.759 Now, here's the point that we shouldn't miss. 00:18:03.299 --> 00:18:05.639 The ark is provided by God. 00:18:05.759 --> 00:18:08.179 It's not a marvel of human ingenuity. 00:18:09.179 --> 00:18:11.460 And the ark is preserved by God, 00:18:11.619 --> 00:18:12.859 by divine grace, 00:18:13.659 --> 00:18:16.139 not by human skill. 00:18:16.140 --> 00:18:19.900 All the way through the story, 00:18:20.120 --> 00:18:24.860 God, it emphasizes that God is the one who provides salvation. 00:18:26.920 --> 00:18:28.340 Chapter 6, verse 18, 00:18:28.759 --> 00:18:29.460 God says to Noah, 00:18:29.580 --> 00:18:31.620 I will establish my covenant with you. 00:18:32.280 --> 00:18:33.860 In other words, God's saying to Noah, 00:18:34.020 --> 00:18:37.820 I'm promising to preserve you through the flood. 00:18:37.819 --> 00:18:42.179 I will stick with you 00:18:42.179 --> 00:18:44.759 and I will not let you go. 00:18:47.059 --> 00:18:48.319 And in the rest of the story, 00:18:48.399 --> 00:18:50.980 God makes good on that promise. 00:18:51.799 --> 00:18:52.879 Now, look for a moment. 00:18:53.059 --> 00:18:53.960 Take your bulletin 00:18:53.960 --> 00:18:56.279 and look for a moment at the middle of the bulletin 00:18:56.279 --> 00:18:56.980 where it says, 00:18:57.119 --> 00:18:58.279 Sermon Supplement. 00:19:01.179 --> 00:19:02.019 Because there, 00:19:02.159 --> 00:19:05.399 you will see an outline of the flood story as a whole. 00:19:06.019 --> 00:19:07.240 Now, when modern people 00:19:07.240 --> 00:19:08.720 read the story of the flood, 00:19:09.039 --> 00:19:10.099 they often feel 00:19:10.099 --> 00:19:12.019 that it's excessively long 00:19:12.019 --> 00:19:13.460 and unnecessarily repetitive. 00:19:14.200 --> 00:19:15.599 That's partly why I didn't begin 00:19:15.599 --> 00:19:17.859 by reading all three chapters straight through 00:19:17.859 --> 00:19:19.519 because it sometimes feels like 00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:21.480 it's hard to stick with it. 00:19:22.920 --> 00:19:24.120 But it's actually 00:19:24.120 --> 00:19:25.720 a very carefully organized 00:19:25.720 --> 00:19:27.440 and unified story. 00:19:27.859 --> 00:19:29.240 And the pattern of the story 00:19:29.240 --> 00:19:30.740 could have been readily memorized 00:19:30.740 --> 00:19:33.079 and retold in the ancient world 00:19:33.079 --> 00:19:35.039 even by people who couldn't read 00:19:35.039 --> 00:19:36.740 or who didn't have access 00:19:36.740 --> 00:19:38.500 to a written copy of the story. 00:19:39.099 --> 00:19:41.120 Because the story builds up 00:19:41.120 --> 00:19:42.000 to a climax 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:43.980 and then it goes back down 00:19:43.980 --> 00:19:45.180 sort of the same way. 00:19:46.319 --> 00:19:46.539 Right? 00:19:47.700 --> 00:19:48.819 Just like the ark. 00:19:49.099 --> 00:19:50.339 Goes up on the flood 00:19:50.339 --> 00:19:52.099 and then comes down to the land. 00:19:52.380 --> 00:19:53.680 Story goes the same way. 00:19:54.259 --> 00:19:55.279 So throughout chapter seven, 00:19:55.380 --> 00:19:56.480 so the action builds 00:19:56.480 --> 00:19:57.720 throughout the first half of the story 00:19:57.720 --> 00:19:59.079 and each section repeats. 00:19:59.480 --> 00:20:00.500 That's why there's repeats. 00:20:00.620 --> 00:20:01.559 Each section repeats 00:20:01.559 --> 00:20:03.279 or further elaborates 00:20:03.279 --> 00:20:05.039 on the detail of the previous section. 00:20:05.039 --> 00:20:06.960 So that's why there's repetitions. 00:20:08.019 --> 00:20:08.619 So that, 00:20:08.720 --> 00:20:10.119 and then the tension gradually builds. 00:20:10.259 --> 00:20:11.019 God tells Noah, 00:20:11.359 --> 00:20:12.079 enter the ark. 00:20:12.339 --> 00:20:13.680 The animals go in two by two 00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:14.420 along with him. 00:20:14.740 --> 00:20:15.460 Chapter seven, 00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:16.139 verse two and three 00:20:16.139 --> 00:20:17.079 tells us that he brings 00:20:17.079 --> 00:20:17.980 some extra animals 00:20:17.980 --> 00:20:19.220 who are clean animals 00:20:19.220 --> 00:20:20.139 because he's going to use them 00:20:20.139 --> 00:20:20.659 at the end 00:20:20.659 --> 00:20:22.480 to offer a sacrifice to God 00:20:22.480 --> 00:20:24.579 of thanksgiving. 00:20:24.779 --> 00:20:25.559 Then in verse 10, 00:20:25.599 --> 00:20:26.399 the flood begins. 00:20:26.599 --> 00:20:27.659 And by the end of the chapter, 00:20:27.740 --> 00:20:29.079 the flood covers everything. 00:20:29.299 --> 00:20:31.200 But the turning point of the story, 00:20:31.399 --> 00:20:32.680 which is also structurally 00:20:32.680 --> 00:20:34.039 right at the center of the story. 00:20:34.140 --> 00:20:36.700 And that's how these ancient chiasms, 00:20:36.779 --> 00:20:37.759 that's the technical term 00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:38.940 for this literary structure, 00:20:39.259 --> 00:20:39.640 worked. 00:20:39.900 --> 00:20:41.019 The middle of the story 00:20:41.019 --> 00:20:42.580 is the key turning point. 