At the end of the 150 days, the water had gone down, and on the 17th day of the seventh month,
the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.
Well, let's keep our Bibles open at these great chapters, and we're going to pray,
and as always, ask God to help us. Let's do that.
Father, you are the Creator God, the God who sends rain for things to grow, the sun to shine.
You give us all that we have. We are dependent upon you.
And so we come to you and ask that you would help us to have understanding of your word.
But more than that, that your word would travel deep into our hearts,
and that it would change us, and help us to live lives that walk faithfully with you.
Amen.
As a kid, we used to sing a song about Noah in our church.
Maybe you might remember it. Maybe you've heard of it.
It went like this.
Mr. Noah built an ark.
The people thought it was a lark.
Mr. Noah pleaded so, but into the ark they would not go.
Down came the rain in torrents.
Splish splash.
Down came the rain in torrents.
Splish splash.
Down came the rain in torrents.
And only eight were saved.
Did you ever hear that song?
Well, as we sang that song, as a little kid, I can picture myself there, sitting there, daydreaming away.
One question occupied my mind.
Where on earth was torrents?
Now I'm a little bit older, I can still ask the wrong questions about the text.
Next, we get preoccupied with things like, what happened to all the water?
How did they all fit into the ark?
All those different kinds of animals and birds.
And did it include dinosaurs?
And when did the flood actually happen?
I mean, does the flood and all the fossil records,
are we able to determine when the world was created and when the flood happened?
And was it just eight people who were in the boat?
Did they have children too?
Now these are all wonderfully interesting questions.
But you know what?
It's not the point of the flood account.
To understand what the flood account teaches us,
we need to listen to what God has to say.
Now in the text, there are three things that God clearly says.
There are three statements that kind of stand out as highlights
to break up the text for us.
God says three things.
He says, build an ark.
Second, go into the ark.
And then third, come out of the ark.
Three commands given to Noah that are going to teach us today.
Build an ark, go into the ark, and come out of the ark.
So let's look at them together.
First, build an ark.
Chapter 6, verse 14.
God said to Noah, go make yourself an ark of cypress wood,
make rooms in it, and coat it with pitch on the inside and out.
It was a huge vessel, 135 meters long.
So if you can imagine, if you're out in the car park,
it's from one end of the car park,
right the way, I'd say, to the bandstand.
Huge.
25 meters wide.
That's as long as this room is.
That's how wide the boat was.
And 14 meters high?
Well, we had an argument about this earlier.
To the roof, and maybe a couple more meters.
This was to be a floating vessel,
big enough to house Noah's extended family,
and a whole lot of animals and birds and creepy crawlies.
But why?
Why is God giving this seemingly strange command?
I mean, Noah's not living anywhere near the sea.
Why is God telling him to build a boat?
Well, I think there are two reasons that we're given.
Here's the first one.
Sin is more serious than we thought.
Look back at verse 11.
Now, the earth was corrupt in God's sight
and was full of violence.
And God saw how corrupt the earth had become.
For all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.
Remember, at the beginning of creation,
the world was full of God's glory.
Now the world was full of man's corruption.
Instead of displaying God's beauty,
humanity is now displaying their brokenness.
And God looks and he sees all the destruction and disorder
and he responds with judgment.
Verse 13.
So God said to Noah,
I am going to put an end to all people.
For the earth is filled with violence.
I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.
Now, understandably, we find this shocking.
I really struggled working through that this week.
How could God do something like this?
I mean, images come to mind of some of the floods we see
most recently in Canada
or passed in the summer in Germany.
Or think back to 2004.
Remember the tsunami in Southeast Asia
where 20 metre waves came travelling in
three kilometres inland,
swamping whole towns and communities.
230,000 people died as a result of those floods.
How can God say to Noah,
I am going to put an end to all peoples?
To our minds and to our senses,
it's incomprehensible.
Well, God's response reveals to us
just how serious sin is.
