By Faith Noah

Hebrews 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”

A Faith that Endures

Those who shrink back, walk away from their faith: had their faith actually made a difference in their lives? Had their faith produced something in them?

Fragmented lives - faith, work, entertainment, relationships, they don’t connect with one another.

Like a broken toy - or a tool that doesn’t work - sitting and collecting dust. Is this our faith?

What we’ve seen so far:

Abel Worshiped in Faith

Enoch Walked in Faith

Noah Worked in Faith.

Faith, which believes God in a world of unbelief, produces salvation and righteousness demonstrated through a working obedience to God’s word.

Noah Believed God’s Word

The condition of humanity at the time of Noah: always evil, all the time. There was no fear of God, no reverence for God; they did not look to God or live for His glory, but only sought to do what was right in their own eyes.

By Faith Noah was warned of that which he had not yet seen.

God’s coming judgment in rain and flood.

Up to this point, no one had ever seen the kind of devastating rain God said was coming. A world-wide flood was completely unimaginable.

Noah believed two things that no one had ever seen: God would send a flood to wipe out all of creation, and God would save in an ark.

Noah responded with “reverent fear.”

The God who promised to crush the serpent’s head, is now revealing his plan to deal with sin by cleansing the world.

This reverent fear = faith. An acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty, his power, and his coming judgment, and a humble obedience to God’s command.

He feared the coming judgment, and he revered God, and would honor God in his life.

Faith is always a response to the Word of God

Abel: God showed him how to worship, so he trusted in God’s revelation, and worshiped in faith.

Enoch: He looked to the coming judgment of God, calling those of his generation to repent, and by faith walked with God.

Noah: trusting in the promise of God, enduring 100 years of ridicule from everyone around him, he labored to build the ark in faith.

Noah Built the Ark

Noah worked. Because of His faith, believing in the promise of God, and in the direct command to build, he set to building the ark.

Faith Is Demonstrated in Works.

The argument set forth in scripture that often sets Faith and Works against one another is in regard to the question, How can a sinner be justified before God? Is it by works, or by faith?

The answer is clearly demonstrated, we are saved by grace through faith.

That is shown here in Gen 6, “Noah found favor in God’s eyes.” Favor, the Hebrew word for grace.

The first mention of grace and faith in Scripture.

By grace, God chose Noah, and spoke to him, calling him out of the wickedness of the world, and Noah responded in faith.

Noah wasn’t blameless nor perfect, but God showed him grace and saved him.

Faith is demonstrated in obedience to the word.

Works are the fruit, not the root of salvation.

Ga 2:16 “we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

“We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.”

John Calvin

Saving faith is a living faith, a faith accompanied by works.

Jas 2:17 “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

Clearly Hebrews is telling us that Noah was declared righteous by faith, and that his faith was shown in his works of obedience.

His Faith brought about Salvation and Condemnation.

For the Salvation of His Family (Household).

Noah’s faith saved them from the flood, from God’s wrath, but this was not an ultimate salvation. Shem, Ham, and Japheth were spared, but not all were saved.

By Which He Condemned the World…

His ark saved those in it, but condemns the world. How?

As Noah was building, and the animals were arriving, he would have explained the coming judgment and offered the way of salvation. In rejecting the message, they were condemned in their unbelief.

The cross of Christ saves those who turn to it in faith, but condemns the world - John 3:16-20.

Noah Became an Heir of Righteousness By Faith.

The story of Noah is the first time grace is mentioned in the Bible, it is also the first time that righteousness is mentioned too.

What is Righteousness by Faith?

That perfect obedience of Christ which God imputes unto all who believe on His Son.

Noah was righteous because he believed in the promise of God and that faith was seen obedience to God.

This is the gift of the gospel, that we would be counted, like Noah, as righteous by faith.

We are heirs - and only children are named as heirs.

By faith, we are given the promise of perfect righteousness, the gift of the righteousness of Christ.

A Faith in the Midst of the Flood Is a Faith that Works.

What are the works that God has given? What does Noah show us?

To Believe in the one whom He has sent, Jesus Christ, for our salvation.

You cannot make your own way, you cannot come on your own, you must come to the ark that God has prepared, Jesus Christ.

Jn 6:29 “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

The cross of Christ is an ark as wide and long and high and deep as Noah’s ever was, and everyone who believes in him will be saved..

To live for God’s glory, through repentance and humble obedience.

Obedience in a disobedient world.

Walking by faith and not by sight, trusting in that which we have not seen.

To work for the salvation of others.

Fathers for their family etc…

To Proclaim the Gospel of the Open Door

To proclaim the judgment, and the salvation, the open door, in Jesus Christ, that all may come in.

Our work is like Noah’s to commend and offer salvation to others, praying that God will grant them faith to believe and be saved.

Does Your Faith Work?