00:20:43.779 --> 00:20:44.640 It's chapter eight, 00:20:44.860 --> 00:20:45.940 verse one. 00:20:46.279 --> 00:20:49.519 But God remembered Noah. 00:20:52.519 --> 00:20:54.220 Now, when the Bible talks 00:20:54.220 --> 00:20:55.060 about remembering, 00:20:55.860 --> 00:20:57.299 it doesn't just mean 00:20:57.299 --> 00:20:59.080 bringing something to mind. 00:20:59.079 --> 00:21:02.519 What it means is 00:21:02.519 --> 00:21:04.259 following through 00:21:04.259 --> 00:21:07.279 on a previously made promise. 00:21:09.579 --> 00:21:11.799 God remembered Noah 00:21:11.799 --> 00:21:13.519 and he followed through 00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:15.240 on the promise he had made 00:21:15.240 --> 00:21:16.339 in chapter six 00:21:16.339 --> 00:21:17.480 to preserve him 00:21:17.480 --> 00:21:19.460 through the flood 00:21:19.460 --> 00:21:22.539 and not to leave him alone. 00:21:24.259 --> 00:21:26.439 And the whole story hinges 00:21:26.440 --> 00:21:28.680 on God following through 00:21:28.680 --> 00:21:30.799 on his promise of salvation. 00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:33.000 Salvation is from the Lord 00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:34.440 all the way through. 00:21:36.220 --> 00:21:37.880 God remembered Noah 00:21:37.880 --> 00:21:38.799 and he followed through. 00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:39.860 The rest of chapter eight, 00:21:40.200 --> 00:21:41.220 if you look at chapter eight, 00:21:42.140 --> 00:21:44.620 we see God recreating the world, 00:21:44.840 --> 00:21:46.059 forming and filling it 00:21:46.059 --> 00:21:47.740 just as he did in Genesis one. 00:21:47.880 --> 00:21:49.400 So God remembered Noah, 00:21:49.840 --> 00:21:50.900 chapter eight, verse one, 00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:52.039 and all the beasts 00:21:52.039 --> 00:21:52.840 and all the livestock 00:21:52.840 --> 00:21:54.019 that were with him in the ark. 00:21:54.019 --> 00:21:55.559 And God made a wind blow 00:21:55.559 --> 00:21:56.539 over the earth 00:21:56.539 --> 00:21:57.859 and the water subsided. 00:21:59.579 --> 00:22:01.079 That might remind us 00:22:01.079 --> 00:22:03.240 of the beginning of Genesis one 00:22:03.240 --> 00:22:04.900 where the spirit of God, 00:22:05.779 --> 00:22:06.680 the same word, 00:22:06.819 --> 00:22:07.779 spirit and wind, 00:22:08.379 --> 00:22:09.319 same Hebrew word, 00:22:09.440 --> 00:22:10.240 translated both ways, 00:22:10.359 --> 00:22:11.319 the spirit of God 00:22:11.319 --> 00:22:13.740 was hovering over the waters 00:22:13.740 --> 00:22:15.480 at the beginning of creation. 00:22:16.279 --> 00:22:18.139 And here God sends a wind 00:22:18.139 --> 00:22:19.639 or his spirit 00:22:19.639 --> 00:22:21.240 over the earth 00:22:21.240 --> 00:22:23.019 to renew it. 00:22:23.019 --> 00:22:24.099 In Genesis one, 00:22:24.180 --> 00:22:24.960 God had separated 00:22:24.960 --> 00:22:25.900 the waters above 00:22:25.900 --> 00:22:27.000 and the waters below 00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:28.660 and the waters in the sea 00:22:28.660 --> 00:22:29.920 and the dry land. 00:22:30.160 --> 00:22:30.980 And that's what we see 00:22:30.980 --> 00:22:32.480 in verses two to five. 00:22:33.859 --> 00:22:35.099 The waters receded, 00:22:35.279 --> 00:22:36.259 the rain from the heavens 00:22:36.259 --> 00:22:37.240 was restrained 00:22:37.240 --> 00:22:38.680 and the waters receded 00:22:38.680 --> 00:22:39.779 from the earth continually. 00:22:40.500 --> 00:22:41.180 End of verse five, 00:22:41.220 --> 00:22:42.180 the tops of the mountains 00:22:42.180 --> 00:22:42.920 were seen. 00:22:44.519 --> 00:22:46.019 Then in verse six to 19, 00:22:46.460 --> 00:22:48.740 God begins to fill the world 00:22:48.740 --> 00:22:51.200 with life once again. 00:22:51.200 --> 00:22:52.860 First with birds, 00:22:52.980 --> 00:22:54.059 Noah sends forth a raven 00:22:54.059 --> 00:22:54.720 and then a dove 00:22:54.720 --> 00:22:55.799 in verse six to 12 00:22:55.799 --> 00:22:56.940 and then with animals 00:22:56.940 --> 00:22:57.759 and human beings 00:22:57.759 --> 00:22:59.740 in verses 16 to 19. 00:22:59.960 --> 00:23:01.920 So the flood is not only destructive, 00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:03.519 it's also purifying 00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:04.799 and preparing, 00:23:05.319 --> 00:23:07.299 God's preparing his whole creation 00:23:07.299 --> 00:23:09.059 for a new beginning. 00:23:12.620 --> 00:23:13.740 So throughout the story, 00:23:13.819 --> 00:23:14.860 we see God's initiative 00:23:14.860 --> 00:23:16.440 to provide salvation 00:23:16.440 --> 00:23:18.299 to Noah 00:23:18.299 --> 00:23:19.940 and Noah's family 00:23:19.940 --> 00:23:21.019 and ultimately 00:23:21.019 --> 00:23:22.580 to all of creation. 00:23:24.180 --> 00:23:26.539 But there's another theme as well. 00:23:27.740 --> 00:23:29.039 Along with God's initiative 00:23:29.039 --> 00:23:30.299 to provide salvation, 00:23:30.299 --> 00:23:32.539 we also see Noah's obedience 00:23:32.539 --> 00:23:35.080 through which many 00:23:35.080 --> 00:23:37.039 find salvation. 00:23:37.039 --> 00:23:40.980 At the beginning of the story, 00:23:41.759 --> 00:23:43.039 chapter six, verse nine, 00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:44.980 Noah is introduced 00:23:44.980 --> 00:23:47.639 with three characteristics. 