The Faith of Noah

The Faith of Noah
Hebrews 11:7

INTRO: Good morning church. As we studied the Book of Hebrews in class we have found much to think about, and it has led us to some very fruitful discussions where we gained greater understanding of the Lord’s word. I would like to continue a bit in that book this morning and discuss some things about the faith shown by Noah.

Please turn to Hebrews 11:7 and I will read from the NKJV – “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”

The event of the flood, Noah and the ark, is one of the great miracles that people often ridicule and mock. They have trouble wrapping their heads around this event and all that took place, so they want to dismiss it. Jesus, when talking about the coming of the ‘son of man’, said in Matthew 24:37-39 – “37. "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38. "For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39. "and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Jesus referred to Noah and the flood. If our Lord believed it, that ought to settle it.

Let’s look at our text from Hebrews in detail. As we do, we will see that Hebrews 11:7 can be divided into 5 statements related to Noah’s faith.

I. The first statement and this is the first point we want to make, the first lesson we want to learn. “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen”

A. To fully appreciate and understand that statement we need to consider a few verses in Genesis 6. I wondered what exactly is involved in this statement Noah was warned of God of things not seen yet.

1. We see in Genesis 6:5 that in Noah's time people had become very wicked. “… the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

a. God did not make man in a corrupt state. They were created in a state of innocence. They decided (made the decision) to transgress the will of God.
b. We were told what happened, Adam was instructed – “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” If they transgressed the will of God, they would die. You know how the serpent came along and tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. She gave in to the temptation and ate of the fruit, giving it to Adam and he ate it as well. At that point, sin and death entered the world and things changed.
c. By the time Noah came on the scene several generations have passed. The population on the Earth had grown since the days of Adam and Eve. Genesis 6:5 sums up just how wicked man had become.
d. We notice that God did not make people in that state. People got into that state because they wanted to. They made the decision to transgress the will of God.

2. Man's wickedness affected God to the point that God decided to destroy mankind as well as the creatures He had created. Genesis 6:6-7 – “And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.''” What we see here is the total corruption of humanity. The very citadel of human life, the heart, which in Hebrew thought meant the mind, was devoted exclusively to the contemplation of evil.

a. It would be difficult to devise a sentence that would more effectively portray the corruption of humanity than does Genesis 6:5.
b. This is the result of the judicial hardening of humanity prophesied by Genesis 6:3 where is foretold the withdrawal of the Spirit of God from "striving with" mankind. The entire Bible deals with the phenomenon of Judicial Hardening—disobedience.

3. We need to appreciate the very next verse, verse 8 “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” We know how wicked man had become and how God felt about it. Yet, there was one righteous man on the face of the Earth – Noah.

a. Why did Noah find grace in the eyes of the Lord? Verse 9 “This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.” This explains to us why Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
b. Consequently, God decided to spare Noah from the destruction that He was going to bring upon the earth.

4. Remember, we're looking at these verses for the purpose of helping us understand that Noah was warned of God, of things not seen yet. Look at verse 13 “And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” This verse shows us that God informed Noah He was going to destroy the Earth.
5. To see how, we look next at verse 17 “And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.”. God decided to destroy the Earth with a flood of waters.

B. That was something new—no one had ever seen a flood like that. Note we're illustrating from the book of Genesis what the writer of Hebrews was teaching when he said that Noah was warned of God of things not seen yet. No one, including Noah, had ever seen so great a flood. How did Noah react?
C. Through his faith, Noah believed what God had said. Noah did not stand there and argue with God and say, I don't believe that I've never seen a flood like that. God said it. Noah believed it. That settled it. Through his faith, Noah believed what God had said. Reminds us of Hebrews 11:1, doesn’t it? – “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
D. What exactly caused Noah to listen when God warned him about something that had never been seen before? That brings us to the second statement that we want to consider.

II. In Hebrews 11:7 – “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear…” I’ll stop right there. Noah was moved with fear. I don't know about you, but when I hear the word fear, I think about being afraid of something. That's the way we use the word.

A. The Bible uses the word fear in that sense as well, but often the Bible uses the word fear to refer to reverence or respect for God. In the Bible, fear and obeying God are often joined together.
B. For example, in Ecclesiastes 12:13, Solomon said this is the conclusion of the whole matter—“Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”
C. Noah's fear moved him or motivated him to do something.
D. What did Noah's fear move him to do? That brings us to the third statement that we want to look at.

III. In Hebrews 11:7 again, Noah “…prepared an ark for the saving of his household…” Noah was warned of God, of things not seen yet. Noah was moved with fear. What did his fear move him to do? He prepared that ark.

A. As we examine what's written in the book of Genesis, we see that God gave specific instructions for building the ark and placing the animals inside. God even specified the type of wood that was to be used. He specified gopher wood. Today we do not know exactly what this wood was. We do know some things from the text though…it was available in sufficient quantities for the work, and the important thing is, Noah understood.
B. God not only specified the kind of wood that was to be used, He gave specific dimensions for building the ark.