God is saying,
because you have continued down a road of self-destruction,
he is saying to the people of that time,
I am going to destroy you.
I mean, how do you respond
when you hear about some crime?
How do you feel
when you experience an injustice?
When you see all the madness in our world,
you want it to end, don't you?
You want it all to stop right now.
No more bad news.
We want it to stop.
Well, now think of it on a cosmic scale.
God who made us
and sees everything about us
knows everything that is going on all of the time.
And God is rightfully angry
at all the evil and injustice
because it destroys the peace
and the beauty that God intends
for mankind in the world.
So God says,
no more.
It's going to stop.
I'm not going to allow this to continue.
You persist in ruining your own lives
and destroying the gifts that I have given you.
So I am going to ruin you.
No matter how much we think it through,
I think we'll always struggle
with the account of the flood.
We'll always think that God has overreacted
and kind of just flipped off
and gone off on one.
We'll even sit back and charge God
with a cosmic genocide.
Why?
Because we don't see
how serious sin is.
The problem is not God's response.
It's our tolerance of sin.
That's the issue.
But that's not the only reason
why Noah had to build an ark.
Here's the second.
There's a greater judgment to come.
God told Noah,
build an ark
because God's judgment was coming.
It was a judgment
from which there would be no escape.
Look down with me,
chapter 7, verse 17.
For 40 days,
the flood kept coming on the earth.
Now, we're used to water and rain
in Ireland, aren't we?
I mean,
it lasts a few hours
and then it stops
and maybe a little while later,
a few more hours.
But this is 40 days,
40 nights,
torrential rain
doesn't stop.
The flood kept coming on the earth
and as the waters increased,
they lifted the ark
high above the earth.
The waters rose
and increased greatly on the earth
and the ark floated
on the surface of the water.
Verse 21.
Every living thing
that moved on land
perished.
Birds,
livestock,
wild animals,
all the creatures
that swarm over the earth
and all mankind.
Everything on dry land
that had the breath of life
in its nostrils died.
Every living thing
on the face of the earth
was wiped out.
People
and animals
and the creatures
that move along the ground
and the birds
were wiped
from the earth.
Only Noah was left
and those with him
in the ark.
The effects
were terrible,
devastating.
Now,
while we try
to comprehend this
and to get our heads
around a worldwide flood,
something more terrible
and devastating
is yet to happen.
Yes, it is.
The flood
is a sign,
a warning
of a greater judgment
to come.
Go with me, please,
to Matthew's Gospel.
It's the first book
in the New Testament.
Matthew
chapter 24.
Matthew
chapter 24.
And verse 36.
Jesus here
is speaking
of the final
and eternal judgment
to come.
and he likens it
to
the time of Noah.
But
as he thinks
about it,
it's going to be
different to the flood
in Noah's time
because
this judgment
will be
eternal.
Let's pick it up
in verse 36,
Matthew 24.
But about that day,
about this day
of judgment,
about that day
or hour,
Noah knows,
not even the angels
in heaven
nor the sun,
but only the father.
As it was
in the days
of Noah,
so it will be
at the coming
of the son of man.
For in the days
before the flood,
people were eating
and drinking,
marrying
and giving in marriage
up to the day
Noah entered the ark.
They were just
going about
their normal lives,
going to work,
going to college,
doing all the normal things.
Verse 39,
and they knew
nothing about
what would happen
until the flood came
and took them
all away.
That is how
it will be
at the coming
of the son of man.
Two men
will be in a field,
one will be taken
and the other left.
Two women
will be grinding
with their hands
on the mill,
one will be taken,
the other left.
Can you see
what Jesus
is saying?
This coming
of Jesus
again
will come
as a surprise.
It will be
unannounced.
Some will be
rescued,
others will
perish.
Some will be
in safety,
others will be
condemned.
You see,
it is not just
Noah
who is in need
of an ark.
We are in
all need
of an ark.
