The Days of Noah

 Dr. Tom Berry

Hurricane Isabel stormed ashore at Moorehead City, NC, with sustained winds of 110 miles per hour.  It turned northward through Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.  The force of the wind weakened somewhat, but Isabel left a trail of destruction.  Jeanette and I live in Maryland on the Elk River at the head of the Chesapeake Bay.  Isabel began making her presence known on Thursday evening, September 18th, with strong winds and rain.  Electric power was knocked out for tens of thousands in our area.  Some areas later gave the appearance of a major battle ground.

At 2:30 am our daughter, Dianne checked the tide level and noted that it was about fifty yards from the shore line.  At 6 am, I got up and again checked it and it appeared to be at normal low at the base of our sea wall.  We were concerned that our basement would be flooded, but it was dry.

The tide had risen over eight feet and we became aware that we were experiencing a tidal surge.  About 8:30 Jeanette again checked the basement and to our dismay, water was beginning to rise.  Without electricity to run the sump pump, we had to dig out our old generator and get it going.  After the struggle to get the generator running and the sump pump activated, the water was rising at an alarming level.  The road to our house was now under water, and we were surrounded by water like an island.  Boats, jet-skis, and kayaks were freely moving up and down the road.  It was both awesome and amusing.

A friend brought two more sump pumps, and our son Richard, brought an additional generator (all of which we had to tow over in a boat).  We not only fought the flooding water all day, but things were only about two notches short of bedlam as we tried to get our possessions out of the rising flood water.  About 2/3 of our basement area is finished and contains a recreation room, my library with hundreds and hundreds of books, and of course my study.  The lower shelves of every book cases and the file cabinets were under water, including my computer CPU. 

By the end of the day, we were totally exhausted.  Friends and family came the following days to help us and we trust we have the worst behind us.  The first night Jeanette remarked, "I have been thinking of Noah all day!".Is it any wonder that the title of my sermon for the week is "The Days of Noah"

GENESIS 6:1; 7:1; MATTHEW 24:37.

"And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.  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.  There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.  And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.  These are the generations of Noah:  Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.  And Noah began three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.  And God looked upon the earth, and, behold it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.  And 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.  Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

Matthew 24:37, Jesus said, "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be."

SINCERE CHRISTIANS BELIEVE THE BIBLE RECORD OF NOAH

The Bible is the Word of God, 2nd Timothy 3:16; 2nd Peter 1:21

1.  Jesus said it was true
2.  The Bible said it was true.
There is much evidence of the worldwide flood in geology and the traditions of ethnic groups in all parts of the world.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE DAYS OF NOAH

I.  We should be aware that God observes the thoughts and actions of men.
   
 "And God saw..."  Genesis 6:5  These were highly civilized people committing violence and atrocities.  GOD SEES AND KNOWS!  Hebrews 4:`13 "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do."
A cause for concern for those who think and live displeasing to God.  A cause for job to those whose hearts are right with God.  2nd Chronicles 16:9 "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him."

II.  We should be aware that God judges sin
God was "grieved" over the people's sin.  Genesis 6:6.  Yet, we need to be aware that God's judgments are based on spiritual and moral reasons.  In Noah's day God's reasons were:
     1.  Intermarriage and polygamy between "the sons of God" and the "daughters of men".
     2.  The resulting corruption and violence
     3,  The rejection of the preaching of Enoch and Noah.  Jude 14, 15 "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."  1st Peter 3:19, 20, "By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."
     4.  God's purpose to preserve a godly seed to bring the Savior into the world.  One of the major purposes of Scripture is to give us the direct lineage from Shem to Jesus Christ.

III.  We should be aware that God loves sinners and has made provision for their salvation.
    
The ark of safety was a divine provision.
     There was only one entrance, but it was open to all.
     All who entered were safe from judgment.
     This was a picture of Jesus, our Ark of Salvation

IV.  We should be aware that we are saved or lost on the basis of whether we accept God's invitation to "Come".
As a preacher, Noah both warned and invited.
Jesus still invites sinners "to come":
     Matthew 11:28  "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
    
John 6:37b, "...Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
    
Revelation 22:17.  "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.  And let him that heareth say, Come.  And let him that is athirst come.  And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."

V.  We should be aware that we are preserved through judgment by God's salvation and not our efforts.
Those in the ark were very aware God's judgment was falling.  They were not safe because of what they were but where they were.  We are safe when we are "...in Christ Jesus".
     Romans 8:1. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
    
2nd Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:  old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."


      

    

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