Noah and the Period of Grace
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Homework
Homework
Read Genesis 6-9
Genesis 6
Genesis 6
Wickedness on the Earth
Wickedness on the Earth
6:1-2
The sons of God.
I’m going with the Sethian view.
We saw the dividing point last week between the the lineage of God, and the lineage of Satan.
What we see here is a mixing of the two lineages.
When they begin mixing, it doesn’t end well.
The new testament refers to this same action as being unequally yoked.
You notice, the good don’t bring the evil up. Those who follow God are brought down, where soon the whole world is corrupt.
6:5-6
God looks down and see’s that wickedness is abounding.
Romans 1:28-32
Romans 1:28-32
When people don’t acknowledge God, He gives them over to their free will, which is to be evil. People go this way becasue they choose not to follow after God.
It Grieved God
It Grieved God
Do we realize that our sins hurt God.
Why? Because we were created in love, and when we sin, it is cosmic treason against a loving God.
Isaiah 63:10
10 But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them.
Do not fool yourself into thinking that God is on your side if you are living in unrepentant sin.
He is ready to forgive and restore you the second you ask for forgiveness.
But He is righteous. Therefore by living in sin, you are making yourself His enemy.
Psalm 7:11-13
11 God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day. 12 If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow; 13 he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts.
Because He is a righteous judge, he makes war against evil.
He calls us to repent of our sins. To quit doing the actions that oppose Him.
If we don’t, He is preparing his deadly weapons.
6:7-10
But Noah Found Favor
But Noah Found Favor
Among all the evil, all the rebellion that existed in the world, God says that Noah found favor, or grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Noah was a righteous man.
He still had original sin, but he was a man who walked with God.
He lived and tried to do what God said was right. He tried to follow God the best ways that he knew how.
Build a Boat
Build a Boat
6:13-14
God tells Noah what is coming, and how to survive it.
God gives Noah specific instructions on how big to build it, and what it was to contain.
God was angry because of the sin on the world, and He was now bringing judgement because of that sin.
But God is providing a way of escape in the midst of the judgement.
Does this sound familiar?
Because of the sinfulness of man, judgement is coming on the world.
Revelation 20:15
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
How do we get our names written in that book?
Revelation 3:1-3, 5
Revelation 3:1-3, 5
Their works were not complete.
They hadn’t been doing anything!
They said, Jesus was their Lord, but they didn’t obey what He commanded.
You might argue, “We are saved by grace” and “it’s what’s inside that counts.”
You are right, we aren’t saved by our works, but by grace. The evidence of that grace is our faith.
However, if you have faith. Your works will show it!
Jesus said “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks!”
Your actions show what’s in your heart.
If you are a crude, angry, unkind, person who lies, who tears others down and gossiping.
Your heart is full of trash, not the holy Spirit.
You will stand before God and He will say I never knew you.
God has provided Jesus Christ as our ark.
Through Him are we saved from the wrath to come.
But if you are in Christ, there will be a difference in you. Not because your trying to earn salvation. But becasue your heart has been changed.
But just as it wasn’t enough for Noah to build a boat, he had to get in it before the flood came.
You must be in Christ, before judgement comes.
God gives a period of grace
God gives a period of grace
6:3
There are 2 ways to look at this passage.
The first is that man will not live more than 120 years.
This is a possible understanding to the text, but by the fact that after this for a long time man lived to be over 120 years, even after Abraham.
This makes this a possible, but I see it as an unlikely translation.
From that point it will be 120 years until the flood.
This would mean that God is giving a period of grace for 120 years.
A period that it will take Noah to build the boat.
2 Peter 2:5
5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
Noah was a herald of righteousness.
This is unique to this passage in scripture, but it was well known in Jewish tradition.
It either refers to Noah calling people to repent and turn to God! The whole time he was building the boat.
Or it could be showing that the way Noah lived, demonstrated righteousness to those who were around him.
What we must see is that God gave them time to repent, and provided a faithful witness to point them to repentance!
Right now in this world, God has done the same thing.
You! You are the faithful witnesses that need to live a righteous life, set apart from the garbage in the world.
You also need to be telling people to “get on the ark!”
Come to know Jesus, He is the only way you can be saved from the wrath to come.
6:14-16
How Big Was The Ark?
How Big Was The Ark?
300 cubits x 50 cubits x 30 cubits
A cubit is between 17-22 inches.
The standard Egyptian was about 20.5”
The average cubit today is 18 inches.
If we go off the smaller cubit it would have been 450 long x 75 feet wide x 45 feet tall
According to modern shipbuilders this ratio represents an advanced knowledge of shipbuilding since it is the optimum design for stability in rough seas. It would have been virtually impossible to capsize.
The ark was a three story cargo ship. Assuming it was rectangle it would have been over 100,000 square feet of floor space.
6:19
Two of Every Kind
Two of Every Kind
Not 2 of every animal. But 2 of every kind.
In modern taxonomy the thing that is the closest to a biblical kind would be family.
A good rule of thumb is if they can breed.
2 of the horse kind, 2 of the dog kind, 2 of the cat kind.
Within a kind you have varieties.
Recent studies have shown that living and extinct kinds to be around 1,398 different kinds. Worst case scenario it would have been 6,744 animals.
Could the ark hold all those animals? The ark exhibit in Kentucky built a life sized replica with all the animals.
What we see is that God gave Noah wisdom to accomplish what He required. We see God making a provision for ongoing generations.
God has given us all we need to know to be saved. He has given us His word, and His Holy Spirit. He has also given us a command to preach just as Noah was.
Just as their was a day of wrath, the day of the flood for all those who didn’t get on the ark.
There is a day of wrath coming here as well. We need to tell people to “get on the ship,” to come to know Jesus.
Benediction
Benediction
May our sovereign God, who never leaves us alone, and prepares us for what might lay ahead. May he strengthen your Spirit for all that may lie ahead.