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Will you take your Bibles and turn to Hebrews chapter 11 as we continue our verse-by-verse study through this amazing epistle. This morning, we will be examining the topic of Noah and his obedient faith. And here we see the writer of Hebrews using Noah as an illustration of this faith. While you're turning there, may I remind you of something you probably already know, but at times you may take for granted. It is really hard to walk by faith rather than by sight, especially when times are tough; pretty easy to do when things are going well, but when times are difficult, it's a different story. It's hard to trust God when we get really bad news, or when something very discouraging happens in our life. And certainly, this was what was going on with the early Hebrews. These new believers were experiencing persecution. They were experiencing ridicule and scorn and rejection. And so the Spirit of God now brings comfort to them, and it was easy for them in the midst of all of that, to trust in themselves rather than God, and to say to themselves, "You know what, I feel a little bit more comfortable agreeing with all my family and friends. I think we'll go back to Judaism and let's just continue to do all of the rituals and sacrificing of animals and so forth. Let's don't trust what God has said in his word and through this Jesus of Nazareth and what these Christians are saying, let's go back and trust in ourselves and in our tradition, etc." That was the problem. And you may recall that from Hebrews chapter one all the way through chapter 10, the inspired writer gives a very compelling, extended theological argument, explaining how they need to trust in what God has said in his word. Trust in the New Covenant that was given to them all the way back in the Old Testament; the New Covenant that would replace the Old. And then in chapter 10, he warned them at the very end not to succumb to the temptation to shrink back, but rather to press on because of your faith in what God has said. You will recall in verse 38 of chapter 10, he says, "But my righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul."

And then in chapter 11, the writer moves from exposition to application, and he does this by giving a description of how faith operates in the redeemed, followed by a number of examples of individuals who lived with faith in God, that was pleasing to God. And that's why he begins in verse one of chapter 11, and says, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval." And he gives the example of Abel, who is an illustration of worshiping faith. And then he moves to the example of Enoch, who was an example of walking by faith. And now he uses the example of Noah, who is an illustration of a man that is working by faith - obedient faith - that acts upon what God has to say.

So let's notice the text here this morning. Hebrews 11, verse seven,

"By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith."

Now to help us understand what the Spirit of God is saying here, we also want to look at other passages, and we want to examine really three things, and I hope this will be helpful to you. We're going to try to understand Noah's character, his calling and his conformity. But first, it is important for us to understand some of the historical and theological context that God has given us in his Word regarding Noah. So let me take you back. You've heard some of this before. You need to hear it again, so you keep the big picture as we examine the biblical record.

We learned that Adam lived 930 years and was still alive in the seventh generation, when Enoch lived. And then Enoch would have been a man that had a firsthand account of creation, of what happened between Adam and Eve and the Lord in the garden - the separation that took place when they sinned - the innocent substitute that God provided and killed to cover their sin. And Enoch would have passed all of these things on to his son, Methuselah. And Methuselah would have passed all of these things on to his son who was Lamech, and Lamech would have passed it on to his son, who is Noah. In fact, Methuselah overlapped Adam for 200 years and Noah for 600 years. So one man bridges the entire time between Adam and Noah. So through direct revelation and through the testimony of others, God was not silent during those early years of the patriarchs and Noah obviously knew God. He understood God, as we will see. However, he just had a minuscule portion of the divine light that we have today, because we can look back historically and see what God has done, and we have the full canon of Scripture.

So to understand some of the background, let me take you to Genesis, chapter five, beginning in verse 28 we read,

"Lamech lived 182 years, and became the father of a son.

"Now he called his name Noah, saying, 'This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the LORD has cursed.'

"Then, Lamech lived 595 years after he became the father of Noah, and he had other sons and daughters.

"So all the days of Lamech were 777 years and he died.

"Noah was 500 years old, and Noah became the father of Shem Ham and Japheth."

"Now it came about when men began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them,

"that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.

"Then the LORD said, 'My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be 120 years.'

"The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown."