1. If God had just said, Noah, I want you to build this great big ark and left it at that, Noah would have been free to make some decisions about the kind of wood he would use, the dimensions and so on, but when God specified what He wanted, that eliminated everything else.
2. God also didn't have to go down a list and say, Noah; I don't want you to use this kind of wood or that kind of wood. When He specified gopher wood that eliminated everything else.

a. A lot of people don't understand this principle when it comes to studying the Bible. When God specifies in His word what He wants, that eliminates everything else.
b. Some people take the approach: if God hasn't specifically condemned something, then we're free to do it. That's not the case, is it?
c. The Bible teaches us whatever we “…do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus…” [para], Colossians 3:17. That means we're to do those things that the Lord has authorized us to do in His Word. When He authorizes a particular matter… that eliminates everything else.

3. I think I've used this illustration many times, but it makes the point. Years and years and years ago, before Johnny was old enough to drive, he went everywhere on his bicycle. In the neighborhood where Johnny lived there was a mom-and-pop store that sold groceries. Sometimes Johnny’s mother would need a few things that were available at that store. She would say, “Johnny, I want you to get on your bicycle and go to the store and buy”… whatever it was a gallon of milk, a loaf of bread, or a dozen eggs, whatever.

a. When his mother specified, get on his bicycle that meant, don't walk. He was certainly not old enough to take the car and he didn’t have a driver's license. She didn't have to go through all that. When she said, get on your bicycle that specified what she wanted Johnny to do.
b. Johnny did have a choice to make though. Would he do what she wanted him to do or not? Johnny was pretty sharp, and he learned early on, years before, that when Mama said something, you do what she says, or there were consequences.
c. When she told him exactly what to go buy, she didn't have to go down a list and say, now Johnny, don't buy a Snickers candy bar. He may have loved them, but she did not have to tell him not to buy one. She didn't have to say, now, Johnny, don't buy one of those Pepsi flavored ices that you love. She didn't have to go down the list and tell him what not to get. When she told him what to get, that eliminated everything else.
d. Besides that, she gave him the exact amount of money to buy what she wanted, so there was no extra anyway. Mothers are smart like that, and she removed the temptation for him to try to go beyond what she said.

4. When God specified to Noah how to build the ark, He did not have to go down the list and tell Noah what not to do, because when He told Noah what to do, that eliminated everything else. Noah understood that. You would think that people living today ought to be able to understand the same thing.

C. God gave specific instructions for building the ark and placing the animals inside. We notice in Genesis 6 that Noah did exactly what God told him to do. Genesis 6:22 says, “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.” Next look at chapter 7 in verse 5. “And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him.” The verses are very explicit, aren't they? Noah did exactly what God told him to do.
D. At this point I would like us to tie in a statement in James 2:18 concerning faith. James says, “But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” Let's apply that to Noah. By obeying God's instructions, Noah was showing, demonstrating his faith.
E. Do you recall the miracle of Jesus when He healed the paralyzed man? Jesus was teaching in a home, and it was packed with people. Some men had a friend who couldn't walk, and they wanted to bring him to the Lord so that the Lord would heal him. But when they got to the place where Jesus was, they could not go inside because there were so many people. I love how industrious these men were. They went up on the roof of the house, took back some of the roofing and let the man down. Look at what Jesus says. First Matthew’s account in Matthew 9:2 – “… And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”” Next Mark 2:5 – “When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”” Finally Luke 5:20 – “So when He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.””

1. Is faith something that you can put in a container and see? No, but it is active. When Jesus saw the actions of these men who brought their friend to be healed, He observed their faith.
2. I think we can say that about Noah. Noah did what God told him to do. Consequently, he demonstrated his faith. That brings us to the fourth statement made about Noah and his faith.

IV. In Hebrews 11:7 again – “…by which he condemned the world…” We need to be sure that we understand what that means.

A. Did Noah condemn the world in the sense that he destroyed it? No. That was beyond his power. God is the one who destroyed the earth in the flood.

1. Yet, Noah did condemn the world. How did he do that? Noah condemned the world by refusing to be like the world. We are told how wicked men had become. Noah did not go along with everyone else.
2. There's an interesting statement found in 2 Peter 2:4-5 – “… God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;” Noah was a preacher of righteousness. The implication is clear that Noah attempted to persuade his contemporaries to renounce their evil ways and turn to God. There were eight souls saved in the ark—Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives.
3. Noah didn't build that ark in a day or two. It took him a long time. I'm assuming, from what the Bible says, that while he was building the ark, he was trying to get people to repent, but no one other then his family listened.

B. Noah refused to be condemned with the rest of the world. He knew that he had to obey God, even if no one else in the whole world did. We would do well to keep that in mind today. We must be faithful to God and His Word, even if no one else is. There is always pressure on people to compromise with the world, and when we do that, we transgress the will of God. Noah understood that he had to obey God, even if no one else on the face of the earth did. Yes, Noah refused to be condemned with the rest of the world, and in that sense, he did condemn the world. That brings us to the fifth statement that we want to point out concerning Noah and his faith.