One day
God's judgment
is going to
fall,
but this time
it will be
final
and eternal.
Verse 44,
so you
also must
be ready
because the
son of man
will come
at an hour
when you do
not
expect him.
We all
need
an ark.
We are all
in need
of rescue.
So first,
God says
to Noah,
build
an ark.
Let's go
back to
Genesis
and chapter
7.
Build an
ark.
Second thing
God says
to Noah
is,
go into
the ark.
Chapter
7 and
verse 1.
the Lord
said to
Noah,
go into
the ark,
you and
your whole
family.
It's clear
at this
stage,
isn't it,
that God
is providing
Noah a
means of
rescue.
God is
going to
bring Noah
through the
judgment.
So what
is this
teaching us?
Well,
here's the
first,
that God
is more
gracious
than we
thought.
God's
more
gracious
than we
thought.
Look at
verse 1
again,
chapter 7.
The Lord
said to
Noah,
go into
the ark,
you and
your whole
family,
because I
have found
you righteous
in this
generation.
Now it's
easy for us
to read that
and think,
oh,
God's
saving
Noah because
Noah's
righteous.
Everybody
else was
corrupt,
but Noah
was good.
That's not
what it
means.
We're going
to come
back to it
again in a
minute.
You see,
Noah was
also sinful.
Look what
God says
to Noah
and his
family after
the flood.
Yes,
spoiler alert,
he does
get rescued,
but let's
see what
God said
to him
after the
flood.
Chapter
8 and
verse 21.
They come
out of the
ark.
Noah gives
a sacrifice
of thanksgiving
to God.
Verse 21,
the Lord
smelled the
pleasing aroma
and said in
his heart,
never again
will I curse
the ground
because of
humans,
even though
every inclination
of the human
heart is evil
from childhood.
Who's God
talking about
there?
Well,
it's only
Noah and
his family
who are left,
isn't it?
You see,
Noah is
just as
corrupt as
everybody else.
Noah saves
not because he's
better than
anyone else,
he's rescued
because God
is gracious.
God is
saving a
sinner
who is
going to
sin
again.
Now,
as we read
the text,
we're caught
up with all
kinds of
questions like
this.
Why did
God let
so many
people perish?
Yes,
God was
gracious to
Noah,
but I
mean,
what about
everybody
else?
Maybe if
they knew
what was
going on,
things would
have been
different.
If they
knew God
was going
to send
a flood,
then they
could have
turned and
could have
done something
about it.
because we
probably think
of the
account like
this.
We think
of God
coming along
to Noah
one day
and saying,
Noah,
build an
ark,
and by
the end
of the
week,
Noah has
his ark
built,
and the
rains come,
and they're
saved,
and everybody
else perishes.
No,
that's not
how it was.
A vessel
this size,
think of
it,
135 metres
long,
25 metres
wide,
14 metres
high,
would have
taken years
to build,
decades
to build.
I mean,
there was
no builder's
supply store
to go to,
no power
tools,
everything done
by hand,
cut down
the trees,
sliced up
the trees,
dry the
wood,
everything
all done
by hand,
135 metres
long,
all done
by hand
by eight
people.
You can
imagine
everybody
walking by.
Noah,
what are
you doing?
I'm
building an
ark.
God told
me to
build a
great big
boat.
Why are
you doing
that for?
Well,
because God
said a
flood is
coming.
Your man,
did you hear
about your
man?
The New
Testament
actually tells
us that Noah
was a preacher
of righteousness.
He warned
the people
year after
year,
decade after
decade,
but no
turning to
God.
You see,
the shock is
not that God
doesn't save
more.
Here's the
shock.
The shock is
that God
would save
a sinful
family in
Noah who
would end
up messing
up again.
You see,
without God's
intervention,
Noah would
face the
same fate
as everybody
else.
Look back
at chapter
6,
verse 17.