00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:49.379 He was righteous. 00:23:50.460 --> 00:23:51.960 Now that's a legal term. 00:23:52.359 --> 00:23:54.399 It means right with God 00:23:54.399 --> 00:23:56.579 or approved of by God. 00:23:57.559 --> 00:23:59.339 Then it says he was blameless. 00:24:00.059 --> 00:24:01.139 That was a term used 00:24:01.139 --> 00:24:03.299 to describe ritual offerings 00:24:03.299 --> 00:24:04.099 or sacrifices 00:24:04.099 --> 00:24:05.319 that they were whole 00:24:05.319 --> 00:24:06.779 and without blemish. 00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:09.119 Noah was whole and complete. 00:24:09.359 --> 00:24:10.819 He was approved of, 00:24:10.980 --> 00:24:12.039 right with God, 00:24:12.299 --> 00:24:13.539 whole and complete. 00:24:13.680 --> 00:24:14.180 And finally, 00:24:14.299 --> 00:24:15.720 like Enoch and Adam, 00:24:16.019 --> 00:24:16.899 Noah is described 00:24:16.899 --> 00:24:20.500 as one who walked with God. 00:24:21.720 --> 00:24:23.519 And as the story unfolds, 00:24:23.519 --> 00:24:24.960 we see Noah embodying 00:24:24.960 --> 00:24:25.839 these characteristics. 00:24:26.079 --> 00:24:27.539 One of the interesting aspects 00:24:27.539 --> 00:24:28.319 of this story 00:24:28.319 --> 00:24:31.019 is that through the entire story 00:24:31.019 --> 00:24:31.920 of the flood, 00:24:32.519 --> 00:24:35.139 Noah doesn't say a single word. 00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:40.759 But he always listens to God. 00:24:41.420 --> 00:24:44.139 And he faithfully obeys God. 00:24:46.359 --> 00:24:48.500 Twice, the end of chapter six 00:24:48.500 --> 00:24:49.099 and then again, 00:24:49.399 --> 00:24:50.579 chapter seven, verse five, 00:24:50.680 --> 00:24:51.099 it says, 00:24:51.480 --> 00:24:53.460 Noah did all 00:24:53.460 --> 00:24:56.680 that the Lord had commanded him. 00:24:56.680 --> 00:25:00.039 So we see Noah 00:25:00.039 --> 00:25:00.820 as an example 00:25:00.820 --> 00:25:03.340 of faith-filled obedience 00:25:03.340 --> 00:25:05.240 to God. 00:25:06.360 --> 00:25:08.039 We also see Noah's character 00:25:08.039 --> 00:25:08.680 on display 00:25:08.680 --> 00:25:10.000 toward the end of the story 00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:11.019 in chapter eight. 00:25:11.500 --> 00:25:12.660 Look at chapter eight, 00:25:12.720 --> 00:25:13.860 beginning at verse six. 00:25:15.640 --> 00:25:17.160 Now, by this time, 00:25:17.860 --> 00:25:18.940 Noah has been in the ark 00:25:18.940 --> 00:25:19.799 for many months. 00:25:21.259 --> 00:25:22.440 For a long time, 00:25:22.539 --> 00:25:23.400 things seem to be getting 00:25:23.400 --> 00:25:24.560 crazier and crazier, 00:25:24.559 --> 00:25:26.259 floodwaters raining down, 00:25:26.379 --> 00:25:28.179 everything getting destroyed. 00:25:29.279 --> 00:25:30.700 Now they're finally 00:25:30.700 --> 00:25:32.399 just starting to settle down. 00:25:32.559 --> 00:25:33.220 The mountaintops 00:25:33.220 --> 00:25:34.039 are becoming visible. 00:25:34.179 --> 00:25:35.099 Now, just imagine 00:25:35.099 --> 00:25:37.240 what your psychological state 00:25:37.240 --> 00:25:37.779 would be 00:25:37.779 --> 00:25:39.819 if you were confined 00:25:39.819 --> 00:25:41.819 to a three-story boat 00:25:41.819 --> 00:25:43.500 with only one window 00:25:43.500 --> 00:25:44.740 for several months 00:25:44.740 --> 00:25:46.099 with only your spouse 00:25:46.099 --> 00:25:47.379 and your three children 00:25:47.379 --> 00:25:48.339 and their spouses, 00:25:48.720 --> 00:25:49.519 countless animals 00:25:49.519 --> 00:25:50.500 of every sort, 00:25:50.639 --> 00:25:51.759 and you are responsible 00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:53.339 for overseeing everything. 00:25:53.339 --> 00:25:56.980 Yikes. 00:25:59.799 --> 00:26:01.659 But here we see Noah. 00:26:02.799 --> 00:26:03.819 He sends out a raven 00:26:03.819 --> 00:26:04.879 in verse six. 00:26:05.399 --> 00:26:06.579 A week later in verse eight, 00:26:06.639 --> 00:26:07.459 he sends out a dove. 00:26:07.539 --> 00:26:08.839 So he's neither cynical 00:26:08.839 --> 00:26:10.379 nor desperate. 00:26:12.759 --> 00:26:14.519 He's patiently waiting, 00:26:14.980 --> 00:26:16.039 actively hoping 00:26:16.039 --> 00:26:17.019 for the fulfillment 00:26:17.019 --> 00:26:18.559 of God's promise. 00:26:18.559 --> 00:26:21.019 And then in verse nine, 00:26:21.659 --> 00:26:23.679 there's this unexpected 00:26:23.679 --> 00:26:24.839 flourish of detail. 00:26:25.879 --> 00:26:27.240 When the dove comes back, 00:26:28.119 --> 00:26:29.119 the dove found no place 00:26:29.119 --> 00:26:29.859 to set her foot 00:26:29.859 --> 00:26:30.940 and she returned to him 00:26:30.940 --> 00:26:31.559 to the ark, 00:26:31.759 --> 00:26:33.200 for the waters were still 00:26:33.200 --> 00:26:34.200 on the face of the whole earth. 00:26:34.279 --> 00:26:35.740 So he put out his hand 00:26:35.740 --> 00:26:36.980 and took her 00:26:36.980 --> 00:26:38.019 and brought her 00:26:38.019 --> 00:26:39.480 into the ark with him. 00:26:41.099 --> 00:26:42.379 That detail is not 00:26:42.379 --> 00:26:43.240 strictly necessary 00:26:43.240 --> 00:26:43.960 to the story. 