The idea of meaning they were infamous, they were powerful warriors. It's fascinating - as we think of the Nephilim - it comes from a Hebrew verb, which means "to fall," and it transliterates the Hebrew term meaning "the fallen ones." We get this from other passages that this is probably referring to those who were great and powerful, and they fell upon other people to crush them, to overpower them. They were people. They weren't some special race or anything like that, perhaps very large people. You will recall that that Israel's frightened and very cowardly spies - when they went into Canaan - they looked, and you read about this in Numbers 13, and they marveled at the exceptional height of the warriors of Canaan, and they called them "the Nephilim" to describe them. So these were some kind of wicked, imposing, terrifying, perhaps very large, warriors.

But also, as we look at this text, in Genesis six, we read that during this time there existed, quote, "the sons of God." And the text says that they came down, they cohabited with females, "the daughters of men" in verse two of chapter six. Now it's interesting that the Old Testament uses the phrase "the sons of God" to describe angelic beings, and when comparing this account with other passages, I'm compelled to believe that these were demons that entered into men possessing them. This was also the view of the early church and the rabbis. Now we don't know exactly what all was going on. I will give you what I believe is a tenable hypothesis based on my understanding of Scripture. Perhaps they were trying to produce a mongrel progeny that would not be totally human, and thus destroy the human line, the seed of the woman from which Christ was promised to come, according to Genesis 3:15. Perhaps they were trying to create some kind of mongrel race, both demon and human, in an attempt to to corrupt the human strain and perhaps even prevent the possibility of the incarnation of Christ; and thus thwart the possibility of man coming to die for men. This would have been a plot so diabolical as to prevent the atonement and prevent our salvation; rob God of his glory. We can't say for sure, but we do know, as we look at Scripture, that the children of these unions were fully human, though profoundly influenced by demons. Verse three of Genesis six says that they're described as people of flesh, and we know that 120 years later, they were all drowned in the flood. But this cohabitation was a wickedness that was so heinous that God permanently bound these demons, according to Second Peter 2:4, in "chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment," because, according to Jude six, they did not keep their "proper domain." In fact, the exploits of these vile demons are compared to the sexual perversions of Sodom and Gomorrah, as we read in Jude six and seven, "Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, and they were therefore exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire."

It's also interesting in Peter's statement concerning our Lord in First Peter three and verse 18, we read that he was "put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who were once disobedient." In other words, while Christ was in the tomb, while his body lay in the tomb, his Spirit went to these demons who were once disobedient. I believe it's referring to those that were disobedient in the days of Noah, when Satan and his minions conspired to corrupt the human race. We read here that Jesus "made proclamation," literally, he made an announcement to these spirits now in prison - literally, the pit of the Abyss, the "abyssos"; the bottomless pit that's described in Revelation. Seven times it's described as a prison for the most vile and the most loathsome of all of the demons. Jesus announced to them his victory over sin and Satan and death. Further insight, in Second Peter 2:4, we read that "God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment."

So here's my point with all of this background: during the days of Noah, there's every indication that demons possessed men in a very unique way, and they married wicked women and raised wicked children. Imagine a world filled with unimaginably depraved, demon dominated people. Frankly, it's not too hard for us to imagine today, right? All you have to do is look at ISIS. I mean, these people are pure evil. They're demonic, dominated by demons. So this was a a god hating, violent, antediluvian world in which Noah lived.

Now back to Genesis six, verse five,

"Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

"The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

"The LORD said, 'I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to the birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.'

"But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

"These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.

"Noah became the father of three sons, Shem Ham and Japheth.

"Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence.

"God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.

"Then God said to Noah, 'The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.

"Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch."

Obviously, the ark was God's provision of mercy for those whom he would deliver from his judgment in that day, and it was a a symbol of God's salvation for all men through Christ. And I find it fascinating that the Hebrew word for "pitch" that was used with the ark has the same root as the word that is used for "atonement.' Could it be that God was making a statement? We can't be dogmatic, but perhaps he was. As John MacArthur puts it, quote, "The pitch kept the waters of judgment from entering the ark, just as Christ's atoning blood keeps judgment from the sinner." 

God went on to describe how the ark was to be built in verse 15,

"'This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark, 300 cubits, its breath 50 cubits and its height 30 cubits.

"'You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.'"

