WEBVTT

00:00:09.679 --> 00:00:13.339
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,

00:00:13.460 --> 00:00:18.280
the conviction of things not seen. For by it

00:00:18.280 --> 00:00:23.000
the men of old gained approval. Then we read

00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:30.059
in verse 7, By faith Noah, being warned by God

00:00:30.059 --> 00:00:34.820
about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared

00:00:34.820 --> 00:00:39.530
an ark for the salvation of his household. by

00:00:39.530 --> 00:00:43.530
which he condemned the world and became an heir

00:00:43.530 --> 00:00:46.950
of the righteousness which is according to faith.

00:00:47.570 --> 00:00:52.409
Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father, we come

00:00:52.409 --> 00:00:56.649
to you this Lord's Day. Father, we ask at this

00:00:56.649 --> 00:01:00.189
time that you would bless the ministry of your

00:01:00.189 --> 00:01:04.950
word abundantly. Lord, we ask that you would

00:01:04.950 --> 00:01:08.140
accompany the ministry of your word. for the

00:01:08.140 --> 00:01:12.939
good of your people and your kingdom. Lord, work

00:01:12.939 --> 00:01:15.379
in the hearts and minds of the saints who are

00:01:15.379 --> 00:01:20.379
present. Lord, draw men unto Christ that they

00:01:20.379 --> 00:01:24.060
would see the great hope and the safety and the

00:01:24.060 --> 00:01:27.819
refuge and the security that is found in Christ

00:01:27.819 --> 00:01:33.359
and his saving work. Lord, be with us at this

00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:37.980
time. Be in our midst. Bless each individual

00:01:37.980 --> 00:01:40.459
present. We ask these things in Jesus' name.

00:01:40.599 --> 00:01:45.780
Amen. You may be seated. The Christian life is

00:01:45.780 --> 00:01:54.459
a difficult life. Everybody who has been a Christian

00:01:54.459 --> 00:02:03.659
for any time knows that reality. It's hard being

00:02:03.659 --> 00:02:12.439
a Christian. In this world. It is hard. Practicing

00:02:12.439 --> 00:02:19.659
self denial. Day in. Day out. It is difficult.

00:02:21.500 --> 00:02:26.259
Persevering. In good works. And faithfulness

00:02:26.259 --> 00:02:32.759
in our lives. The Christian life is hard. We

00:02:32.759 --> 00:02:37.139
go through seasons. Where. our faith is tried

00:02:37.139 --> 00:02:43.539
and tested over and over. The Lord disciplines

00:02:43.539 --> 00:02:49.259
us and works in our hearts and our minds. We

00:02:49.259 --> 00:02:52.340
have periods in our life where we are downcast.

00:02:53.180 --> 00:02:56.900
And then we seem to come out of it with the Lord's

00:02:56.900 --> 00:03:00.780
help. We have periods in life where we struggle

00:03:00.780 --> 00:03:04.129
and we seem to be frustrated. And we can't do

00:03:04.129 --> 00:03:07.090
away with it in some ways. And then with the

00:03:07.090 --> 00:03:10.930
Lord's help, we seem to come out of it. We go

00:03:10.930 --> 00:03:15.669
through all these various times and seasons in

00:03:15.669 --> 00:03:19.710
our lives. The Christian life, Christianity,

00:03:19.830 --> 00:03:27.610
is hard. Have you ever thought, is this really

00:03:27.610 --> 00:03:33.979
worth it? Have you ever considered, Is all of

00:03:33.979 --> 00:03:38.240
this stuff that is told to me in the Scriptures,

00:03:38.379 --> 00:03:44.419
in God's Word, is it really worth it in the end?

00:03:45.939 --> 00:03:51.039
Is it worth the heartache, the pain, and the

00:03:51.039 --> 00:03:56.960
suffering? I'm sure that if you've been a Christian,

00:03:57.139 --> 00:04:00.900
you've asked yourself that question in some way,

00:04:01.099 --> 00:04:07.780
shape, or form. And I am sure that our forefather,

00:04:07.919 --> 00:04:14.699
Noah, asked himself that very same question at

00:04:14.699 --> 00:04:22.779
times. Is this worth it? Is obedience to God's

00:04:22.779 --> 00:04:30.240
command in my life worth it in my life? We'll

00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:32.699
consider that question and we will answer that

00:04:32.699 --> 00:04:38.560
question. Just as a little bit of a heads up,

00:04:38.660 --> 00:04:45.800
it is brothers and sisters. In the end, it is

00:04:45.800 --> 00:04:49.860
abundantly worth any hardship and trial we might

00:04:49.860 --> 00:04:54.379
go through in this life. Every single one of

00:04:54.379 --> 00:04:57.399
them. Today we're going to consider Noah's faith

00:04:57.399 --> 00:05:01.420
in God's word. We're going to see Noah's faith

00:05:01.420 --> 00:05:06.319
led to obedience in his life. We're going to

00:05:06.319 --> 00:05:09.000
consider the fact that Noah's faith condemned

00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:13.339
the unbelieving world around him. But we will

00:05:13.339 --> 00:05:17.319
also lastly see that Noah's faith received an

00:05:17.319 --> 00:05:22.600
inheritance. We read this in verse 7. By faith,

00:05:22.680 --> 00:05:27.220
Noah, being warned by God about things not yet

00:05:27.220 --> 00:05:31.829
seen. God's Word. He's believing God's Word,

00:05:31.930 --> 00:05:36.670
His revelation. In reverence prepared an ark

00:05:36.670 --> 00:05:40.649
for the salvation of His household. He acted.

00:05:40.689 --> 00:05:43.649
He worked. He obeyed what God had revealed in

00:05:43.649 --> 00:05:47.970
His work. His faith led Him to obedience by which

00:05:47.970 --> 00:05:52.370
He condemned the world. His action and His obedience

00:05:52.370 --> 00:05:56.810
and His faith proved the condemnation and unbelief.

00:05:57.199 --> 00:06:00.480
that existed all around him in his day and his

00:06:00.480 --> 00:06:05.139
age. And Noah became an heir of righteousness,

00:06:05.339 --> 00:06:09.660
which is according to faith. He received an inheritance

00:06:09.660 --> 00:06:14.699
because of the faith that God had given to him.