00:26:43.960 --> 00:26:47.480 But it's a picture 00:26:47.480 --> 00:26:48.240 of Noah's 00:26:48.240 --> 00:26:50.019 tender kindness. 00:26:51.819 --> 00:26:53.180 Even after managing 00:26:53.180 --> 00:26:53.660 a zoo 00:26:53.660 --> 00:26:54.579 for several months, 00:26:54.620 --> 00:26:55.660 which is probably enough 00:26:55.660 --> 00:26:56.720 to drive even the most 00:26:56.720 --> 00:26:57.759 animal-loving person 00:26:57.759 --> 00:26:58.279 crazy, 00:26:59.079 --> 00:26:59.940 Noah is still 00:26:59.940 --> 00:27:00.680 kind 00:27:00.680 --> 00:27:02.140 to the needs 00:27:02.140 --> 00:27:04.079 of a little 00:27:04.079 --> 00:27:04.920 bird. 00:27:05.420 --> 00:27:05.940 And 00:27:05.940 --> 00:27:06.420 the 00:27:06.420 --> 00:27:07.420 little bird. 00:27:07.420 --> 00:27:08.800 Proverbs 12, 00:27:08.880 --> 00:27:09.560 verse 10 says, 00:27:09.660 --> 00:27:10.279 being kind 00:27:10.279 --> 00:27:10.900 to the needs 00:27:10.900 --> 00:27:12.100 of animals 00:27:12.100 --> 00:27:13.360 is one of the marks 00:27:13.360 --> 00:27:15.180 of a righteous person. 00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:17.779 You see, 00:27:17.960 --> 00:27:18.320 righteousness 00:27:18.320 --> 00:27:19.960 is embodied 00:27:19.960 --> 00:27:21.039 not just 00:27:21.039 --> 00:27:21.740 in big 00:27:21.740 --> 00:27:22.560 decisions 00:27:22.560 --> 00:27:23.539 and bold 00:27:23.539 --> 00:27:24.160 ventures 00:27:24.160 --> 00:27:24.900 like building 00:27:24.900 --> 00:27:25.539 an ark, 00:27:26.360 --> 00:27:27.420 but also 00:27:27.420 --> 00:27:28.240 in small 00:27:28.240 --> 00:27:29.539 acts of kindness 00:27:29.539 --> 00:27:31.140 and steady 00:27:31.140 --> 00:27:31.820 expressions 00:27:31.820 --> 00:27:32.860 of patience. 00:27:34.680 --> 00:27:35.019 Caring 00:27:35.019 --> 00:27:35.779 for people 00:27:35.779 --> 00:27:37.039 and even 00:27:37.039 --> 00:27:38.059 for animals 00:27:38.059 --> 00:27:39.000 who are 00:27:39.000 --> 00:27:39.460 vulnerable 00:27:39.460 --> 00:27:40.799 and hurting. 00:27:43.740 --> 00:27:44.680 In the end, 00:27:44.779 --> 00:27:45.240 it's through 00:27:45.240 --> 00:27:46.240 righteous Noah's 00:27:46.240 --> 00:27:46.899 faith-filled 00:27:46.899 --> 00:27:47.379 obedience 00:27:47.379 --> 00:27:47.940 that many 00:27:47.940 --> 00:27:48.700 are saved. 00:27:48.779 --> 00:27:49.279 It's not just 00:27:49.279 --> 00:27:50.000 Noah who's brought 00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:50.700 safely through the 00:27:50.700 --> 00:27:50.940 flood. 00:27:51.119 --> 00:27:51.879 It's his entire 00:27:51.879 --> 00:27:53.019 family and even 00:27:53.019 --> 00:27:53.599 the animals 00:27:53.599 --> 00:27:54.420 that reap the 00:27:54.420 --> 00:27:54.859 benefits 00:27:54.859 --> 00:27:55.680 of his 00:27:55.680 --> 00:27:56.379 obedience. 00:27:57.299 --> 00:27:57.920 And throughout 00:27:57.920 --> 00:27:58.660 the Old Testament, 00:27:58.819 --> 00:27:59.980 we see this 00:27:59.980 --> 00:28:00.619 pattern. 00:28:00.960 --> 00:28:01.440 In the midst 00:28:01.440 --> 00:28:02.180 of a dark 00:28:02.180 --> 00:28:02.859 and corrupt 00:28:02.859 --> 00:28:03.619 world, 00:28:03.920 --> 00:28:04.799 God raises 00:28:04.799 --> 00:28:05.460 up a 00:28:05.460 --> 00:28:05.919 righteous 00:28:05.919 --> 00:28:06.519 one 00:28:06.519 --> 00:28:08.579 through whom 00:28:08.579 --> 00:28:09.440 many others 00:28:09.440 --> 00:28:10.779 find salvation. 00:28:11.919 --> 00:28:12.299 Through the 00:28:12.299 --> 00:28:13.019 obedience of 00:28:13.019 --> 00:28:13.399 one, 00:28:13.799 --> 00:28:14.919 many are 00:28:14.919 --> 00:28:15.379 made 00:28:15.379 --> 00:28:16.039 righteous. 00:28:19.319 --> 00:28:19.980 And yet, 00:28:20.139 --> 00:28:21.180 what we'll 00:28:21.180 --> 00:28:21.960 see next week 00:28:21.960 --> 00:28:23.799 is that even 00:28:23.799 --> 00:28:25.039 Noah falls 00:28:25.039 --> 00:28:25.659 short. 00:28:27.440 --> 00:28:28.399 Just like 00:28:28.399 --> 00:28:28.759 Adam, 00:28:29.139 --> 00:28:29.700 Noah and his 00:28:29.700 --> 00:28:30.159 sons will 00:28:30.159 --> 00:28:30.779 become corrupted 00:28:30.779 --> 00:28:31.480 by sin 00:28:31.480 --> 00:28:32.680 and they 00:28:32.680 --> 00:28:33.140 will continue 00:28:33.140 --> 00:28:33.539 to be 00:28:33.539 --> 00:28:34.079 subject to 00:28:34.079 --> 00:28:34.440 death. 00:28:35.420 --> 00:28:36.019 And we'll 00:28:36.019 --> 00:28:36.480 see that the 00:28:36.480 --> 00:28:37.220 salvation that 00:28:37.220 --> 00:28:37.720 came through 00:28:37.720 --> 00:28:40.860 Noah still 00:28:40.860 --> 00:28:41.360 leaves much 00:28:41.360 --> 00:28:41.640 to be 00:28:41.640 --> 00:28:42.079 desired. 00:28:43.779 --> 00:28:44.460 And throughout 00:28:44.460 --> 00:28:44.819 the Old 00:28:44.819 --> 00:28:45.120 Testament, 00:28:45.259 --> 00:28:45.839 that pattern 00:28:45.839 --> 00:28:46.339 continues. 00:28:46.480 --> 00:28:46.920 God raises 00:28:46.920 --> 00:28:47.640 up Moses. 00:28:49.079 --> 00:28:49.440 Right? 00:28:49.559 --> 00:28:50.360 Through Moses, 00:28:50.500 --> 00:28:51.000 the people of 00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:51.759 Israel find 00:28:51.759 --> 00:28:52.339 salvation. 