Chapter
6,
verse 17,
God says,
I'm going to
bring the
floodwaters on
the earth to
destroy life
under the
heavens,
every creature
that has the
breath of life
in it,
everything will
perish,
but I will
establish my
covenant with
you and you
will enter the
ark, you and
your sons and
your wife and
your sons'
wives with
you.
A covenant
is a promise
from God,
it's a
commitment.
So God is
saying to
Noah,
here's my
promise,
this is my
commitment to
you,
I'm going to
rescue you.
In fact,
I'm going to
give you the
plans and
the details
of how to
build this
ark to
ensure that
you and
your family
are safe.
And so
Noah and
his three
sons and
his wife and
his son's
wives entered
the ark.
Verse 6,
chapter 7.
Noah was
600 years old
when the
floodwaters came
on the
earth.
And Noah and
his sons and
his wife and
his son's
wives entered
the ark to
escape the
waters of
the flood.
You see,
grace is
always shocking
because it's
not what we
deserve and
it's not what
we even
desire.
But there's
something else
to learn from
this.
Just as
there is a
greater
judgment to
come, so
there's a
greater
saviour to
come.
Go with
me, please,
to 1 Peter.
It's near the
end of the
New Testament.
1 Peter
and chapter
3.
Just as
God provides
a rescue
vessel for
Noah, so
God provides
a rescue
for mankind
today.
1 Peter
chapter 3.
Here, Peter
is actually
looking back
as he teaches.
He's looking
back to
when Noah
was building
the ark.
We'll pick it
up in the
middle of
verse 20.
1 Peter
chapter 3,
middle of
verse 20.
So he's
looking back
to the
days of
Noah when
the ark
was being
built.
In it,
only a few
people,
eight in
all,
were saved
through
water.
Noah was
saved through
the flood.
In other
words, the
floods came
down and
Noah and
his family
were brought
safely through
the flood
of judgment.
They were
rescued.
They were
kept safe.
Now look
at verse
21.
And this
water, this
flood,
symbolizes
baptism
that now
saves you
also.
Just as
God saved
Noah from
judgment
through the
flood,
so baptism
is a
picture of
salvation
from God's
judgment to
come.
baptism.
So picture
in your
minds with
me a
baptism.
Baptism is
not just a
sprinkling of
water on
somebody's
head.
It literally
means to
submerge or
to immerse.
It's to go
under.
To go under
the water and
to come out
of the water.
So when
somebody gets
baptized,
they're going
down under
the water.
It's a
picture of
judgment.
And when
they come up
out of the
water,
it's a
picture of
salvation.
Now we
need to be
careful that
we don't
see baptism
itself as
the means of
saving people
because anybody
can get
baptized and
go,
that's me,
I'm saved,
that's it.
Now look
carefully at
verse 21
with me
again.
This water
symbolizes
baptism that
now saves
you also.
Not the
removal of
dirt from
the body,
but the
pledge of
a clear
conscience
towards God.
It saves
you by
the
resurrection
of Jesus
Christ.
You see,
baptism is
a picture
of the
death and
resurrection
of Jesus.
Jesus'
death was
a judgment
for my
sin and
your sin.
So when
Jesus died,
it's as if
he was going
under the
flood of
God's
judgment for
you and
for me.
And as
Jesus rose
again from
the dead,
so Jesus
was being
raised to
life for
you and
for me.
Jesus comes
through the
judgment for
us so
that we
can share
in his
life.
That's what's
happening when
someone gets
baptized.
They're saying,
I trust in
God's provision
of salvation.
I trust
that Jesus
is my
ark when
the judgment
comes.
So just
as God
said to
Noah,
go into
the ark,
God is
saying to
us,
go into
Jesus.
Go to
him,
run to
him,
trust him
because he
alone is
the only
one who
can save
you and
deliver you.
And God
is giving
us great
opportunity.
just go
forward to
2 Peter,
just flick
over a
couple of
pages,
till you
come to
2 Peter
chapter 3
and verse
6.