So he's describing here a colossal ocean-going vessel, roughly 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. That's one and a half football fields. That's the way I like to see things, one and a half football fields and four stories high. In fact, naval engineers have studied the architecture of the ark, and they say that it is a vessel that is virtually impossible to capsize. The three decks totaled an area of 96,000 square feet containing 1.3 million cubic feet of total volume within them, so that would have been more than enough room to house all of the phenotypes or the species of animals that existed in that day. And I might add, it is very likely that there were not as many species then as there are today. However, each animal would have contained the great genetic diversity that would have eventually produced different kinds of animals from that particular species. All you have to do it look is look at dogs, and you begin to see that diversity, but we don't exactly know what these representative kinds would have looked like.

Back to the text of verse 17,

"'Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish.

"'But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark -- you and your sons and your wife, and your sons' wives with you.

"'And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.

"'Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.

"'As for you, take for yourself some of all food which is edible, and gather it to yourself, and it shall be for food, for you and for them.'"

And I love this phrase:

"'Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.'"

Dear friends, as we look at the biblical record, we see that 1656 years after God created Adam, he destroyed the entire world. And a conservative estimate of the number of people that lived on the face of the earth during that time is about 7 billion people. We have an estimated, an estimated number of about 7.6 billion today, so about the same size as what we have today. He destroyed all of them, except eight people who found favor in the eyes of the Lord -- Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives.

Now with this brief historical and theological background, let's look more closely at Noah. First of all, let's look at his character. First, despite all of the wickedness upon the earth, according to Genesis 6:8 we read that "Noah found favor," literally grace, "in the eyes of the LORD." Now it's interesting that favor is a sound play on the name Noah, which, in Hebrew, is the inversion of the letters used to spell "favor." We see these types of things, often in the Word of God, and Noah, it says, found favor because of his righteous conduct.

Notice verse nine, "Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God." It's interesting, in Scripture, there were only two men that we see having this designation, Enoch and Noah. They were the ones that walked with God. It's not to say that others didn't, but it's interesting that they receive this divine appellation in Scripture. So Noah's life mirrored the stellar example of Enoch, who was described as a man who walked with God. It's interesting to note that the similarity between the two men is also reinforced by the similarity in sound, in Hebrew, between the words Enoch and Noah, where the letters that spelled their names are actually inverted, causing the names to sound very much alike. Moreover, the fact that both of these ancient patriarchs walked with God also reflects the experience of Adam with whom God walked in the garden, you will recall in Genesis 3:8. You might want to pause for a moment and ask yourself, "Is this how God would describe me, as a righteous man, blameless, who walked with God even in the days of unrestrained evil?" As we look in the Old Testament, we see that both Ezekiel and Isaiah speak of Noah's piety and his righteous courage to obey God. And in First Peter 3, verse 20, the apostle describes him as a "preacher of righteousness." In fact, in the ancient extra biblical Hebrew literature, we see Noah being celebrated as a paragon of righteousness.

If I could pause for a moment, someone recently asked me, “Pastor, how can I know if I'm walking with God?” And the answer is basically this, you will enjoy sweet fellowship with him, and others will see that. You will know it in your heart. You will love him supremely. You will love others as much as you love yourself. Godly people will want to be around you. They will want to be like you. They will want their children to be like you. You will be known as a man or a woman who possesses selfless love, not selfish pride, not demanding your preferences. You will love to spend time alone with the Lord your God, in prayer and meditating upon the Word. You will have an insatiable appetite for the Word. You will obey the word. You will have a zeal for the glory of God. You will have a love for His church. You will have a burden for the lost and so on. You will recall that when the prophet Micah confronted the self-righteous hypocrisy and spiritual blindness of Israel, when they were offering everything to God except what he wanted, he said to them in Micah 6:8, "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and kindness and to walk humbly with your God?" So dear friends, to walk with God is to be devoted to him with all of your heart in such a way that your life manifests the righteousness of God, which is pleasing to God; and because he is a rewarder of those who seek him, he will let you find him. He will reveal himself to you, and he will not only reward you with salvation and eternal life, but he will reward you with the sole exhilarating joy of his presence that will dominate your very being. As you walk with him, you will experience his love, his forgiveness, his power, his presence, his protection; you will find in him to be the greatest satisfaction of your life. This is what it is to walk with God. And Noah walked with God.

