God Pleasing Faith, Noah Obeyed God, Lesson 6, Hebrews 11:7

 

We continue with our study of what is known as the faith chapter of the Bible, Hebrews 11, where we have been told that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

 

We understand through faith that the worlds were framed not by a slow mechanical, chemical, or nuclear process that scientists may discover but simply by the word of God and therefore that which our eyes behold is not made of things which do appear.

 

We have learned that God expects things to be done by faith His way and when they are done his way it gives witness to righteousness. 

 

We have also been instructed by God that we are to please Him. 

 

We are not to live lives only pleasing ourselves or others but our primary responsibility is to please our Creator and God has made it so that we can only please Him by faith believing that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

 

For He has declared the imperative: The just shall live by faith and he so arranges it to be for that is the rule of His realm.

 

We have visited Abel and Enoch, two men who walked by faith, one was taken by death, and one was taken alive, but both by faith came into the presence of God.

 

So our next faith instructor is a man named Noah. 

 

Now very smart and intelligent men and women think there never was a man named Noah as described in the Bible but that the Noah story is a made up legend which emanates from many cultures.

 

However these very smart and intelligent folk do not operate in the realm of faith and therefore it is impossible for them to escape the bounds of earth and worldly wisdom and therefore they can only come to false conclusions for they choose to only operate by their senses.

 

But we walk by faith, not by sight.

 

Try convincing a blind man who has never seen such a thing as the colors, blue, red, orange, green and yellow. 

 

The world of faith and the world of the senses are two different worlds and never the twain will meet.

 

But in our faith chapter, Paul, a very learned man, but a man of faith, brought to the fore this man Noah and introduced him with that wonderful phrase, By faith Noah. 

 

So Paul did not dispute or question the existence of Noah but Paul was not the most important person to speak of Noah as an historical person for our own wonderful Lord Jesus Christ spoke of him when he spoke of days and judgment to come.

 

For he said to his disciples in:

 

Luke 17:26,27,  And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.  They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

 

So this judgment of the past recognized and spoken of by Jesus Christ in order to give us a view of what is to come, is again spoken of in Hebrews 1:7 but within a faith theme.

 

Hebrews 1:7, 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.

 

In this example of faith given in Hebrews 11 it is the only case where the one exhibiting faith is moved by a coming judgment rather than rewards.

 

So we are to take from this that faith not only respects God’s promises but also his warnings. 

 

Noah, by faith moved with fear for he was warned of God of things not seen as yet.

 

The message of Noah is that people of faith heed God’s warnings.

 

People who do not believe God’s word simply go on their way even though the warnings are clear for blindness keeps them from seeing the obvious.

 

I remember the warnings regarding Hurricane Ivan in September 2004. 

 

They were broadcast early in the process of this hurricane’s path as it moved toward this area eventually resulting in thousands of people exiting to the north to a safe harbor. 

 

Many heeded the warning for they were convinced that those who warned were the experts and knew what was best for those who lived or visited in this coastal area. 

 

But one poor soul did not heed the warnings for remember the truck that sped west right into the 100 mph winds which blew the bay waters to such a height as to break up many sections of the interstate bridge.

 

What a sad picture it was to see the remains of the truck trailer left on the bridge but gone was the cab with the driver who did not heed the warnings.

 

Today we are able to see the coming storm. 

 

We are given satellite views of hurricanes and tornados and rain storms and know to the hour when they are due to strike. 

 

It does not take faith to know these things but with Noah it took faith to know of the coming storm for God told him that storms were coming to accomplish God’s judgment upon the earth.

 

For Noah was warned of God of things not seen as yet and he moved with fear.

 

God told Noah of astounding things never before seen for before Noah’s day there had never been a flood and never a rain for we learn from:

 

Genesis 2:5,6, And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. 6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

 

So the environment of Noah’s day was to be altered, by God taking away what seemed to be a vapor canopy that encircled the earth. 

 

The atmosphere was filled with water which kept the whole earth in a tropical state.

 

And in Genesis 6:13,17, …..God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.

 

So God brings to Noah’s ears, ears of faith by the way, the absolute that is to come.

 

Faith moves Noah to obey God in the doing of an astounding thing, a thing unbelieved by the world then and a thing still unbelieved by the world now.

 

But Noah’s faith brings to Noah the vision of a coming flood that is more real to him than the demonstrations of life around him. 

 

Noah sees God, and all around him grows dim, all the ridicule and persecution and laughter that the world casts at him is blurred for his vision of the future is perfect for it was given to him by God.

 

For Noah had the kind of faith that escapes judgment that God says certainly would come.

 

The lesson of Noah who basically stood alone against the mockery of the world and did indeed escape judgment is to always believe that God’s word is true.

 

For he heard that judgment is coming and God’s commands to prepare must be obeyed!

 

God gave Noah many years to build the Ark. 

 

Based upon Genesis 6:3 some think that Noah built the Ark in 120 years so it was known by those of faith that judgement was indeed coming.

 

Genesis 6:3, And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

 

It is obvious that our God is long suffering in our day and he was long suffering in Noah’s day for God saw that the wickedness of man was great and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

 

But God loves and His love moved Him to delay judgment for over a century until He refused to suffer any longer and the water from the depths and the heights was released.

 

But what happens in the hearts of men when God is long suffering? 

 

Well, look for the answer in Peter the Apostle, the former ignorant fisherman, the impudent and stubborn disciple who was called Satan by our Lord, but now after growing by faith in the Lord writes in I Peter 3:4-11 beginning with the words of the faithless:

 

….. Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

 

And then in commentary words Peter continues 5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

 

Noah by faith heard the word of God and moved by fear prepared an Ark for the coming judgment.

 

His time met the judgment of God and our time awaits the judgment of God. 

 

We are to learn from Noah that God’s word is sure and that those of us who live in the realm of faith are only secure in the eternal Ark of God, the man Christ Jesus.

 

That man, Jesus Christ told us in clear terms that judgment is coming:

 

Matthew 24:36-39, But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

 

One word describes the people of Noah’s day and that word is

Oblivious

 

Remember Jesus said that in the days of his coming the people, after these several thousand years will be no different than in Noah’s day. 

 

For the one word which will describe the people of that coming day is:

Oblivious