2 Peter
chapter 3
verse 6,
Peter again
takes up the
story of
Noah and
teaches us
some more.
2 Peter
chapter 3
and verse
6,
he's talking
about the
flood.
And
he's talking
about the
flood.
By
these
waters,
the
waters
of the
flood,
by these
waters,
also the
world of
that time
was deluged
and destroyed.
By the
same word,
the present
heavens and
earth are
reserved for
fire,
being kept
for the
day of
judgment and
destruction of
the ungodly.
But do not
forget this one
thing, dear
friends,
with the
Lord a
day is like
a thousand
years and
a thousand
years are
like a
day.
The Lord
is not
slow in
keeping his
promise as
some understand
slowness.
Instead he is
patient with
you, not
wanting anyone
to perish,
but everyone
to come to
repentance.
Do you hear
the call of
God?
Go into
the ark,
run to
Jesus.
The only
reason he
has not
yet returned,
the only
reason why
we are
still living
for each
and every
one of
us is
that he
is giving
us time,
time to
turn to
him,
time to
run to
Jesus,
our sure
and steadfast
salvation.
Let's go
back to
Genesis
and
chapter
8.
So God
says to
Noah,
build an
ark.
He says
go into
the ark
and then
third he
tells Noah
come out
of the
ark.
chapter
8 and
verse 15.
Then God
said to
Noah,
come out
of the
ark,
you,
your wife
and your
sons and
their wives.
Verse 18,
so Noah
came out
together with
his sons
and his
wife and
his sons
wives.
God
promised
Noah,
Noah I'm
going to
save you
I'm
going to
bring you
through this
flood and
God did
exactly what
he said.
You see
God is
more trusting
than we
thought.
Look at
the end of
chapter 7
verse 24.
The waters
were told
flooded the
earth for
150 days.
That's
almost for
five months.
And when
you take
into account
the 40
days and
40 nights
of rain,
that means
Noah and
his family
were in
the ark
for six
months,
floating about.
Can you
picture them
floating about
in this huge
big vessel
with all the
dirt and
the muck of
all those
animals and
everything else,
nothing but
water all
around them.
What would
they be?
Where's
God?
Is this
the rescue?
Is this
our life for
the rest of
our days,
floating around
on this
barge?
God said
he was
going to
rescue us.
Where is
he?
What's
going on?
Chapter
8 verse
1.
But God
remembered
Noah.
God
remembered
Noah.
It's not
that God
forgot
Noah.
It's not
like kind
of picturing
God way up
there and
looking down
on the
world and
just kind
of goes,
what's that
little speck?
Looks a bit
closer.
Oh,
it's poor
Noah floating
about.
Oh,
I'm terribly
sorry,
Noah.
I forgot
all about
you.
No,
God doesn't
forget.
God
remembered
Noah.
It means
God acted
on his
promise.
God said
he would
save Noah
and God
did what
he said
he would
do.
He made
a commitment
and God
holds himself
to the
commitment.
He always
does.
But they
weren't out
yet,
were they?
Look at
verse 3.
The water
receded
steadily from
the earth
at the
end of
the 150
days.
So this
is 150
days to
build up
to the
water
coming
and then
another
150
days for
the water
to go
down.
So that's
another five
months,
isn't it?
We're up
to 11
months now
on the
boat.
Has
God
forgotten
again?
Can we
really trust
God with
his promise
of salvation?
Yes,
we can.
Verse 13,
By the
first day
of the
first month
of Noah's
601st year,
the water
had dried
up from
the earth.
Noah then
removed the
covering from
the ark and
saw that the
surface of
the ground
was dry.
By the
27th month
of the
second month,
the earth
was completely
dry.
And God
said to
Noah,
come out
of the
ark.
You see,
when God
makes a
promise,
he keeps
a promise.