00:06:15.139 --> 00:06:20.860
Beginning with Noah's faith in God's word. The

00:06:20.860 --> 00:06:27.639
text clearly says, by faith, Noah. Now, when

00:06:27.639 --> 00:06:30.800
we think about those people before the flood,

00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:38.160
we don't always associate faith with them. We

00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:43.060
think about Abel, who was the first example and

00:06:43.060 --> 00:06:46.699
first historical figure that the author of Hebrews

00:06:46.699 --> 00:06:50.839
puts forth. What was his faith famous for in

00:06:50.839 --> 00:06:55.319
one sense? Worship. It led him to worship. And

00:06:55.319 --> 00:07:00.220
then what about Enoch? What was Enoch's faith

00:07:00.220 --> 00:07:07.560
famous for in a sense? Walking with God. Fellowshiping

00:07:07.560 --> 00:07:12.240
with God. Well, we see that actually Noah walks

00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:16.199
with God as well. If we had to put a defining

00:07:16.199 --> 00:07:19.459
characteristic to Noah's faith, the thing that

00:07:19.459 --> 00:07:22.680
makes his faith famous and useful for us today,

00:07:23.240 --> 00:07:26.000
according to the author of Hebrews, it would

00:07:26.000 --> 00:07:32.379
be obedience. And we see this clearly in the

00:07:32.379 --> 00:07:39.519
text. The reality is that Noah was a man of faith.

00:07:40.600 --> 00:07:47.019
He believed what God had revealed to him. Noah

00:07:47.019 --> 00:07:52.259
had the same kind of faith. That new covenant

00:07:52.259 --> 00:07:56.620
believers have. That's why the author is putting

00:07:56.620 --> 00:08:00.819
him forward. But we also see that any great deed

00:08:00.819 --> 00:08:04.920
or great work or great thing of obedience in

00:08:04.920 --> 00:08:08.959
anybody's life in any period of history at all

00:08:08.959 --> 00:08:15.259
was only ever carried out because and in faith.

00:08:16.500 --> 00:08:20.860
This is true of everyone before the flood. and

00:08:20.860 --> 00:08:25.480
everyone following the flood. Anything that was

00:08:25.480 --> 00:08:29.439
done that was approved and received and given

00:08:29.439 --> 00:08:33.559
testimony or commendation by God was carried

00:08:33.559 --> 00:08:40.860
out in faith. So what did Noah believe that led

00:08:40.860 --> 00:08:46.980
him to build the ark? We read this, Being warned

00:08:46.980 --> 00:08:55.049
by God, about things not yet seen. What is this

00:08:55.049 --> 00:08:58.529
that we're hearing? Well, we know from Genesis

00:08:58.529 --> 00:09:05.070
chapter 6 that God comes to Noah and he warns

00:09:05.070 --> 00:09:08.610
him about things that are going to take place

00:09:08.610 --> 00:09:12.389
in the future. Things that he doesn't know about.

00:09:13.250 --> 00:09:17.179
Things that are intangible at that time. Future

00:09:17.179 --> 00:09:21.279
unseen realities. And what are those things that

00:09:21.279 --> 00:09:23.399
he's been warned about? It's the destruction

00:09:23.399 --> 00:09:29.580
and the judgment of the world that Noah lived

00:09:29.580 --> 00:09:35.460
in. An absolute universal judgment upon the world

00:09:35.460 --> 00:09:40.120
where men and animals would be killed because

00:09:40.120 --> 00:09:44.379
of the corruption. They would be judged by God.

00:09:45.419 --> 00:09:50.840
We read in Genesis, in chapter 6, verse 1, now

00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:54.940
it came about. Actually, I'm going to read verse

00:09:54.940 --> 00:09:58.840
5 of chapter 6 in Genesis. Then the Lord saw

00:09:58.840 --> 00:10:02.960
that the wickedness of man was great on the earth,

00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:06.860
and that every intent of the thoughts of his

00:10:06.860 --> 00:10:12.240
heart was only evil continually. The Lord was

00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:15.220
sorry that he had made man on the earth, and

00:10:15.220 --> 00:10:19.120
he was grieved in his heart. And listen to what

00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:24.419
the Lord says. I will blot out man whom I have

00:10:24.419 --> 00:10:28.200
created from the face of the land, from man to

00:10:28.200 --> 00:10:31.159
animals to creeping things and to birds of the

00:10:31.159 --> 00:10:34.700
sky, for I am sorry that I have made them. But

00:10:34.700 --> 00:10:39.080
Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Then

00:10:39.080 --> 00:10:43.879
the Lord gives Noah, Detailed instructions about

00:10:43.879 --> 00:10:52.799
what he is to do in obedience to the Lord. It

00:10:52.799 --> 00:10:58.519
was God's revelation. It was God's word. So what

00:10:58.519 --> 00:11:02.019
is it that Noah is believing before the flood?

00:11:02.480 --> 00:11:09.379
A long, long time ago, God's holy, authoritative

00:11:09.379 --> 00:11:14.559
word. But it wasn't just his word. It's actually

00:11:14.559 --> 00:11:19.779
a warning that God gives to him. The Bible contains

00:11:19.779 --> 00:11:23.899
all different types of what we might say words

00:11:23.899 --> 00:11:31.860
from God. Some are promises and others are warnings.

00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:36.759
Some are exhortations. Some are admonishments.

00:11:36.820 --> 00:11:41.019
Some are... for the purpose of convicting and

00:11:41.019 --> 00:11:43.899
tearing down and humbling, and some are for the

00:11:43.899 --> 00:11:46.539
purpose of convicting, edifying, and building

00:11:46.539 --> 00:11:50.139
up. Some are to warn of danger. Some are to proclaim

00:11:50.139 --> 00:11:54.340
glorious future realities. The Bible contains

00:11:54.340 --> 00:11:57.860
all different kinds of truths within it. It has

00:11:57.860 --> 00:12:03.679
the law and the gospel in it. Threats and warning,

00:12:03.879 --> 00:12:09.850
promises, and the power. to do what God requires

00:12:09.850 --> 00:12:12.970
because God provides those things in redemption,

00:12:13.250 --> 00:12:19.190
the law and the gospel. Noah believed a warning

00:12:19.190 --> 00:12:25.649
and a promise from God. At face value, it seems

00:12:25.649 --> 00:12:28.549
like it's only a warning. But remember, he's

00:12:28.549 --> 00:12:33.470
given commands to build an ark for what? The

00:12:33.470 --> 00:12:39.419
salvation of his household. If you do this, then

00:12:39.419 --> 00:12:44.440
you will be saved, you and your household. He's

00:12:44.440 --> 00:12:49.659
given a warning and a promise. The word of God

00:12:49.659 --> 00:12:55.220
is the ground. It is the foundation of Noah's

00:12:55.220 --> 00:13:01.940
faith in his life. Why does Noah build the ark?