00:28:52.519 --> 00:28:53.000 They're delivered 00:28:53.000 --> 00:28:53.680 from slavery 00:28:53.680 --> 00:28:54.259 in Egypt. 00:28:55.099 --> 00:28:55.480 And yet, 00:28:56.480 --> 00:28:57.759 in the middle 00:28:57.759 --> 00:28:58.299 of the desert, 00:28:58.299 --> 00:28:59.339 Moses dishonors 00:28:59.339 --> 00:28:59.720 God. 00:29:01.399 --> 00:29:02.279 And Moses is 00:29:02.279 --> 00:29:02.919 prohibited from 00:29:02.919 --> 00:29:03.399 entering the 00:29:03.399 --> 00:29:04.119 promised land. 00:29:05.480 --> 00:29:06.159 And then they 00:29:06.159 --> 00:29:06.559 get into the 00:29:06.559 --> 00:29:06.980 land and then 00:29:06.980 --> 00:29:07.700 God raises up 00:29:07.700 --> 00:29:08.519 David to reign 00:29:08.519 --> 00:29:09.259 over his people 00:29:09.259 --> 00:29:09.899 and to deliver 00:29:09.899 --> 00:29:10.519 them from their 00:29:10.519 --> 00:29:10.839 enemies. 00:29:10.980 --> 00:29:11.519 And then David 00:29:11.519 --> 00:29:13.259 becomes an 00:29:13.259 --> 00:29:14.079 enemy of God's 00:29:14.079 --> 00:29:14.759 own people when 00:29:14.759 --> 00:29:15.200 he commits 00:29:15.200 --> 00:29:16.119 adultery and 00:29:16.119 --> 00:29:16.480 murder. 00:29:20.940 --> 00:29:21.539 Through the 00:29:21.539 --> 00:29:22.240 obedience of 00:29:22.240 --> 00:29:22.799 one, the many 00:29:22.799 --> 00:29:23.200 are made 00:29:23.200 --> 00:29:23.879 righteous, but 00:29:23.879 --> 00:29:24.700 no one quite 00:29:24.700 --> 00:29:25.460 lives up to 00:29:25.460 --> 00:29:26.879 that description. 00:29:28.299 --> 00:29:30.119 Until the 00:29:30.119 --> 00:29:30.519 coming of 00:29:30.519 --> 00:29:31.279 Jesus Christ, 00:29:31.899 --> 00:29:33.279 when we see 00:29:33.279 --> 00:29:33.919 the fulfillment 00:29:33.919 --> 00:29:34.659 of that 00:29:34.659 --> 00:29:34.980 hope. 00:29:36.460 --> 00:29:37.240 In the midst 00:29:37.240 --> 00:29:37.759 of a dark 00:29:37.759 --> 00:29:38.180 and corrupt 00:29:38.180 --> 00:29:38.619 world, we 00:29:38.619 --> 00:29:39.519 see a man 00:29:39.519 --> 00:29:40.019 who is 00:29:40.019 --> 00:29:41.119 righteous and 00:29:41.119 --> 00:29:41.899 blameless, who 00:29:41.899 --> 00:29:42.899 walks with God 00:29:42.899 --> 00:29:43.779 and obeys his 00:29:43.779 --> 00:29:44.379 word, who is 00:29:44.379 --> 00:29:45.339 bold and 00:29:45.339 --> 00:29:46.339 brave, who is 00:29:46.339 --> 00:29:47.180 tender and 00:29:47.180 --> 00:29:47.720 kind. 00:29:49.079 --> 00:29:49.779 And Jesus 00:29:49.779 --> 00:29:50.599 did not need 00:29:50.599 --> 00:29:51.319 to build an 00:29:51.319 --> 00:29:53.240 ark because he 00:29:53.240 --> 00:29:54.099 came to be 00:29:54.099 --> 00:29:54.879 the ark. 00:29:56.579 --> 00:29:57.559 He did not 00:29:57.559 --> 00:29:58.279 need to build 00:29:58.279 --> 00:29:58.879 a temple 00:29:58.879 --> 00:30:00.579 because he 00:30:00.579 --> 00:30:01.319 came to be 00:30:01.319 --> 00:30:02.019 the temple. 00:30:04.339 --> 00:30:05.299 You see, in 00:30:05.299 --> 00:30:06.119 his life and 00:30:06.119 --> 00:30:06.940 ultimately in 00:30:06.940 --> 00:30:07.599 his death, 00:30:08.559 --> 00:30:09.759 Jesus himself 00:30:09.759 --> 00:30:12.579 entered the 00:30:12.579 --> 00:30:13.440 flood of 00:30:13.440 --> 00:30:14.619 God's judgment 00:30:14.619 --> 00:30:16.179 upon corrupt 00:30:16.179 --> 00:30:18.539 humanity so 00:30:18.539 --> 00:30:19.179 that all who 00:30:19.179 --> 00:30:19.779 enter into 00:30:19.779 --> 00:30:21.940 him might 00:30:21.940 --> 00:30:22.799 find refuge 00:30:22.799 --> 00:30:24.339 and salvation. 00:30:24.339 --> 00:30:24.439 salvation. 00:30:26.779 --> 00:30:27.539 God 00:30:27.539 --> 00:30:28.459 promised and 00:30:28.459 --> 00:30:29.299 God provided 00:30:29.299 --> 00:30:30.439 salvation for 00:30:30.439 --> 00:30:31.139 Noah, and 00:30:31.139 --> 00:30:31.859 today God 00:30:31.859 --> 00:30:32.799 promises and 00:30:32.799 --> 00:30:33.480 God provides 00:30:33.480 --> 00:30:34.240 salvation for 00:30:34.240 --> 00:30:35.019 all who 00:30:35.019 --> 00:30:35.879 enter into 00:30:35.879 --> 00:30:37.419 Jesus Christ. 00:30:40.259 --> 00:30:41.359 Until the 00:30:41.359 --> 00:30:42.539 final day of 00:30:42.539 --> 00:30:43.259 God's judgment 00:30:43.259 --> 00:30:43.980 comes, the 00:30:43.980 --> 00:30:45.220 door of the 00:30:45.220 --> 00:30:46.480 ark is still 00:30:46.480 --> 00:30:47.359 open. 00:30:47.359 --> 00:30:47.419 man. 00:30:50.419 --> 00:30:51.119 Now from 00:30:51.119 --> 00:30:53.139 the outside, on 00:30:53.139 --> 00:30:53.740 a nice sunny 00:30:53.740 --> 00:30:55.379 day, when 00:30:55.379 --> 00:30:56.199 all seems like 00:30:56.199 --> 00:30:56.779 it's well in 00:30:56.779 --> 00:30:57.319 the world, you 00:30:57.319 --> 00:30:57.779 could look at 00:30:57.779 --> 00:30:58.839 the ark and 00:30:58.839 --> 00:31:00.099 say, entering 00:31:00.099 --> 00:31:01.439 into that seems 00:31:01.439 --> 00:31:02.299 like entering 00:31:02.299 --> 00:31:03.219 into death. 00:31:05.899 --> 00:31:07.059 Go with Noah 00:31:07.059 --> 00:31:08.219 into that box, 00:31:08.319 --> 00:31:09.299 that seems like 00:31:09.299 --> 00:31:10.479 walking into a 00:31:10.479 --> 00:31:10.799 coffin. 