We can
trust what
he says
he will
do.
If he
says,
I will
save,
he will
save.
No
doubts.
You see,
there's a
better way
for us
all to
live.
Not by
listening to
our own
voices,
or listening
to the
voices of
others,
but listening
to the
voice of
God,
just like
Noah did.
We need
to respond
as Noah
responded.
Remember how
he was
introduced,
chapter 6,
verse 9?
Noah was a
righteous man,
blameless among
the people of
his time,
and he
walked
faithfully
with God.
God.
We're not
saying Noah
was perfect,
he wasn't,
but he was
righteous.
That means
he walked
faithfully
with God.
That means
he heard
God's word
of salvation,
and he
trusted in
God's word
of salvation.
He wasn't
trusting in
himself,
he was
trusting in
what God
said he
would do.
He obeyed
God.
Did we
see that
throughout?
Chapter 6,
verse 14,
God says
to Noah,
go build
yourself an
ark.
Verse 22,
Noah did
everything just
as God
commanded him.
Verse 1,
God said
to Noah,
go into
the ark.
Verse 5,
and Noah
did all
that the
Lord
commanded
him.
Chapter 8,
verse 16,
come out
of the
ark.
Verse 18,
so Noah
came out
together with
his sons
and his
family.
Faith
is hearing
what God's
word says
and doing
what it
says.
it's
acting
upon
what God
is saying
to us.
It's not
just ticking
the box,
I believe,
anyone can
believe,
even the
devil believes
in God.
It's
obeying
God's
word of
salvation.
It's
taking
God's
word,
it's
taking
what this
book says
as serious,
that this
is what I'm
going to
build my
life upon.
God's
name.
The book
of Hebrews
celebrates
Noah as
an example
of faith.
Follow on
the screen,
it says,
by faith
Noah,
when warned
about things
not yet
seen,
God said
a flood
was going
to come.
Noah
believed
and he
trusted and
in holy
fear built
an ark to
save his
family.
you see,
faith is
what secures
our salvation.
There's
one very
small but
significant
act in
the whole
account of
Noah that
we need to
see.
Something
that God
did.
Noah goes
into the
ark as
God commanded
him.
He trusts
God for
salvation and
then what
happens?
Look at
chapter 7
the end
of verse
16.
Well,
we'll read
verse 16,
chapter 7
verse 16.
The animals
going in
were male
and female
of every
living thing
as God
had commanded
Noah.
Then the
Lord shut
him in.
God shut
the door.
God secured
Noah into
the ark.
God
the God
who promises
to save
is going
to save
us eternally.
It's not
the strength
of my
faith or
the ability
of me
that keeps
me saved.
It's God's
promise to
keep me in.
You see,
faith leads
to security
and assurance.
If God
could bring
Noah through
the flood,
how much
more is
God going
to save
and secure
us for
an eternity.
Remember
what Jesus
said?
I give
them eternal
life and
they shall
never perish.
No one
can snatch
them out of
my hand.
God
will
save
us.
God
will
save
us.
Maybe you're
wondering
today,
am I going
to make
it?
Is God
going to
save me?
He knows
all about
my life.
He sees
it all.
I'm not a
very good
Christian.
I don't
do very
well.
I mess
up and
fail so
much.
We
wonder if
we're going
to make
it.
Well,
remember
this,
the Lord
shut
Noah in.
Salvation
doesn't depend
on your
ability,
but on
the ability
of God
to keep
you as
he promised.
The Lord
secures
you once
and for
all.
Let's
pray.
Amen.
Father God,
there is
much that
we hear
today
that
raises
questions
and
may
trouble
our
own
hearts.
But
help us
today
to
believe
your
word,
to
trust
what
it
says,
and to
know
that you
are the
God
who
does
save,
you
save
forever
and
eternally.
Father,
thank you
that you
are our
great
salvation
and it's
in you
we trust.
In
Jesus'
name.
Amen.