Now I might also add, although he was a righteous, blameless man who walked with God, he was still a sinner, like all the rest of us. But this was the pattern of his life, the pattern of his character. I might also add that it was not Noah's piety and his good works that saved him. That will never save anyone. No, he was an heir of righteousness because he believed in what God said about salvation. Verse seven, "Noah became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith." That is God's grace applied because of faith. You see, it was God's grace, not Noah's faith, that saved him. You must make that distinction. The act of faith never saved any man, even when that faith is placed upon the correct object. Rather, it is the object of faith that saves. It is God, the Father, who has sent his Son and ministered the gospel through the Spirit. A man is saved when God responds to the act of faith and justifies him by his grace. And as a result of that justification, you see a man or a woman walking with God in intimate fellowship, which is always the evidence of genuine saving faith. Every man's righteousness is imputed to him through faith in Jesus Christ. Romans 3:22 makes that very, very clear; and like all Old Testament saints, Noah was saved on credit, on the basis of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was to come.

And this is proven by not only the fact of God's testimony of him, but by Noah's first act when he exited the ark. You will recall in Genesis, chapter eight, beginning in verse 20, we read, "Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar." Now, obviously God told him to do this through perhaps direct revelation or through the testimony of others. He understood that this was the kind of worship that is pleasing to God. So Noah worshiped God in response to his covenant faithfulness in sparing him and his family. The text went on to say,

"The LORD smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, 'I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done'... And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.'"

So that's a bit about Noah's character. What about his calling again, notice the text in verse seven of chapter 11, "By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world." Now, folks, it is hard for us to imagine the kind of faith that would have responded to God, given all that God told him, given the judgment that he was describing, the need to build the ark. Let me paraphrase, probably what went on between God and Noah, after hearing all of this, probably said something like this, "So, God, let me get this straight. You're going to destroy everyone on the earth with a worldwide flood, but you're going to spare me, my wife, my three sons and their wives, and I'm to make this colossal ark out of gopher wood according to your specifications. I am to warn people of coming judgment for 120 years, and obviously they're not going to listen. And once the ark is built, you are going to bring to me every living thing of all flesh animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind. And then I am to load them, along with food for them and for my family onto this ark. And when we enter the ark, we are to wait seven days. And then when I am 600 years old, you are going to send rain upon the earth for 40 days and 40 nights. And the fountains of the deep are going to break forth as well, and the waters will rise 15 cubits higher than the highest mountains. And you are going to blot out from the face of the land every living thing that you have made, except for me and my family, and eventually the waters are going to steadily decrease, and we will come to a place of rest, and at that point, you will show us what we are to do? So God, is that right? Is that what you're saying, is that what you're going to do, and is that what you want me to do?" And his answer would have been, "Yes, you got it." And Noah's response was, "All right, great, I'll begin immediately." I'm not sure that would have been my response. Probably my response would have been like yours, it would have been, "Wait a minute, God, you can't be serious."

And here, friends, we move to an understanding number three of Noah's conformity, which is unquestioned faith and obedience, rather than doubt, dismissal and disobedience. I probably would have said, "But Lord, I know nothing about building an ark. In fact, I have never heard of such a thing. Moreover, no one has ever heard of such a thing. I don't even know if it will float. Where am I supposed to get all of that wood and the laborers? Moreover, Lord, people are going to think I am an idiot building this thing. Surely I am not the man for the job." Sounds like Moses, right? Remember Moses? "And Lord to bring judgment on all of these people, everything that you have created. Surely there's a better way. Perhaps we can somehow soften the message and become a little more culturally relevant and seeker sensitive, less offensive. I'm sure many people would begin to see things your way. You know, maybe we can get people together and we can have some focus groups, and we can do some surveys, and we can begin to have a conversation with those that differ with you, that have a different perspective. Maybe we need to dialog with people. Maybe we need to find some common ground."