V. From Hebrews 11:7 – “… became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” Noah received the reward that God had reserved for him.

A. This means that even godly Noah was not saved by his own works or merit. His faithful obedience pleased God who made him an heir of the righteousness yet to be revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ who, in the fullness of time, would appear and fulfill all righteousness. Noah was the very first man in the Bible to be designated "righteous"; and even then, it was not righteousness from within but from above.
B. Westcott put it this way. “The righteousness was something which came to him as having its source without, and yet according to a certain law. It was his by an unquestionable right: it corresponded with the position of a son; and this position Noah showed by his conduct to be his.”

 

CONCLUSION:
Let's make a few points of application. We certainly need to correctly understand what the Bible has to say concerning Noah's faith. Then we need to make proper application. There are so many things we could talk about concerning Noah and the ark. However, I suggest that we apply what we've just talked about in reference to Noah's faith.

God warned Noah about things that have never been seen. God has done the same thing for us. Let's look at a few scriptures. 2 Peter 3:10-12 - “10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12. looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?”

Peter is very explicit in showing us that when Jesus comes back, everything will be burned up. It can't be made any clearer than what Peter made it. Have you ever seen any destruction like that? We're familiar with forest fires and the damage they can cause. I think about what happened on 9-11 and there's an image that's burned into my mind. I can't get rid of it. I see the smoke rising over New York City and it seemed to just burn for days and days.

Think about everything, the earth, the elements, everything in the universe being burned up. Have we ever seen anything like that? We haven't. Do we believe that that's going to happen? I do. Why? Because God said so.

Just as God warned Noah about coming destruction, things that had never been seen, He's also warned us of things that have never been seen. I've never seen that type of destruction, but I believe it's going to occur because God has said so.

Let's consider another warning. Those who do not obey the Gospel will be punished. I’m in Second Thessalonians 1 starting in verse 7. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 – “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.” I've never seen everlasting destruction, have you? The Bible says it's going to occur. How do we know that these things are going to occur? By the same way Noah knew that the earth would be destroyed by a flood, faith.

We have read what the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” That is what Rahab did, remember? That's also what Noah did. He set a wonderful example before us. Noah was warned about things that had never been seen, and he acted on God's warnings.

The Bible gives us some warnings about things that have never been seen and we ought to follow Noah's example and be prepared. Just as fear moved Noah to obey God, fear ought to motivate us to do what God wants us to do.

What does God want us to do to be prepared for that coming destruction? Let’s let Peter tell us about this in 1 Peter 3:20-21 “20. who formerly were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21. There is also an antitype which now saves us, namely baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,”

When the Lord gave the great commission, He told His apostles to preach the gospel to every creature. He then said, he who believes and is baptize shall be saved. That's what Peter's writing about here, and he's using an illustration from what happened to Noah and his family. There were eight souls prepared for that coming flood. They were in the ark, and they were spared.

To be prepared, we need to follow the Lord's instructions. Noah refused to be like the rest of the world. We emphasized this earlier, and in that sense, he condemned the world. The Bible teaches us that we must not be conformed to the world.

Let's look at Romans 12:1-2 This is the Apostle Paul writing to the church in Rome. “1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Noah refused to be like the rest of the world. The Bible teaches us that we also are not to be conformed to the world, but we are to be transformed. Then if we remain faithful unto God, we will receive a very special reward. That's the way that Hebrews 11:7 concludes. “Noah received what he was promised as a reward.” Revelation 2:10 says, “… Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Now let's look at Hebrews 12:1. Throughout Hebrews 11 we read about the faith that was demonstrated by the great men and women of the Old Testament. Noah was just one of them. When we think about Noah's example and the example set by these other great Bible people, we ought to be encouraged to do what this next verse tells us. You see all the information in chapter eleven is leading up to this concluding statement in verse one of chapter twelve which starts with the word “therefore”.

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” Noah’s faith ought to encourage us to do what this verse teaches us to do, run with patience the race that is set before us.

These witnesses we have read about interpret to us the meaning of our struggle, and they bear testimony to the certainty of our success if we are faithful to the end of the race.
The weight we carry in our race is anything that slows us down. It is any hindrance which can get in the way, or impede the Christian’s progress. Just as the runner in a race travels as lightly as possible, the Christian must avoid being weighted down with all kinds of worldly duties and commitments. Many of them no doubt worthy – yet one fact is certain, no one can do all that the world wants and be a good Christian too. Far too many children of the King allow their time, talent, and money to be consumed by secondary things. Those things are called "weights," when we understand the effect they have on our dedication to Christ and His cause on earth. This is also true of congregations who let worldly activities take up their resources.

The sin that ensnares us, to halt our running of the race, refers to conduct inherently unrighteous, which is always a mortal enemy of faith.
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We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of our sins… If we follow these steps, the Lord adds us to His church.

Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If you have never done these things, we urge you to do so today. If anyone has this need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.

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Taken from a sermon by: Raymond Sieg