00:13:03.620 --> 00:13:07.659
Because he's believing what God has said. Why

00:13:07.659 --> 00:13:11.820
does Noah live his life a certain way? Because

00:13:11.820 --> 00:13:17.860
God's word says certain things. So the revelation

00:13:17.860 --> 00:13:21.779
that he had been given is that which governs

00:13:21.779 --> 00:13:28.299
his life and his actions. It's very important

00:13:28.299 --> 00:13:33.360
for the believer in Jesus Christ to believe all

00:13:33.360 --> 00:13:44.480
of Word. The easy parts and the hard and difficult

00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:49.879
parts. The more practical parts of Scripture

00:13:49.879 --> 00:13:56.779
and the more theologically weighty sections of

00:13:56.779 --> 00:14:01.139
Scripture. The more child -friendly portions

00:14:01.139 --> 00:14:06.929
and the more graphic And detailed portions of

00:14:06.929 --> 00:14:10.950
God's word. All of it brothers and sisters. Must

00:14:10.950 --> 00:14:16.149
be drunk down by the people of God. If we only

00:14:16.149 --> 00:14:20.549
come to the word of God. And we only pick and

00:14:20.549 --> 00:14:24.610
choose the parts that we like. The parts that

00:14:24.610 --> 00:14:28.370
make us feel good. The pieces that we need in

00:14:28.370 --> 00:14:33.590
the moment. At the time. Right now. then we will

00:14:33.590 --> 00:14:37.610
inevitably result in being imbalanced Christians.

00:14:39.350 --> 00:14:43.190
Because we have an imbalanced diet of God's holy

00:14:43.190 --> 00:14:49.070
word. We have to read it all and humbly receive

00:14:49.070 --> 00:14:53.990
it all if we are to be well -rounded, balanced,

00:14:54.149 --> 00:15:02.500
godly, holy, obedient people of God. We mustn't

00:15:02.500 --> 00:15:08.820
let our own personal opinions, preferences, desires,

00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:13.679
longings, or worldly concepts or philosophies

00:15:13.679 --> 00:15:22.639
be the ground that governs our lives. If we are

00:15:22.639 --> 00:15:29.220
to live by faith in this fallen world, what must

00:15:29.220 --> 00:15:35.730
be your rule? For your life. God's word. It must

00:15:35.730 --> 00:15:41.509
inform you. In your heart. What is right. What

00:15:41.509 --> 00:15:44.710
is wrong. How you ought to live. How you ought

00:15:44.710 --> 00:15:46.970
to treat. How you ought to worship. How you ought

00:15:46.970 --> 00:15:49.830
to minister. How you ought to treat your wife.

00:15:49.889 --> 00:15:51.629
And your kids. And your children. And your co

00:15:51.629 --> 00:15:53.750
-workers. Your pastors. Your church members.

00:15:53.970 --> 00:15:56.690
Whoever it might be. The word of God governs

00:15:56.690 --> 00:15:59.090
our lives. And tells us. how to live, and what

00:15:59.090 --> 00:16:02.090
to do, because God has given us divine revelation,

00:16:02.090 --> 00:16:08.070
brothers and sisters. Not some worldly idea or

00:16:08.070 --> 00:16:11.210
concept that has nothing to do with God's Word.

00:16:13.090 --> 00:16:17.929
We can be so sentimental at times, can't we,

00:16:17.990 --> 00:16:21.690
brothers and sisters? That just doesn't seem

00:16:21.690 --> 00:16:28.759
nice. Nobody else in the world thinks that's

00:16:28.759 --> 00:16:36.059
loving. But if God's word commands it. And requires

00:16:36.059 --> 00:16:40.360
it. And prescribes it. Then brothers and sisters.

00:16:41.100 --> 00:16:46.000
We are bound to it. And that is the way we live

00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:53.299
by faith. Being governed by God's word. We must

00:16:53.299 --> 00:16:57.509
receive it all. And we must. Let it govern our

00:16:57.509 --> 00:17:02.750
hearts and our minds. Just as Noah did, brothers

00:17:02.750 --> 00:17:08.029
and sisters. Now we also see next that Noah's

00:17:08.029 --> 00:17:14.609
faith led to obedience in his life. We read this

00:17:14.609 --> 00:17:23.829
in verse 7. By faith Noah in reverence prepared

00:17:23.829 --> 00:17:31.769
an ark. For the salvation of his household. In

00:17:31.769 --> 00:17:36.670
faith, what does Noah do? He obeys God's command.

00:17:37.529 --> 00:17:42.690
He starts preparing for what God has said is

00:17:42.690 --> 00:17:47.990
going to come about. He starts chopping down

00:17:47.990 --> 00:17:53.730
trees, brothers and sisters. He starts sawing

00:17:53.730 --> 00:17:58.309
pieces of wood. He starts figuring out how to

00:17:58.309 --> 00:18:00.150
accomplish these things and do these things.

00:18:00.230 --> 00:18:07.809
He gets going in obedience. We see that especially

00:18:07.809 --> 00:18:13.269
from the Genesis narrative, we read this at the

00:18:13.269 --> 00:18:19.349
end of chapter 6 in verse 22. Thus Noah did,

00:18:19.589 --> 00:18:24.460
and listen to this, according to all... That

00:18:24.460 --> 00:18:31.059
God had commanded him. So he did. What's that

00:18:31.059 --> 00:18:40.400
speaking of? Obedience. Noah obeyed God's word.

00:18:41.039 --> 00:18:44.180
And he didn't just do it half -heartedly. He

00:18:44.180 --> 00:18:49.640
did so as full and able as he was able to. He

00:18:49.640 --> 00:18:55.480
obeyed strictly, we could say. To the word of

00:18:55.480 --> 00:19:01.299
the living God who made the world. Who made him.