Or, cross that off, maybe you would say, as others do today, "Oh, God, I get it. I get it. You're speaking figuratively. This is all an allegory. I mean, this is apocalyptic language. You don't want us to take what you're saying literally. I mean, you don't really mean all that you say what. What you're telling us is that we need to encourage people to love God and to love each other more, and to protect the animals and to be a better steward of the environment. Otherwise, we're going to end up drowning ourselves with prejudice and bigotry and social injustice and animal cruelty and environmental catastrophes. I mean, after all, a loving God would never do those kinds of things. I get it, Lord, now I understand. "

Folks, Noah didn't say any of that, nor should we. Noah heard God. He believed God, and he obeyed God without question, without hesitation, without any concern with what others might think about him. And you say, how could he possibly do that? He had faith. This is what faith is all about. He understood the first three verses of Hebrews 11, that "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." He understood that men gain approval from God through faith. He understood that by faith, the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. You see folks, if you can believe God can just speak all things into existence, that he can create everything out of absolutely nothing, it's easy to believe that he could come along and judge the world with a flood and rescue a few people. Dear friends, this is what genuine, saving faith looks like. It hears God, it believes God, it obeys God, without question, without hesitation and without any concern with what others might say.

I'm sure you have been laughed at, as I have been, and continue to be, especially on the internet, because, like me, you believe that God did exactly what he said in the flood, not just because of the geologic record that proves a worldwide flood. I mean, after all, we've got sea creature fossils on the tops of mountains. Did you read where they're finding whale fossils in the middle of the Sahara Desert? But folks, I don't believe it because of those things. I believe that there was a worldwide flood and judgment, because God said it in his Word. So when God says that his wrath abides upon all of the ungodly who have not placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their only hope of salvation, and unless they do, they will perish in their sins, I believe him. When he says he will give eternal life to those who place their faith in Christ, I believe him. When he says that he is going to come again one day and snatch away his bridal church and turn his attention once again to his covenantal promises to Israel, I believe him. When he says he is going to pour out his judgment upon the earth for seven years prior to his second coming in his pre-kingdom judgments, and at the hour of Israel's greatest peril, he is going to return in power and great glory as King of kings and Lord of lords, and renovate the earth and reign upon the earth for 1000 years, I'm just dumb enough to believe him. When he says that Jesus will sit upon the ancient throne of David and reign over the earth, providing permanent peace and prosperity and protection for Israel in the land, as he promised in the Abrahamic and Davidic Covenant and the glorified saints are going to reign with him, I believe him. And when he says that he will uncreate the earth someday and recreate a new heaven and a new earth, I believe him.

People will say, "Dave, you can't be serious." I remember a guy telling me one time, this is a bit of a paraphrase, but "You know, my friend, you seem to be a reasonably intelligent person." I guess that was a compliment. "You seem to be a reasonably intelligent person, and I know you're not insane. But are you serious that you believe these things?" And folks, my answer is, I am dead serious, and here's why: because, by God's grace, he has revealed these truths to me, to my heart; I have heard them, I believe them, and I will obey them without question, without hesitation and without any concern for what somebody else might have to say. And Noah is such a great example of this. Think about this, he had the faith of a little child to believe that God was going to do the most earth-shaking event in human history since creation.

Again, verse seven, "By faith, being warned by God about things not yet seen," referring to all the things that God promised about the flood and so forth, it says, "in reverence." In other words, with utmost devotion, because he was filled with godly fear. "In reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world." I love that phrase. You know what that means? Noah had the largest wooden pulpit in the world, in the history of the world. You think about that. That pulpit was the skeleton of this massive ark that took years and no telling how many people to build. Can you imagine the scoffing that he endured?

You know, the ungodly, by nature, despise believers. They hate God because our lives, and certainly our message, expose their guilt before a holy God. But then when these people that they hate come along and tell them that God is going to judge them because of their sin, I mean, folks, at that point, it crosses a line, and people are absolutely apoplectic with rage against us. I was reading this last week the failed socialist presidential candidate Bernie Sanders - who was also the leader of the anti-Christian progressives in the US Senate - this guy viciously attacked a man named Russ Vaught who was nominated by President Trump to serve as Deputy Budget Director. And you know why he excoriated this guy and doesn't want anything to do with him? It's because of Vaught's stated belief that Muslims stand condemned before God because they reject Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Folks, by the way, this kind of discrimination is on the rise. Unbelievers hate Christ because they love their sin, because they are blinded by Satan. We would be just like them, if it were not for God's grace. But nothing is more infuriating to unbelievers than telling them that the judgment of God awaits them unless they repent and believe in what God said about salvation through faith in his son. You don't believe this; you just try telling a homosexual or a transgendered person about these things and watch what happens. And Noah did this for 120 years.