00:31:13.419 --> 00:31:14.299 And similarly, 00:31:14.479 --> 00:31:15.219 many people look 00:31:15.220 --> 00:31:17.160 at Jesus, and 00:31:17.160 --> 00:31:18.180 they say, my 00:31:18.180 --> 00:31:18.960 life seems to 00:31:18.960 --> 00:31:19.759 be going pretty 00:31:19.759 --> 00:31:20.700 well, why 00:31:20.700 --> 00:31:21.380 would I want 00:31:21.380 --> 00:31:22.240 to surrender 00:31:22.240 --> 00:31:22.799 to him? 00:31:23.720 --> 00:31:24.400 That seems 00:31:24.400 --> 00:31:25.900 inconvenient and 00:31:25.900 --> 00:31:26.519 unnecessary. 00:31:29.240 --> 00:31:30.220 But when you 00:31:30.220 --> 00:31:30.880 are confronted 00:31:30.880 --> 00:31:31.680 with the 00:31:31.680 --> 00:31:32.759 darkness of 00:31:32.759 --> 00:31:33.440 human nature, 00:31:34.539 --> 00:31:35.559 and the 00:31:35.559 --> 00:31:36.120 persistent 00:31:36.120 --> 00:31:38.120 corruption that 00:31:38.120 --> 00:31:39.259 infects our 00:31:39.259 --> 00:31:40.360 human world, 00:31:40.940 --> 00:31:42.880 when you see 00:31:42.880 --> 00:31:43.819 the storm 00:31:43.819 --> 00:31:44.680 clouds of 00:31:44.680 --> 00:31:45.120 God's 00:31:45.120 --> 00:31:45.620 approaching 00:31:45.620 --> 00:31:46.340 judgment, 00:31:47.200 --> 00:31:47.960 when death 00:31:47.960 --> 00:31:48.900 rears its 00:31:48.900 --> 00:31:49.960 ugly head and 00:31:49.960 --> 00:31:51.039 intrudes upon 00:31:51.039 --> 00:31:51.680 our pleasant 00:31:51.680 --> 00:31:53.000 existence, then 00:31:53.000 --> 00:31:55.259 the ark, then 00:31:55.259 --> 00:31:56.420 Jesus Christ 00:31:56.420 --> 00:31:57.660 himself starts 00:31:57.660 --> 00:31:58.460 to look like 00:31:58.460 --> 00:31:59.380 the way of 00:31:59.380 --> 00:31:59.820 salvation. 00:32:01.140 --> 00:32:02.360 You see, all 00:32:02.360 --> 00:32:03.580 the sunny days 00:32:03.580 --> 00:32:04.420 and all the 00:32:04.420 --> 00:32:05.259 pleasant things 00:32:05.259 --> 00:32:05.940 of life are 00:32:05.940 --> 00:32:06.759 expressions of 00:32:06.759 --> 00:32:07.740 God's kindness 00:32:07.740 --> 00:32:09.140 and patience, 00:32:09.299 --> 00:32:10.039 that he doesn't 00:32:10.039 --> 00:32:11.039 immediately judge 00:32:11.039 --> 00:32:11.640 us as we 00:32:11.640 --> 00:32:12.560 deserve, but 00:32:12.560 --> 00:32:13.580 God's word warns 00:32:13.580 --> 00:32:14.320 us, do not 00:32:14.319 --> 00:32:15.419 presume upon 00:32:15.419 --> 00:32:16.960 God's patience. 00:32:17.539 --> 00:32:18.299 The Lord is 00:32:18.299 --> 00:32:19.259 patient toward 00:32:19.259 --> 00:32:19.980 you, not 00:32:19.980 --> 00:32:20.779 wishing that 00:32:20.779 --> 00:32:21.240 any should 00:32:21.240 --> 00:32:22.019 perish, but 00:32:22.019 --> 00:32:22.919 that all should 00:32:22.919 --> 00:32:23.960 reach repentance, 00:32:24.539 --> 00:32:25.119 friend, that 00:32:25.119 --> 00:32:26.019 includes you. 00:32:27.619 --> 00:32:28.460 Come to 00:32:28.460 --> 00:32:28.960 Jesus. 00:32:30.419 --> 00:32:31.299 Enter into 00:32:31.299 --> 00:32:32.740 him today. 00:32:33.419 --> 00:32:34.539 Find refuge 00:32:34.539 --> 00:32:35.539 in him. 00:32:35.879 --> 00:32:36.740 Come into the 00:32:36.740 --> 00:32:37.500 ark of his 00:32:37.500 --> 00:32:38.740 saving grace, 00:32:38.960 --> 00:32:39.700 and don't 00:32:39.700 --> 00:32:40.179 delay. 00:32:40.180 --> 00:32:45.200 For those of 00:32:45.200 --> 00:32:45.799 us who have 00:32:45.799 --> 00:32:46.160 come to 00:32:46.160 --> 00:32:47.240 Jesus in 00:32:47.240 --> 00:32:49.740 faith, rest 00:32:49.740 --> 00:32:51.120 in his 00:32:51.120 --> 00:32:51.860 covenant 00:32:51.860 --> 00:32:52.799 promise. 00:32:53.960 --> 00:32:54.700 Look at 00:32:54.700 --> 00:32:55.400 chapter 7, 00:32:55.460 --> 00:32:56.460 verse 16. 00:32:58.519 --> 00:32:59.620 There's another 00:32:59.620 --> 00:33:00.539 little phrase 00:33:00.539 --> 00:33:02.660 that we haven't 00:33:02.660 --> 00:33:03.400 looked at yet, 00:33:03.400 --> 00:33:06.340 ark, but it's 00:33:06.340 --> 00:33:07.040 right after 00:33:07.040 --> 00:33:08.040 Noah and 00:33:08.040 --> 00:33:08.640 the animals 00:33:08.640 --> 00:33:10.019 and his 00:33:10.019 --> 00:33:10.680 family all 00:33:10.680 --> 00:33:11.200 enter into 00:33:11.200 --> 00:33:11.820 the ark, and 00:33:11.820 --> 00:33:12.300 it says, 00:33:12.560 --> 00:33:12.800 and the 00:33:12.800 --> 00:33:14.120 Lord shut 00:33:14.120 --> 00:33:15.820 him in. 00:33:18.660 --> 00:33:19.900 In every 00:33:19.900 --> 00:33:20.900 other flood 00:33:20.900 --> 00:33:21.880 story from the 00:33:21.880 --> 00:33:22.560 ancient Near 00:33:22.560 --> 00:33:23.200 East, the 00:33:23.200 --> 00:33:24.460 hero shuts 00:33:24.460 --> 00:33:25.480 the hatch 00:33:25.480 --> 00:33:26.240 himself. 00:33:27.759 --> 00:33:28.800 He goes 00:33:28.800 --> 00:33:29.180 into the 00:33:29.180 --> 00:33:30.000 boat, and he 00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:30.780 closes himself 00:33:30.779 --> 00:33:31.079 in. 00:33:31.899 --> 00:33:33.119 He protects 00:33:33.119 --> 00:33:33.879 himself. 