00:19:02.059 --> 00:19:06.420
Who sustains all things. The creator of all things.

00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:09.759
The eternal God who is infinite and eternal and

00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:12.339
holy and glorious. That God had given him a command.

00:19:12.519 --> 00:19:19.059
And what did he do? He obeyed that God in his

00:19:19.059 --> 00:19:24.710
word. It was personal obedience. He did it. There's

00:19:24.710 --> 00:19:31.329
uncertainty about exactly how many people were

00:19:31.329 --> 00:19:35.009
alive at that time that believed the Lord, or

00:19:35.009 --> 00:19:37.950
believed on the Lord who were a part of the Messianic

00:19:37.950 --> 00:19:40.670
lineage. Who else was alive? Was there overlap?

00:19:41.589 --> 00:19:45.869
A lot of people think that Noah was the single

00:19:45.869 --> 00:19:53.920
human being on planet Earth who knew... by faith

00:19:53.920 --> 00:20:01.480
at that time. That, think about it, nobody else.

00:20:02.339 --> 00:20:07.900
He was literally standing by himself in obedience.

00:20:08.460 --> 00:20:13.299
His sons weren't born whenever he was given the

00:20:13.299 --> 00:20:18.680
command. So he started this out personally on

00:20:18.680 --> 00:20:24.950
his own. It was personal obedience. He himself

00:20:24.950 --> 00:20:29.529
did it. He didn't depend on somebody else to

00:20:29.529 --> 00:20:39.049
obey for him. He obeyed. He did what God said

00:20:39.049 --> 00:20:42.430
to do. He followed through on the requirements

00:20:42.430 --> 00:20:46.309
of God's word. He lived as he ought to live.

00:20:47.950 --> 00:20:52.279
It was personal. But we also see that it was

00:20:52.279 --> 00:20:55.619
active, it was immediate, and it was full obedience.

00:20:56.720 --> 00:20:59.880
It seems as though Noah just literally dropped,

00:21:00.019 --> 00:21:01.680
we don't know what he did, but he just dropped

00:21:01.680 --> 00:21:04.200
everything and started doing what God required.

00:21:05.960 --> 00:21:11.839
He got to it. And in 1st or 2nd Peter, I can't

00:21:11.839 --> 00:21:15.119
recall exactly which one, 2nd Peter I believe,

00:21:15.440 --> 00:21:19.559
he is also called a preacher of righteousness.

00:21:20.940 --> 00:21:25.359
Meaning he was building by day and preaching

00:21:25.359 --> 00:21:31.779
by night or vice versa. He was a builder and

00:21:31.779 --> 00:21:36.960
a preacher for God. This is what he did. This

00:21:36.960 --> 00:21:40.339
seemed to be that which consumed the entirety

00:21:40.339 --> 00:21:44.480
of his life. And it had to to complete the task.

00:21:45.500 --> 00:21:51.180
Because it was a ginormous. huge, massive task

00:21:51.180 --> 00:21:55.759
that he was undertaking, and especially considering

00:21:55.759 --> 00:22:01.240
the fact that he began by himself. But we also

00:22:01.240 --> 00:22:05.380
see that it was practical obedience. It literally

00:22:05.380 --> 00:22:08.680
required him to do things with his hands and

00:22:08.680 --> 00:22:12.839
his feet, to think about things. It was prescribed

00:22:12.839 --> 00:22:18.940
obedience. God laid out for him. What he was

00:22:18.940 --> 00:22:22.299
to do. You can read the rest of Genesis 6 and

00:22:22.299 --> 00:22:25.839
see God gives the measurements. He gives the

00:22:25.839 --> 00:22:28.400
details on the type of wood, how to seal it,

00:22:28.440 --> 00:22:33.059
everything. God gives him details and he obeys

00:22:33.059 --> 00:22:40.700
as God prescribes him to do. He obeys as he should.

00:22:42.420 --> 00:22:50.519
It's clear. Obedience. on Noah's part. I truly

00:22:50.519 --> 00:22:56.940
believe that Noah very well may be the greatest

00:22:56.940 --> 00:23:04.440
single example of obedience by faith in the entire

00:23:04.440 --> 00:23:14.079
Bible. Think about the duration he obeyed. It

00:23:14.079 --> 00:23:17.920
was persevering, diligent, and enduring obedience.

00:23:18.160 --> 00:23:28.000
Start to end, 120 years. He was working longer

00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:35.519
than the majority of our lives to fulfill a single

00:23:35.519 --> 00:23:44.490
command from God. His obedience endured and persevered

00:23:44.490 --> 00:23:51.769
and pressed on. The difficulty that he had to

00:23:51.769 --> 00:23:56.869
endure and go through to obey God was significant.

00:23:58.769 --> 00:24:01.430
And he did all of this, and this is one of the

00:24:01.430 --> 00:24:06.750
reasons he's obeyed so well. He did all of this

00:24:06.750 --> 00:24:10.930
with the character of godly fear. In his obedience.

00:24:11.589 --> 00:24:22.369
The text says. In verse 7. In reverence. Meaning

00:24:22.369 --> 00:24:26.970
in godly, holy, righteous fear of God. He had

00:24:26.970 --> 00:24:34.089
a right regard. For God. His character. And his

00:24:34.089 --> 00:24:40.400
word. He conducted himself in a manner. That

00:24:40.400 --> 00:24:47.160
was appropriate as one carrying out the command

00:24:47.160 --> 00:24:53.960
of God. This doesn't mean a dread. It doesn't

00:24:53.960 --> 00:24:56.000
mean the same thing as when we say, well, are

00:24:56.000 --> 00:24:59.339
you scared? But it means a reverence. It's the

00:24:59.339 --> 00:25:03.819
embodiment and heart, mind, and attitude of the

00:25:03.819 --> 00:25:07.279
third commandment. What is the third commandment?

00:25:07.640 --> 00:25:09.539
You shall not take the name of the Lord your

00:25:09.539 --> 00:25:11.619
God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him

00:25:11.619 --> 00:25:15.220
unpunished who takes his name in vain. What does

00:25:15.220 --> 00:25:18.500
the third commandment teach us? To reverence

00:25:18.500 --> 00:25:28.160
God's name, word, and what? Works. That was Noah's

00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:34.660
attitude while he obeyed God. He wasn't flippant.