I find it interesting, by the way, that the text tells us that the rain didn't come for seven days after they shut the door of the ark. You know, I bet the ungodly were selling tickets, you know, for people to come and watch this thing, there had to be a crowd come and look at this fool who has built this monstrosity and filled it with all of the animals and all of these provisions; this fool that's been telling us for 120 years that God is going to judge us. Come see the lunatic fringe. So they laughed and they scoffed, and they mocked, until the rain came, until the earth began to quake and the fountains of the deep began to break forth. All of a sudden, it's not so funny. Folks, this is the same attitude that will prevail just before Christ returns. Jesus made that clear in Matthew 24 and verse 37 Jesus says, "'For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.'" In other words, the people will be characterized by granite indifference toward the gospel, toward the warning of God's judgment. They will be hostile towards faithful preaching of impending judgment and the need for repentance. Jesus went on to say in verse 38, "'For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of man be.'" In other words, people are going to be going about life as usual. That's what it means when it says they were "eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage." In other words, they're absolutely apathetic towards the holiness of God. They laugh at the merciful warnings that God has been giving for years through his faithful servants, through his people. Oh, child of God, never take for granted the judgment that is coming upon the lost. It's happened before and it will happen again. Never take for granted the mercy and the grace that God has extended to you. The ark is such a magnificent picture of salvation offered in Christ Jesus. Dear friends, we must learn to hear God, to believe in God and to obey God, without question, without hesitation, without any concern with what others might say.

Now, to make this very practical, what has God asked you to do? He hasn't asked me to build an ark. He's asked me to pastor this church, to love my wife, to love my children, to love you, to love him. As we look at Scripture, we know that the will of God includes the basic things we are to be. He commands us to be saved, to be sanctified, to be submissive, to be willing to suffer, to serve, to share the gospel. But folks, I want you to hear something. Please know this, whatever God has asked you to do, or whatever God has asked you to endure, he will empower you to do it, and he will strengthen you to get through it, just like he did Noah. You know why? Because that's God's plan, and God's plan cannot be thwarted; and we must learn to trust in God's plan and not our own. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people who, for example, are struggling with life threatening illnesses. I've heard them say something like this, "Pastor, I have absolute faith that God knows what's best for my life right now, and I know that he will never leave me nor forsake me. I know that this is his plan for my life. I know that the worst that can happen is for me to pass through the veil of this life. And I know that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. And so, in all of this, I rejoice." Folks, faith is the great antidote to fear. You must learn to stand firm on the promises of God, knowing that he will do all that he says.

I want to close with the passage from Second Peter. I pray that this will be an encouragement to you. Peter knew this all so well. Here's what he said in Second Peter three, beginning in verse three,

"Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying,

"'Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.'

"For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and by water,

"through which the world, at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.

"But by His word, the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

"But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like 1000 years and 1000 years like one day.

"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance.

"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

"Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,

"looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning and the elements will melt with intense heat!

"But according to His promise, we are looking for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

"Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,

"and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you,

"as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

"You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard, so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness,

"but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus, Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."

Let's pray together.

Father, we give you thanks for your word that speaks to our hearts so directly, but we also give you thanks for your Spirit that has given us the ability to not so much understand it intellectually, but to embrace it spiritually, and therefore to see the realities of what you have to say in your revelation of yourself, and to know what you would have us do to be pleasing to you as men and women who live by faith, even as Noah did. Take these great truths, impress them upon our hearts, may they change us, so that others will see Christ in us. And finally, Lord, I plead with you to save our children, to save our grandchildren, our friends, our family members. Lord, be merciful to them. Open their eyes and their ears, soften their hearts to the power of the gospel. We commit these things to you and we give you praise. Jesus, name, Amen.