Warning For Noah And Us
Warnings for Noah and Us
Feb. 7th 2021
None of us know what tomorrow is going to bring right. Tomorrow is such a mystery… And having faith is so important in our lives because it helps us to be certain of the unknown… Now I prayerfully hope - that these messages are helping us to live being certain and believing in the things we cannot see.
Now Hebrews 11:6 states, “Without faith, it is impossible to please God, for anyone who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” So, can we agree that faith is important?
Now there are a lot of interesting people in Hebrew 11, but for me, I think that Noah had more faith than all the others that are mentioned. And his faith has nothing to do with building the Ark. It is because he trusted God at His Word before the flood came.
Look with me at Hebrews 11:7, “It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood… He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith, Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.”
Open: Now when you think about it, our lives have many warnings that we need to deal daily with, right... Such as, when you are experiencing pain and tightness in your chest, or in your arm, or neck… this is a warning that we should stop eating cheese right…… So, we would agree that WARNINGS are important to us!
But the question for us is: how do we all respond to warnings? Are you appreciative… or are you resentful of them? Now when it comes to faith, one of the best ways to demonstrate faith in God… is by listening to God’s WARNINGS…
And if we don’t, we usually regret it. So, it is important to listen to what God has to say to us, if we will avoid trouble………..
Objective: So, this morning as we look at Noah’s example of faith, my hope is that we will see how Noah demonstrated his faith by following God’s warnings and how they will benefit us if we do the same. You see,
I- Attitude Is Everything.
Having the right attitude will help us to listen to God’s warnings…….
Now, this really shouldn’t be such a hard concept to grasp because so many warnings in life are meant for our good. Unless we are just pridefully foolish. If not, we will appreciate such warnings rather than resent them, because they are meant for our good……. RIGHT!!!!! It likes what ……
2 Timothy 3:16 says to us, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”
God’s Word is for our help and our good… and that is why He wants us to respond to what His Word says to us…Not responding is like the people who did not listen to Noah.
But it comes down to this: Do I believe that God knows everything, and do I believe that God knows what is best for me? And do I believe that God is on my side?............... God’s warnings are always, always meant for our good, and never for harm.
Transition: So, let’s look at a couple of steps to help us to have faith in God’s warnings.
1-We need to respond to God’s warnings in holy fear….
Hebrews 11:7- “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear, built an ark to save his family.”
“Holy fear” means - taking God’s warnings seriously… Now notice that Noah was “warned about things not yet seen.”
The flood had not come yet, and this warning took place 120 years before it came. But just because it was still in the future, it did not make it any less real. God said it was going to happen…
Remember, faith is being certain about things you cannot see. God has warned us in His Word time and time again about being ready for the return of His Son for He will come like a thief at night…
So, we need to respond to God in Holy Fear and next, we need to…
2-Treat God with reverence, awe, and respect…
Jesus said in Luke 12:5, “Fear God, He alone has the power to throw you into hell. I tell you again, you need to fear God.” Now that is a good memory versus.
Now, Noah responded to God in holy fear. He took God’s warning seriously, and he treated God with reverence, awe, and respect and did exactly what God told him to do….
Application: You see having the right attitude towards God’s warning is important… And it is also important that we
II-Follow God’s warnings.
This means taking appropriate action… by following God’s instructions exactly.
So, what is the appropriate action when God is about to flood the world? Building a boat sounds really smart to me! And to think, no one knew what a boat was at this time…
Genesis 7:5 says, “And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him.” Noah did not leave a single detail out. He followed all of God’s instructions exactly. READ Genesis 6…
Folks, God never tells us to do something without a reason. If God gives us a warning in Scripture, it is there for our good. So, in holy fear Noah built the ark.
Application: So, what action do we need to take today? That is why God gave us His Holy Word. Do you know what the word “Bible: means? It means: B-asic- I-nstructions- B-efore- L-eaving- E-arth. God’s Word will never steer you wrong…. It will keep us from experience many needless heartaches in life.
