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NOAH MADE

A DIFFERENCE

God saw that human evil was out of control. People thought evil, imagined evil—evil, evil, evil from morning to night. 6 God was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart. 7 God said, "I'll get rid of my ruined creation, make a clean sweep: people, animals, snakes and bugs, birds—the works. I'm sorry I made them." 8 But Noah was different. God liked what he saw in Noah. 9 This is the story of Noah: Noah was a good man, a man of integrity in his community. Noah walked with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 As far as God was concerned, the Earth had become a sewer; there was violence everywhere. 12 God took one look and saw how bad it was, everyone corrupt and corrupting—life itself corrupt to the core. 13 God said to Noah, "It's all over. It's the end of the human race. The violence is everywhere; I'm making a clean sweep. Gen 6:5-13 (MSG)
  • In a time when evil was out of control
  • In a time when all people thought about was evil, evil, evil
  • In a time when the earth had become a sewer
  • In a time when violence was everywhere
  • In a time when everyone was corrupt and corrupting—life itself was corrupt to the core
  • It took only 1656 years for the flood to come upon the earth (Genesis 5)
In a time when God came to a point that He was sorry He had made man upon the earth. In just such a time one man was different.
  • God liked what he saw in Noah
  • Noah was a good man; a man of integrity
  • Noah walked with God
  • One man followed God’s commands
Noah took God at His word. When others broke God’s commands, Noah kept them. Other people around him turned a deaf ear to God but Noah listened. No one else responded when Noah moved with fear. Because of this testimony to his faith he is listed in Hebrews chapter eleven as having become an heir of the righteousness which comes by faith, not to mention saving his wife and the lives of his three sons and their wives.
  • “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”  Hebrews 11:7
Like Noah we are expected to have faith. Hebrews eleven, verse six indicates that without it we cannot please God. In that context it is a shame that so many professed Christians discount the accuracy of the account of the flood. If we cannot believe God’s historical account of the flood how can we believe it when He warns us to prepare for the soon and imminent return of His Son to the earth?

PETER AND THE FLOOD

Peter drew a number of important lessons from this catastrophic event in the history of mankind. He realized how such a historical event should be viewed in the light of  life in general and humanity in particular.
  • When the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. 1 Peter 3:20 (NASB)
  • (God) did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly. 2 Peter 2:5 (NASB)
We are reminded of God’s longsuffering during the days in which Noah prepared the ark. God is pictured as “waiting” during that time. What was going on between the time God gave Noah instructions to prepare the ark and the time Noah entered the ark and the flood came? The last verse in Genesis chapter 5 gives us a beginning timeline (Noah was 500 years old) to compare with chapter 7 verse 6 which tells us how old he was when he entered the ark. (600 years old) During that time his three sons were born, God revealed to Noah what he was going to do and what Noah deeded to do. During the time the ark was constructed and it appears that Noah was a “preacher of righteousness”. There was life to be lived during that time. No doubt people came by during construction and no doubt there were questions asked and opportunities for Noah to explain why he was building the ark together with the reason necessitating its construction. (Violence) Perhaps the message included these sentiments:

“Listen folks; the world is a mess. God is very unhappy with what his creation has become. He abhors the violence that is in the world. He is going to cause a flood upon the earth which will destroy every animal and man on the earth. The only way to be saved from the flood is to enter into this ark I am building as instructed by God. The ark will float, and whatever is lifted up above the watery deluge will be saved.”
  • Eight persons, were brought safely through the water .21 Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 3:20-21 (NASB)
The waters of the flood are pictured as saving those who were in the ark, while destroying those who were outside the ark. Baptism is likened to the saving waters of the flood. We are encouraged to examine closely the importance of baptism in Peter’s words. Remember on Pentecost when the people asked Peter and the rest of the apostles:
  • "Brethren , what shall we do?"38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Acts 2:37-38 (NASB)
Peter appreciated the importance of baptism just as we must. It’s strange that this important command of the Lord Jesus regarding baptism is being debated today:
  • Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you”.  Matthew 18:19-20 KJV