00:25:36.359 --> 00:25:41.960
or irreverent, or casual, or lackadaisical about

00:25:41.960 --> 00:25:49.660
the work that God had given to him in life. It

00:25:49.660 --> 00:25:54.720
is a good thing to fear God with a holy and a

00:25:54.720 --> 00:26:00.420
righteous and a godly fear. It is good for your

00:26:00.420 --> 00:26:03.339
heart. It is good for your obedience. It is good

00:26:03.339 --> 00:26:09.609
for mine. to reverence the holy God who has redeemed

00:26:09.609 --> 00:26:18.410
us as sinners. Now, possibly most importantly,

00:26:18.450 --> 00:26:23.910
with regards to his obedience, what is the source

00:26:23.910 --> 00:26:32.569
of Noah's obedience? Did Noah obey to get saved?

00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:37.960
Did Noah obey to be justified or to come in good

00:26:37.960 --> 00:26:41.640
standing with God? Did Noah obey in order to

00:26:41.640 --> 00:26:46.880
be approved or commended by God? No. Remember,

00:26:46.920 --> 00:26:52.440
this whole section is about faith. The source

00:26:52.440 --> 00:26:59.400
and the cause of his obedience is faith in his

00:26:59.400 --> 00:27:02.059
heart and in his life, brothers and sisters.

00:27:04.299 --> 00:27:10.460
The text says, by faith Noah prepared an ark.

00:27:11.640 --> 00:27:17.359
By faith. This preparation of the ark is the

00:27:17.359 --> 00:27:23.200
main verb of this sentence. And it's being carried

00:27:23.200 --> 00:27:27.200
out. And it's being carried out in and through

00:27:27.200 --> 00:27:31.559
and by one with faith that they have been given

00:27:31.559 --> 00:27:38.359
by God. the man Noah. Notice in the text that

00:27:38.359 --> 00:27:44.559
faith clearly precedes his obedience. Or we could

00:27:44.559 --> 00:27:48.960
say it the other way, his obedience clearly follows

00:27:48.960 --> 00:27:55.160
or flows from his faith. We have to make sure

00:27:55.160 --> 00:28:07.660
that we see those two clearly in the text. Noah

00:28:07.660 --> 00:28:14.140
believed God's word. And because he believed

00:28:14.140 --> 00:28:20.500
God's word, he obeyed God's word. And because

00:28:20.500 --> 00:28:27.799
he perseveringly obeyed God's word, we know that

00:28:27.799 --> 00:28:45.460
he believed God's word. Notice I didn't say works.

00:28:46.240 --> 00:28:49.920
The Bible distinguishes between works of the

00:28:49.920 --> 00:28:56.380
law and good works prescribed by the word of

00:28:56.380 --> 00:29:01.200
God. The two are not in opposition or contrary

00:29:01.200 --> 00:29:05.029
to one another. complement one another, brothers

00:29:05.029 --> 00:29:13.289
and sisters. The Bible is abundantly clear. Abundantly

00:29:13.289 --> 00:29:20.329
clear. That a man is justified and he is declared

00:29:20.329 --> 00:29:24.730
to be righteous in the sight of God by faith

00:29:24.730 --> 00:29:29.910
alone. But the Bible is also abundantly clear,

00:29:29.970 --> 00:29:32.390
brothers and sisters. that those who are justified

00:29:32.390 --> 00:29:35.609
and have true and saving, authentic, genuine

00:29:35.609 --> 00:29:38.970
faith will perform good works in their life.

00:29:40.430 --> 00:29:44.670
The two are not pitted against each other. Good

00:29:44.670 --> 00:29:49.369
works flow from the justified man, woman, or

00:29:49.369 --> 00:29:53.230
young person. Because they are a new creature

00:29:53.230 --> 00:29:58.569
in Christ, they will have a desire to live unto

00:29:58.569 --> 00:30:02.009
the glory of God. to be a benefit and blessing

00:30:02.009 --> 00:30:05.470
to their fellow man, to love God and love man.

00:30:07.609 --> 00:30:14.490
Good works will flow from the life of the justified

00:30:14.490 --> 00:30:20.630
individual. James chapter 2, Ephesians 2 .10,

00:30:20.809 --> 00:30:26.769
and 1 Timothy 6 .13 are all abundantly cleared.

00:30:28.970 --> 00:30:33.309
In 1 Timothy, I want to read that because it

00:30:33.309 --> 00:30:37.630
is so clear. Listen to this, brothers and sisters.

00:30:37.789 --> 00:30:44.069
1 Timothy 6, starting in verse 18. Instruct them

00:30:44.069 --> 00:30:49.150
to do good, to be rich in good works, and to

00:30:49.150 --> 00:30:54.589
be generous and ready to share. That is Paul

00:30:54.589 --> 00:30:59.480
telling Timothy. To teach the people of God to

00:30:59.480 --> 00:31:06.579
instruct them to what? Do good works in their

00:31:06.579 --> 00:31:13.940
life. There is a danger that the church has to

00:31:13.940 --> 00:31:23.660
watch out for. The tendency is to focus on either.

00:31:24.240 --> 00:31:29.319
justification by faith alone, which could, in

00:31:29.319 --> 00:31:32.700
the end, turn out to be license if we never talk

00:31:32.700 --> 00:31:36.720
about holiness, godliness, or performing good

00:31:36.720 --> 00:31:43.480
works, or to focus on only performing good works,

00:31:43.579 --> 00:31:47.180
holiness, righteousness, godliness in one's life,

00:31:47.339 --> 00:31:52.319
and disregarding justification by faith. Both.

00:31:52.730 --> 00:31:55.589
brothers and sisters, are incredibly significant

00:31:55.589 --> 00:31:58.650
in the life of the Christian and in the life

00:31:58.650 --> 00:32:05.430
of the church. It is not legalistic of a person

00:32:05.430 --> 00:32:12.150
to say you ought to be doing good works. That

00:32:12.150 --> 00:32:14.410
is a requirement of the Bible and it is an expectation

00:32:14.410 --> 00:32:17.170
upon all those who call upon the name of Christ.