So, responding to God’s warnings begins with the 1-right attitude towards God. 2-Following God’s warnings… And the next thing that Noah’s example of faith can help us with is….
III- You will stand out in the crowd if you chose to follow God’s Word.
Now Noah’s faith certainly made him stand out…. Building the ark took real faith. Noah’s world had no idea what a flood was at this time in history, and here’s Noah building a cargo ship on dry ground! No one else was building a boat. So, we can say that Noah most definitely stood out in the crowd.
Application: When you live by faith, your life will look different from those in the world. Or at least it should. And the reason is, you are going in a different direction than the world is going.
You will speak different words, and you will make different choices, you will put God first all because of your faith in Him and, you will stand out, and that’s not always easy.
Hebrews 11:7 says- “By his faith, Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.” So, what does that even mean?
Noah’s faith in building the ark stood as a testimony of judgment against the whole world because those who saw him building it did not pay attention to God’s warning…
So, living for God means that your faith will stand out as a testimony. But we must also remember that the world will not treat you well when you stand up for God.
So, I am guessing Noah was mocked and ridiculed mercilessly by those around him year after year as he built the Ark. Now Noah warned them year after year of a coming storm but no one listened to him….
2 Peter 2:5 calls Noah- “a preacher of righteousness,” He was telling people to get right with God and join him in the Ark. But it is clear, his world and our world doesn’t like to be reminded of sin, and how we will be accountable to God for our actions.
Jesus put it this way in “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (John 15:18-19).
Folks, if you love Jesus, sooner or later you will be hated for loving Him. It wasn’t easy for Noah. And sadly, Noah’s world was condemned by the flood, and Noah’s faith was vindicated.
And the same will be true for you as you take a stand for God and remain true to Christ even in the face of opposition. That is a promise. And lastly.
IV- Noah’s faith saved him, his family, and us…
Have you ever thought about that? Noah was a descendant from Adam, and we are a descendant from the faith that Noah had in God. If Noah hadn’t built the ark, we wouldn’t be here today. And we would not get to spend eternity in heaven with God without Noah’s faith in God.
The truth is, before God ever created the world, God thought of you. He planned for you. He made provision for your salvation through His Son, Jesus. That is how much God loves you! Isn’t that awesome? And praise God - Noah loved God.
Folks, you will never know how your faith just might change things.
Look at (PP)Hebrew 11:7 one last time: “By his faith Noah condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”
Noah received the gift of eternal life, not because of his righteousness, but because he had faith in God. He listened to God’s warning, and it brought Noah great benefit both for this life and eternal life.
Transition: Now in the NT God gives us a great warning, and it is a warning for people to repent of their sins and to put their faith in Jesus Christ for their eternal salvation before it is too late…. In Luke 17:26-27: Jesus spoke about what our world would be like at the time of His return.
(PP)Jesus said, “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came……. and destroyed them all.”
The world has become very much as it did in Noah’s day, has it?..... People are still going on with their lives as if there is no end in sight as if there is no judgment from God coming, totally disregarding the righteousness of God.
But God has warned us! And God has given us instructions on how we may escape the coming day of judgment. It is only through Christ can a person escape it.
Conclusion: In many ways, Noah’s ark serves as a type or a foreshadowing of Christ. Noah and his family were saved in the ark. Today, our salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ, He is our Ark.
If you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, will you listen to God’s warning concerning sin and final judgment and put your faith in Christ today?
If you are already a believer in Jesus Christ, then let me remind you that all of God’s warnings in Scripture are meant for your good.
But in our culture is never easy to follow His warnings. It takes faith. It takes guts. It also takes the right attitude before God. But it will bring you great benefit, both in this life and the next.
Noah lived? Are we ready for the second coming of Christ if it happens today, tomorrow, or into the future? Having faith like Noah is a good thing…Believing in the unseen.