00:33:35.099 --> 00:33:36.180 But here 00:33:36.180 --> 00:33:37.299 it is the 00:33:37.299 --> 00:33:39.639 Lord, who 00:33:39.639 --> 00:33:40.799 has established 00:33:40.799 --> 00:33:41.639 his promise 00:33:41.639 --> 00:33:42.759 to Noah, who 00:33:42.759 --> 00:33:43.879 also secures 00:33:43.879 --> 00:33:44.980 him safely 00:33:44.980 --> 00:33:46.299 within the 00:33:46.299 --> 00:33:46.720 ark. 00:33:48.359 --> 00:33:49.240 Are you 00:33:49.240 --> 00:33:50.599 worried that 00:33:50.599 --> 00:33:51.639 you lack the 00:33:51.639 --> 00:33:52.920 resolve to 00:33:52.920 --> 00:33:53.779 persevere as a 00:33:53.779 --> 00:33:54.099 Christian? 00:33:54.680 --> 00:33:55.399 Are you anxious 00:33:55.399 --> 00:33:56.000 that something 00:33:56.000 --> 00:33:56.819 outside of your 00:33:56.819 --> 00:33:57.639 control could 00:33:57.639 --> 00:33:58.480 throw you off 00:33:58.480 --> 00:33:59.440 the path for 00:33:59.440 --> 00:34:00.180 all eternity, 00:34:00.180 --> 00:34:02.660 take comfort 00:34:02.660 --> 00:34:03.080 in this 00:34:03.080 --> 00:34:03.420 verse? 00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:05.920 The Lord 00:34:05.920 --> 00:34:06.640 shut him 00:34:06.640 --> 00:34:07.019 in. 00:34:07.259 --> 00:34:07.900 Charles Spurgeon 00:34:07.900 --> 00:34:08.380 has a whole 00:34:08.380 --> 00:34:09.700 sermon on that 00:34:09.700 --> 00:34:10.180 one little 00:34:10.180 --> 00:34:10.579 sentence. 00:34:10.800 --> 00:34:11.460 You can look 00:34:11.460 --> 00:34:12.099 it up online. 00:34:12.920 --> 00:34:13.420 But he says, 00:34:13.579 --> 00:34:14.139 when God has 00:34:14.139 --> 00:34:15.139 brought us into 00:34:15.139 --> 00:34:15.860 union with 00:34:15.860 --> 00:34:17.500 Jesus, he 00:34:17.500 --> 00:34:18.440 shuts us in, 00:34:18.519 --> 00:34:19.180 and we are 00:34:19.180 --> 00:34:20.119 saved in the 00:34:20.119 --> 00:34:20.780 Lord with an 00:34:20.780 --> 00:34:21.180 everlasting 00:34:21.180 --> 00:34:22.099 salvation. 00:34:22.460 --> 00:34:22.980 The great 00:34:22.980 --> 00:34:24.760 door of God's 00:34:24.760 --> 00:34:25.139 covenant 00:34:25.139 --> 00:34:27.000 faithfulness is 00:34:27.000 --> 00:34:28.059 shut behind the 00:34:28.059 --> 00:34:29.960 believer, and he 00:34:29.960 --> 00:34:31.260 is surrounded by 00:34:31.260 --> 00:34:32.480 the power and 00:34:32.480 --> 00:34:34.019 grace of God. 00:34:34.360 --> 00:34:35.820 Even as Noah was 00:34:35.820 --> 00:34:37.000 housed within the 00:34:37.000 --> 00:34:38.199 strong timbers of 00:34:38.199 --> 00:34:39.720 the ark, God's 00:34:39.720 --> 00:34:41.240 omnipotent love has 00:34:41.240 --> 00:34:42.740 shut us in. 00:34:44.079 --> 00:34:45.199 So, brother or 00:34:45.199 --> 00:34:47.559 sister, rest in the 00:34:47.559 --> 00:34:48.679 security of God's 00:34:48.679 --> 00:34:50.720 great love to you in 00:34:50.720 --> 00:34:51.659 Jesus Christ. 00:34:51.659 --> 00:34:55.699 Christ, he is 00:34:55.699 --> 00:34:57.059 upholding you by 00:34:57.059 --> 00:34:58.359 his love and by 00:34:58.359 --> 00:34:59.839 his power, and he 00:34:59.839 --> 00:35:00.559 can keep you. 00:35:03.559 --> 00:35:04.259 You know, maybe 00:35:04.259 --> 00:35:05.219 you're facing trials 00:35:05.219 --> 00:35:06.699 and temptations that 00:35:06.699 --> 00:35:07.379 seem completely 00:35:07.379 --> 00:35:07.839 overwhelming. 00:35:11.119 --> 00:35:11.960 Listen to the 00:35:11.960 --> 00:35:13.079 words of 2 Peter 2. 00:35:13.079 --> 00:35:15.940 If God preserved 00:35:15.940 --> 00:35:18.440 Noah, a herald of 00:35:18.440 --> 00:35:19.480 righteousness with 00:35:19.480 --> 00:35:20.500 seven others when 00:35:20.500 --> 00:35:21.239 he brought a flood 00:35:21.239 --> 00:35:22.219 upon the world of 00:35:22.219 --> 00:35:23.360 the ungodly, then 00:35:23.360 --> 00:35:25.719 the Lord knows how 00:35:25.719 --> 00:35:27.380 to rescue the 00:35:27.380 --> 00:35:28.500 godly from 00:35:28.500 --> 00:35:29.360 trials. 00:35:30.480 --> 00:35:32.380 The Lord knows 00:35:32.380 --> 00:35:34.199 how to rescue the 00:35:34.199 --> 00:35:35.259 godly from 00:35:35.259 --> 00:35:36.059 trials. 00:35:36.739 --> 00:35:37.779 If he brought 00:35:37.779 --> 00:35:38.960 Noah and his 00:35:38.960 --> 00:35:39.980 family through the 00:35:39.980 --> 00:35:41.139 flood, he can bring 00:35:41.139 --> 00:35:43.480 you through whatever 00:35:43.480 --> 00:35:45.159 seemingly overwhelming 00:35:45.159 --> 00:35:46.819 trial or temptation 00:35:46.819 --> 00:35:48.019 that you are 00:35:48.019 --> 00:35:49.179 currently facing. 00:35:51.779 --> 00:35:53.519 And know that on 00:35:53.519 --> 00:35:54.879 the other side of 00:35:54.879 --> 00:35:56.719 every earthly trial, 00:35:56.900 --> 00:35:58.119 no matter how 00:35:58.119 --> 00:35:59.279 severe, and 00:35:59.279 --> 00:36:00.400 ultimately on the 00:36:00.400 --> 00:36:01.460 other side of 00:36:01.460 --> 00:36:03.779 death itself, the 00:36:03.779 --> 00:36:04.699 Lord Jesus Christ 00:36:04.699 --> 00:36:06.379 has promised to 00:36:06.379 --> 00:36:07.980 make all things 00:36:07.980 --> 00:36:08.559 new. 00:36:08.559 --> 00:36:11.860 just as God 00:36:11.860 --> 00:36:12.920 did on the 00:36:12.920 --> 00:36:14.059 other side of 00:36:14.059 --> 00:36:14.559 the flood. 