00:32:18.470 --> 00:32:23.900
But brothers and sisters, it is not. libertine

00:32:23.900 --> 00:32:28.859
Christianity to say, revel in justification by

00:32:28.859 --> 00:32:34.960
faith alone. We must hold both equally tight.

00:32:35.759 --> 00:32:39.259
They both are blessings to the people of God

00:32:39.259 --> 00:32:43.119
and they are both true of those in union with

00:32:43.119 --> 00:32:48.819
Jesus Christ. Revel in both of those realities

00:32:48.819 --> 00:32:53.000
because they are both. Glorious in our lives,

00:32:53.000 --> 00:32:58.380
brothers and sisters. So Noah, his faith led

00:32:58.380 --> 00:33:05.019
to obedience in his life. Just as it ought to

00:33:05.019 --> 00:33:12.619
do in our lives. Our lives ought to be distinctly

00:33:12.619 --> 00:33:20.779
marked by good works that are prescribed in God's

00:33:23.299 --> 00:33:27.279
Obedience and faithfulness which comes forth

00:33:27.279 --> 00:33:34.480
from our faith. Now, this leads us to another

00:33:34.480 --> 00:33:38.740
thing we have to consider from this text. The

00:33:38.740 --> 00:33:43.759
fact that Noah's faith condemned the world. Think

00:33:43.759 --> 00:33:49.200
about the world which was condemned by Noah and

00:33:49.200 --> 00:33:53.359
his building, the ark. There are several sections

00:33:53.359 --> 00:33:57.599
in Genesis 6 which give us a clear picture of

00:33:57.599 --> 00:34:03.359
what the pre -flood world was like. Then the

00:34:03.359 --> 00:34:07.079
Lord saw, verse 5 of chapter 6 in Genesis, Then

00:34:07.079 --> 00:34:11.420
the Lord saw the wickedness of man was great

00:34:11.420 --> 00:34:16.159
on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts

00:34:16.159 --> 00:34:21.760
of his heart was only evil continually. Now the

00:34:21.760 --> 00:34:25.360
earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the

00:34:25.360 --> 00:34:31.300
earth was filled with violence. Prior to the

00:34:31.300 --> 00:34:38.340
flood, what was the strategy of that old serpent

00:34:38.340 --> 00:34:44.619
from the garden? It was to destroy the messianic

00:34:44.619 --> 00:34:48.960
lineage through immorality, wickedness, corruption.

00:34:49.880 --> 00:34:56.340
Whatever it might be. Intermarriage. Abnormality.

00:34:56.840 --> 00:35:01.880
All kinds of things. By literally killing off

00:35:01.880 --> 00:35:06.219
everyone through violence. But we know from the

00:35:06.219 --> 00:35:10.199
story that he fails. Because of Noah and the

00:35:10.199 --> 00:35:15.420
Lord's grace in the ark. The world was terribly

00:35:15.420 --> 00:35:20.369
wicked beyond anything. we know of in our day,

00:35:20.530 --> 00:35:24.510
in our age, brothers and sisters. One of the

00:35:24.510 --> 00:35:29.469
unique things about the covenant that God establishes

00:35:29.469 --> 00:35:34.969
with Noah is that he institutionalizes common

00:35:34.969 --> 00:35:40.530
grace in the world, meaning human government

00:35:40.530 --> 00:35:50.730
and equality of life. So on. And he promises

00:35:50.730 --> 00:35:54.150
he will never destroy the world by a flood again.

00:35:55.349 --> 00:35:59.670
Why? So that he can perform and bring about redemption

00:35:59.670 --> 00:36:02.570
through all the other covenants that he would

00:36:02.570 --> 00:36:06.969
set up throughout redemptive history. It was

00:36:06.969 --> 00:36:12.929
horrible before the flood. Every single intention

00:36:12.929 --> 00:36:19.500
of the people of the earth. Was wicked and evil.

00:36:20.780 --> 00:36:25.260
It sounds much closer. To what we would call

00:36:25.260 --> 00:36:29.500
utter depravity. As opposed to what we refer

00:36:29.500 --> 00:36:33.320
to as total depravity. Which means not that we

00:36:33.320 --> 00:36:36.360
are as bad as we can be. But that every part

00:36:36.360 --> 00:36:41.840
of us is messed up by sin. Every aspect of us.

00:36:43.139 --> 00:36:47.320
Now I don't believe it was utter depravity. I

00:36:47.320 --> 00:36:51.199
just believe that the devil was seeking to stomp

00:36:51.199 --> 00:36:56.519
out the seed and that God had withdrawn his hand

00:36:56.519 --> 00:36:59.980
as a form of judgment against the world in preparation

00:36:59.980 --> 00:37:04.539
for a greater and worse judgment that would come

00:37:04.539 --> 00:37:09.920
in the flood. That was the world that Noah built

00:37:09.920 --> 00:37:14.739
the ark in. Here's this man who is a preacher

00:37:14.739 --> 00:37:19.500
of righteousness. who is determined in his heart

00:37:19.500 --> 00:37:24.559
to be faithful to God and his word. Imagine Noah

00:37:24.559 --> 00:37:29.559
erecting the ark in that world, brothers and

00:37:29.559 --> 00:37:34.300
sisters. He gets this part up and stands it up,

00:37:34.360 --> 00:37:39.340
and the neighbors walk by. You think he had opposition?

00:37:39.739 --> 00:37:44.400
Kind of like Nehemiah had opposition? Kind of

00:37:44.400 --> 00:37:48.340
like the church has opposition? Do you think

00:37:48.340 --> 00:37:52.760
he had people mocking him? You old fool, you

00:37:52.760 --> 00:37:57.159
crazy old man. Do you think people were making

00:37:57.159 --> 00:38:01.059
fun of him for building an ark for rain which

00:38:01.059 --> 00:38:08.159
nobody's probably ever seen before? People would

00:38:08.159 --> 00:38:13.780
have been opposed to him adamantly. In addition

00:38:13.780 --> 00:38:16.030
to that, he's calling them sinners, and he's

00:38:16.030 --> 00:38:18.750
calling them to repent. And he's preaching the

00:38:18.750 --> 00:38:27.210
righteousness of God. Noah builds the ark and

00:38:27.210 --> 00:38:31.289
it condemns the unbelieving world. How exactly

00:38:31.289 --> 00:38:35.789
does it do this? I think there's two ways that

00:38:35.789 --> 00:38:41.769
Noah, his faith, his obedience, and his perseverance,