JESUS AND THE FLOOD

  • "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.38 "For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Matt 24:37-39 (NASB)
Jesus adds to the emphasis on the flood. During the days of the construction of the ark, when Noah was a “preacher of righteousness”, men were eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage until the very day that Noah entered the ark at 600 years of age. Evidently they didn’t get it. The preaching of the preacher of righteousness was not believed. They didn’t understand. How could you not understand the significance of the event when the ark was being constructed in the neighborhood:
  • "Build yourself a ship from teakwood. Make rooms in it. Coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 Make it 450 feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high. 16 Build a roof for it and put in a window eighteen inches from the top; put in a door on the side of the ship; and make three decks, lower, middle, and upper. 17 "I'm going to bring a flood on the Earth that will destroy everything alive under Heaven. Total destruction. Genesis  6:14-17 (MSG)
Don’t forget Paul’s instruction. This is what Jesus was addressing in Matthew 24. The people in the days of Noah were wrapped up in the things of life and did not listen to the warnings given by the preacher of righteousness. 
  • I do want to point out, friends, that time is of the essence. There is no time to waste, so don't complicate your lives unnecessarily. Keep it simple—in marriage, 30 grief, joy, whatever. Even in ordinary things—your daily routines of shopping, and so on. 31 Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out. 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 (MSG)
Jesus and Paul warned against abusing the world. As in the days of Noah, the world that then was being overflowed with water perished. (2 Peter 3:6) Even so the heavens and the earth which are now by the same word are reserved to the Day of Judgment. (Verse 7) Things are going to dramatically change, socially and environmentally in the future Kingdom of God.

YOU AND I AND THE FLOOD

The flood assures us of God’s longsuffering as well as the certainty of the Day of Judgment. God is patient but will not always allow man to corrupt His way upon the earth. He will not continue to allow the wickedness of man to corrupt the earth nor allow violence to fill the earth due to the evil imagination in man’s heart. The flood also prompts us to obey the command to be baptized: baptism is a very important part of salvation, and righteousness is as much a part of faith as it is action. I encourage you to revisit the passage in I Peter 3:20-21.

It’s easy to dismiss this event recorded and referenced in the Bible as incredible. Peter realized people in our day—the end of the world—would reject the flood’s historical significance as well as its warning.
  • First off, you need to know that in the last days, mockers are going to have a heyday. Reducing everything to the level of their puny feelings, 4 they'll mock, "So what's happened to the promise of his Coming? Our ancestors are dead and buried, and everything's going on just as it has from the first day of creation. Nothing's changed." 5 They conveniently forget that long ago all the galaxies and this very planet were brought into existence out of watery chaos by God's word. 6 Then God's word brought the chaos back in a flood that destroyed the world. 2 Peter 3:3-6 (MSG)

Peter warned us that some in the last days will parade themselves as being good who will question the promised Coming of the Messiah. Everything, they will say, continues as it has from the first day of creation. Ah! But Peter says it hasn’t. We all need to ponder what happened some 1650 years following the creation of Adam. God made it plain prior to the flood that “My spirit shall not always strive with man.” Gen 6:3 (KJV) We must not ignore what happened in the flood and we must not shut our eyes to the salvation being offered in our midst. The only way to be rescued from the “fiery deluge” is to enter into the ark church; not the building but the one that Jesus in building. Matthew 16:18 We need to follow the example left us by our Lord, and be baptized as he commanded.

RESERVED FOR FIRE

  • It escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. 7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 2 Peter 3:5-7 (NASB)
Every time God looks at the token of his covenant, the rainbow, he remembers the covenant he made with Noah, his seed and every living creature of flesh; that the waters never again would become a flood to destroy all flesh. Genesis 9:12-17 The next cleansing agent will be fire even as Peter reiterated: the fires of the day of judgment which will destroy ungodly men.  People didn’t believe Noah a preacher of righteousness. We don’t have one of his sermons but one can only imagine his warning:

“Listen folks; the world is a mess. God is very unhappy with what his creation has become. He abhors the violence that is in the world. He is going to cause a flood upon the earth which will destroy every animal and man on the earth. The only way to be saved from the flood is to enter into this ark I am building as instructed by God. The ark will float, and whatever is lifted up above the watery deluge will be saved.”

The longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared. I Peter 3:20. Peter also pointed to the patience and longsuffering of God:
  • God isn't late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn't want anyone lost. He's giving everyone space and time to change. 2 Peter 3:9 (MSG)
A day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. He has all the time in the world to work out his plan. Yes God Has A Plan. What we need to realize is that there came a day when Noah entered into the ark.
  • And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in. Gen 7:16 (KJV)
I trust you and I will make a note of that. “The LORD shut him in.” There was an end to God’s patience. He has all of eternity to work things out, but the time came when the flood came upon the earth. Those who accept the salvation being offered will be safe from the fires of judgment because they have become members of the church that Jesus is building and have entered by faith into that “ark”. Matthew 16:18
  • But the day of the Lord will come. 2 Peter 3:10 (NASB)