00:36:16.559 --> 00:36:17.659 Because Jesus' 00:36:17.980 --> 00:36:18.860 once-for-all 00:36:18.860 --> 00:36:19.940 death ended 00:36:19.940 --> 00:36:20.840 in resurrection, 00:36:21.320 --> 00:36:22.299 every death 00:36:22.299 --> 00:36:23.579 that we die, 00:36:23.840 --> 00:36:24.820 everything that 00:36:24.820 --> 00:36:25.440 we have to 00:36:25.440 --> 00:36:26.559 sacrifice in 00:36:26.559 --> 00:36:27.299 union with 00:36:27.299 --> 00:36:28.199 Jesus will 00:36:28.199 --> 00:36:29.639 most assuredly 00:36:29.639 --> 00:36:31.039 lead to 00:36:31.039 --> 00:36:31.639 resurrection 00:36:31.639 --> 00:36:33.460 life as 00:36:33.460 --> 00:36:33.799 well. 00:36:35.400 --> 00:36:36.279 Judgment is 00:36:36.279 --> 00:36:37.920 coming, but 00:36:37.920 --> 00:36:38.659 salvation has 00:36:38.659 --> 00:36:39.340 been provided 00:36:39.340 --> 00:36:40.880 through Jesus 00:36:40.880 --> 00:36:41.440 Christ our 00:36:41.440 --> 00:36:41.780 Lord. 00:36:42.659 --> 00:36:43.260 Let us 00:36:43.260 --> 00:36:43.519 pray. 00:36:51.400 --> 00:36:52.099 This morning 00:36:52.099 --> 00:36:52.460 I want to 00:36:52.460 --> 00:36:53.019 lead us in 00:36:53.019 --> 00:36:53.579 two prayers. 00:36:55.579 --> 00:36:57.780 First, a 00:36:57.780 --> 00:36:58.200 prayer for 00:36:58.200 --> 00:37:00.320 those who 00:37:00.320 --> 00:37:00.659 want to 00:37:00.659 --> 00:37:01.000 turn to 00:37:01.000 --> 00:37:01.300 Jesus. 00:37:01.300 --> 00:37:05.980 Lord Jesus 00:37:05.980 --> 00:37:08.320 Christ, I 00:37:08.320 --> 00:37:08.980 admit that I 00:37:08.980 --> 00:37:09.960 am weaker and 00:37:09.960 --> 00:37:10.640 more corrupt 00:37:10.640 --> 00:37:12.080 than I ever 00:37:12.080 --> 00:37:12.539 dared to 00:37:12.539 --> 00:37:15.039 admit, but 00:37:15.039 --> 00:37:15.940 through you I 00:37:15.940 --> 00:37:16.680 am more loved 00:37:16.680 --> 00:37:17.320 and accepted 00:37:17.320 --> 00:37:18.620 than I ever 00:37:18.620 --> 00:37:19.140 dared to 00:37:19.140 --> 00:37:19.440 hope. 00:37:21.320 --> 00:37:22.280 Thank you for 00:37:22.280 --> 00:37:23.060 paying my debt 00:37:23.060 --> 00:37:23.800 on the cross, 00:37:24.360 --> 00:37:26.140 taking what I 00:37:26.140 --> 00:37:27.539 deserved to 00:37:27.539 --> 00:37:28.000 offer me 00:37:28.000 --> 00:37:28.500 complete 00:37:28.500 --> 00:37:29.100 forgiveness. 00:37:29.099 --> 00:37:32.360 believing that 00:37:32.360 --> 00:37:32.860 you have been 00:37:32.860 --> 00:37:33.480 raised from 00:37:33.480 --> 00:37:35.819 the dead, I 00:37:35.819 --> 00:37:36.599 turn from my 00:37:36.599 --> 00:37:37.860 sin and 00:37:37.860 --> 00:37:39.000 receive you as 00:37:39.000 --> 00:37:39.940 my Savior and 00:37:39.940 --> 00:37:40.259 Lord. 00:37:41.719 --> 00:37:42.079 Amen. 00:37:44.579 --> 00:37:46.980 Second, for 00:37:46.980 --> 00:37:48.559 those who 00:37:48.559 --> 00:37:49.299 trust in Jesus 00:37:49.299 --> 00:37:49.960 and who are 00:37:49.960 --> 00:37:50.719 enduring great 00:37:50.719 --> 00:37:54.159 trials, Lord 00:37:54.159 --> 00:37:55.000 Jesus Christ, 00:37:55.900 --> 00:37:56.900 grant us your 00:37:56.900 --> 00:37:57.900 assurance that you 00:37:57.900 --> 00:37:58.900 are behind and 00:37:58.900 --> 00:38:00.980 before us, that 00:38:00.980 --> 00:38:01.760 we are surrounded 00:38:01.760 --> 00:38:02.860 by your faithful 00:38:02.860 --> 00:38:03.340 love. 00:38:05.079 --> 00:38:06.119 Help us, like 00:38:06.119 --> 00:38:06.900 Noah, to hold 00:38:06.900 --> 00:38:07.639 fast to your 00:38:07.639 --> 00:38:08.940 word and to 00:38:08.940 --> 00:38:10.360 persevere in the 00:38:10.360 --> 00:38:11.039 obedience of 00:38:11.039 --> 00:38:11.400 faith. 00:38:13.019 --> 00:38:13.619 Pour out your 00:38:13.619 --> 00:38:15.119 Spirit within us 00:38:15.119 --> 00:38:15.800 that we may be 00:38:15.800 --> 00:38:17.380 bold and brave, 00:38:17.980 --> 00:38:19.160 compassionate and 00:38:19.160 --> 00:38:19.599 kind. 00:38:20.420 --> 00:38:21.160 For Jesus' 00:38:21.360 --> 00:38:23.079 sake, amen. 00:38:23.079 --> 00:38:23.220 Amen. 00:38:23.220 --> 00:38:23.280 Amen. 00:38:23.280 --> 00:38:23.400 Amen. 00:38:28.360 --> 00:38:29.019 Well, we're 00:38:29.019 --> 00:38:30.300 going to close 00:38:30.300 --> 00:38:31.580 this morning by 00:38:31.580 --> 00:38:33.019 singing this 00:38:33.019 --> 00:38:33.960 great song about 00:38:33.960 --> 00:38:35.280 Jesus, our 00:38:35.280 --> 00:38:37.320 solid rock, the 00:38:37.320 --> 00:38:39.380 one in whom we 00:38:39.380 --> 00:38:40.860 find refuge, the 00:38:40.860 --> 00:38:41.480 one on whom we 00:38:41.480 --> 00:38:41.900 stand. 00:38:42.340 --> 00:38:42.940 Let's stand 00:38:42.940 --> 00:38:44.320 together as we 00:38:44.320 --> 00:38:44.540 sing. 00:38:44.540 --> 00:38:44.600 Amen. 00:38:44.600 --> 00:38:44.660 Amen. 00:38:44.660 --> 00:38:44.720 Amen. 00:38:44.720 --> 00:38:44.820 Amen. 00:38:44.820 --> 00:38:45.080 Amen. 00:38:45.080 --> 00:38:45.220 Amen. 00:38:45.220 --> 00:38:45.560 Amen. 00:38:45.560 --> 00:38:45.600 Amen. 00:38:45.600 --> 00:38:45.620 Amen. 00:38:45.620 --> 00:38:46.700 Amen. 00:38:46.700 --> 00:38:46.740 Amen. 00:38:46.740 --> 00:38:47.160 Amen. 00:38:47.160 --> 00:38:47.340 Amen. 00:38:47.340 --> 00:38:47.580 Amen. 00:38:47.580 --> 00:38:47.920 Amen. 00:38:47.920 --> 00:38:48.460 Amen. 00:38:48.460 --> 00:38:48.680 Amen. 00:38:48.680 --> 00:38:49.300 Amen. 00:38:49.300 --> 00:38:49.360 Amen. 00:38:49.360 --> 00:38:49.380 Amen. 00:38:49.380 --> 00:38:49.420 Amen. 00:38:49.420 --> 00:38:49.460 Amen. 00:38:49.460 --> 00:38:49.540 Amen. 00:38:49.540 --> 00:38:53.260 Amen.