00:38:42.110 --> 00:38:46.389
his godliness, condemn the unbelieving world

00:38:46.389 --> 00:38:54.190
in which he lived. First, I believe that in building

00:38:54.190 --> 00:38:58.530
the ark, he was proclaiming the way of escape

00:38:58.530 --> 00:39:03.670
and taking away any excuse that the unbelieving

00:39:03.670 --> 00:39:10.650
world might have. Think about that reality. What

00:39:10.650 --> 00:39:16.239
was Noah doing? He's preaching. The salvation

00:39:16.239 --> 00:39:20.579
that men could have. Be delivered from the wrath

00:39:20.579 --> 00:39:24.139
that has come. Be saved the way that God wants

00:39:24.139 --> 00:39:28.780
you to be saved. Yet everybody rejected and rebelled.

00:39:31.400 --> 00:39:34.679
Unbelievers mocked him and made fun of him and

00:39:34.679 --> 00:39:38.880
opposed him. All the while he proclaimed the

00:39:38.880 --> 00:39:41.699
way of escape. And all the while they rejected

00:39:41.699 --> 00:39:47.159
it. Though they knew. the way of escape that

00:39:47.159 --> 00:39:57.940
God had prescribed in His Word. And I believe

00:39:57.940 --> 00:40:02.280
that His godliness and His obedience condemned

00:40:02.280 --> 00:40:08.500
the world's unbelief, disobedience, and irreverence

00:40:08.500 --> 00:40:14.639
for the living God. There are several passages

00:40:14.639 --> 00:40:18.760
in the New Testament which help us understand

00:40:18.760 --> 00:40:21.440
some of these things, I believe. We could look

00:40:21.440 --> 00:40:25.119
at 1 Peter 4, 12 -19 that talks about the judgment

00:40:25.119 --> 00:40:30.119
of God starting with the household of God. What

00:40:30.119 --> 00:40:33.119
that means is, what Peter is saying is this,

00:40:33.179 --> 00:40:37.440
it's hard and difficult because of trials of

00:40:37.440 --> 00:40:41.760
faith for the believer to be saved. And that

00:40:41.760 --> 00:40:45.539
reality points to the condemnation and hopelessness

00:40:45.539 --> 00:40:49.860
of unbelievers who reject the gospel and salvation.

00:40:50.460 --> 00:40:56.440
We could look at 2 Thessalonians 1 -5 where Paul

00:40:56.440 --> 00:41:00.260
talks about how the judgment and their faithful

00:41:00.260 --> 00:41:04.039
perseverance is a clear indication of God's judgment

00:41:04.039 --> 00:41:08.699
upon the generation and of their deliverance

00:41:08.699 --> 00:41:13.280
and salvation. We could look at Philippians chapter

00:41:13.280 --> 00:41:17.500
1 verse 28 which talks about their suffering

00:41:17.500 --> 00:41:20.880
as faithful believers and the opposition and

00:41:20.880 --> 00:41:26.800
their enemies and that that is a sign of God's

00:41:26.800 --> 00:41:33.599
judgment upon them and a sign of the saints salvation

00:41:33.599 --> 00:41:39.849
and deliverance. Just as Noah proclaimed the

00:41:39.849 --> 00:41:45.710
way of escape in his day and age. As he erected

00:41:45.710 --> 00:41:49.070
salvation in the midst of the unbelieving world,

00:41:49.170 --> 00:41:54.710
every time an unbeliever rejected it, mocked

00:41:54.710 --> 00:41:58.110
at it, rebelled against God, they were proving

00:41:58.110 --> 00:42:03.230
their condemnation. In the same way, brothers

00:42:03.230 --> 00:42:06.869
and sisters, every time the gospel is preached

00:42:06.869 --> 00:42:12.349
today. Every time that refuge and safety and

00:42:12.349 --> 00:42:16.110
security and hope in Jesus Christ and the salvation

00:42:16.110 --> 00:42:18.489
that He has accomplished in His life, in His

00:42:18.489 --> 00:42:21.030
death, in His resurrection, every time an unbeliever

00:42:21.030 --> 00:42:23.610
hears that reality and leaves it in rebellion

00:42:23.610 --> 00:42:26.230
and rejects it because of their unbelief, do

00:42:26.230 --> 00:42:27.909
you know what they're doing? They're proving

00:42:27.909 --> 00:42:39.980
their condemnation. Every single time. But here's

00:42:39.980 --> 00:42:44.699
the hope. There is still time for you to enter

00:42:44.699 --> 00:42:49.880
into the ark of God. Just as He gave the world

00:42:49.880 --> 00:42:56.659
time, He gives you time. You can still trust

00:42:56.659 --> 00:43:01.940
in Christ, the ark that saves you from the deluge

00:43:01.940 --> 00:43:07.119
of God's wrath and His anger. Christ who protects

00:43:07.119 --> 00:43:11.619
you. From the penalty of your own sin. Come to

00:43:11.619 --> 00:43:15.559
Christ. Enter into the ark. Believe on His name

00:43:15.559 --> 00:43:25.119
today. Turn from your sin. Otherwise, you will

00:43:25.119 --> 00:43:31.179
be condemned. Just as the unbelieving world was

00:43:31.179 --> 00:43:35.300
drowned, the unbeliever today will experience

00:43:35.300 --> 00:43:41.539
something much worse. Than physical death. The

00:43:41.539 --> 00:43:47.059
Bible refers to it as. The second death. It's

00:43:47.059 --> 00:43:50.659
separation from God. And eternal punishment.

00:43:51.139 --> 00:43:54.480
And the complete removal. And absence of his

00:43:54.480 --> 00:44:00.460
grace. And the unleashing of human sin. That

00:44:00.460 --> 00:44:06.800
sounds horrible. And it ought to. Because that.

00:44:07.920 --> 00:44:11.800
is the fate and future of every believer, every

00:44:11.800 --> 00:44:17.519
unbeliever, which refuses to turn from their

00:44:17.519 --> 00:44:22.519
sins and trust in Jesus Christ. Enter into the

00:44:22.519 --> 00:44:29.500
ark today. Noah had a hard go of it, brothers

00:44:29.500 --> 00:44:33.860
and sisters. But his actions, obedience, godliness,

00:44:35.019 --> 00:44:39.480
It condemned the world and ultimately led, because

00:44:39.480 --> 00:44:44.199
of his faith, to his deliverance and that of

00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:52.119
his family. I wonder if it was worth it for Noah.

00:44:54.300 --> 00:45:01.840
What does this man receive as a result or because

00:45:01.840 --> 00:45:08.150
of his faith? Was it worth all those 120 years

00:45:08.150 --> 00:45:12.769
of laboring on the ark, experiencing the jeering

00:45:12.769 --> 00:45:15.949
and mocking and shame and humiliation that came

00:45:15.949 --> 00:45:19.429
with it from unbelievers in the world, the perseverance

00:45:19.429 --> 00:45:21.650
and diligence, the struggle of his heart and

00:45:21.650 --> 00:45:26.590
his mind? Was it worth it for Noah? Well, we

00:45:26.590 --> 00:45:29.369
also see that Noah's faith received an inheritance,

00:45:29.570 --> 00:45:33.949
brothers and sisters. Something that outweighed

00:45:33.949 --> 00:45:38.190
and was more precious than any difficulty or

00:45:38.190 --> 00:45:41.570
trial he ever experienced in his trial of faith

00:45:41.570 --> 00:45:46.070
throughout life. The Bible says in verse 7 of

00:45:46.070 --> 00:45:51.349
Hebrews 11 that he became an heir of righteousness

00:45:51.349 --> 00:45:59.070
which is according to faith. In the book of Hebrews,

00:45:59.190 --> 00:46:04.510
this idea of inheritance. is something that is

00:46:04.510 --> 00:46:08.730
future and eschatological or having to do with

00:46:08.730 --> 00:46:12.829
the end of all things, the culmination of redemption.

00:46:14.750 --> 00:46:19.309
And it speaks of his inheritance being righteousness.

00:46:21.409 --> 00:46:24.730
Now, I don't believe that this is speaking strictly

00:46:24.730 --> 00:46:29.869
of forensic righteousness or imputed righteousness

00:46:29.869 --> 00:46:35.090
of Christ because... It's referred to as an inheritance.

00:46:35.250 --> 00:46:37.449
You can look at every other reference in the

00:46:37.449 --> 00:46:41.409
book of Hebrews. It's something that is future

00:46:41.409 --> 00:46:46.050
and something that takes place in heaven. It's

00:46:46.050 --> 00:46:49.110
eternal. It's lasting. The same words are used

00:46:49.110 --> 00:46:52.110
with regards to Abraham. And his inheritance

00:46:52.110 --> 00:46:57.670
in verse 16 is a heavenly one, meaning a heavenly

00:46:57.670 --> 00:47:02.980
city. I believe the author is speaking of that

00:47:02.980 --> 00:47:07.639
here. And I think what he's talking about is

00:47:07.639 --> 00:47:12.019
the fact that Noah, as a man with faith, was

00:47:12.019 --> 00:47:16.559
the recipient of every single gospel promise

00:47:16.559 --> 00:47:22.039
that was ever made. Yes, he was a justified man.

00:47:22.179 --> 00:47:25.000
The righteousness of Christ was accounted and

00:47:25.000 --> 00:47:28.239
reckoned to him. Yes, he was a sanctified man.

00:47:28.300 --> 00:47:30.019
He was being sanctified throughout his life.

00:47:30.239 --> 00:47:33.199
He's referred to as blameless and righteous in

00:47:33.199 --> 00:47:37.480
Genesis. Yes, brothers and sisters. When he died,

00:47:37.679 --> 00:47:44.139
he saw God face to face. Theologians refer to

00:47:44.139 --> 00:47:49.159
what is called the beatific vision. That word

00:47:49.159 --> 00:47:55.719
beatific means blessed or happy. And the vision

00:47:55.719 --> 00:47:59.139
aspect of that has to do with the believer seeing.

00:48:00.010 --> 00:48:08.349
God. This in the ultimate sense, I believe, is

00:48:08.349 --> 00:48:13.769
what is being spoken of here. That Noah, after

00:48:13.769 --> 00:48:22.750
his life of difficult faith, he inherited perfect

00:48:22.750 --> 00:48:35.019
moral purity and he was Like God. He was satisfied.

00:48:36.320 --> 00:48:41.579
And happy. And he was with God. In fellowship

00:48:41.579 --> 00:48:45.739
and holiness. And there was no more. Remnant

00:48:45.739 --> 00:48:54.199
of sin. That brothers and sisters. Is more valuable.

00:48:55.079 --> 00:48:59.400
In a greater work. and of more significance than

00:48:59.400 --> 00:49:05.739
any difficulty, hardship, or trial of faith that

00:49:05.739 --> 00:49:10.519
we might go through. And we only inherit that,

00:49:10.579 --> 00:49:15.420
brothers and sisters, by faith, and faith which

00:49:15.420 --> 00:49:20.920
leads to obedience, and faith which bears witness

00:49:20.920 --> 00:49:24.119
to the condemnation of the world. It is only

00:49:24.119 --> 00:49:29.380
that faith which inherits, Every single gospel

00:49:29.380 --> 00:49:32.639
promise that has ever been made in the person

00:49:32.639 --> 00:49:39.320
and work of Jesus Christ. Is it worth it, brothers

00:49:39.320 --> 00:49:45.320
and sisters? Yes and amen. Every trial you go

00:49:45.320 --> 00:49:50.099
through is little itty -bitty compared to the

00:49:50.099 --> 00:49:56.039
glory you will take part in. Every hardship It

00:49:56.039 --> 00:50:00.599
will be like a speck in comparison to seeing

00:50:00.599 --> 00:50:05.780
God face to face. Every struggle in your heart

00:50:05.780 --> 00:50:07.619
and in your mind that you experience in this

00:50:07.619 --> 00:50:10.079
life, it will pass away, brothers and sisters,

00:50:10.159 --> 00:50:12.480
when you enter into glory and you are with Christ.

00:50:14.139 --> 00:50:20.599
It is far greater than any trial of faith that

00:50:20.599 --> 00:50:24.199
we might experience in this life.