Noah, a Righteous Man in an Ungodly World

Welcome

As a reminder, in recent weeks we have been studying many of the people listed in the genealogy of Jesus Christ, as recorded in Matthew 1. We have moved on from the women and begun to look at the men as we work toward Father’s Day in a few short weeks.

This week we will be looking at Noah in the book of Genesis. In some ways, Noah is the father of us all. I don’t know many of us that might be able to trace our own history back to the line of Noah, but the Bible teaches that we all share a bloodline and a heritage with Noah. That means that we are all part of the same family, no matter our race or our personal heritage.

Noah lived at a time when the world was in deep trouble. I know there is a lot in these verses that cause some confusion. And, I’ll be honest with you, I don’t have all the answers here. However, I don’t recommend that you get caught in the rabbit hole trying to figure out what some these things mean by searching on the internet.

Just know from all of this that everything was a mess and it was not working according to God’s design. Therefore, God had the need to hit the reset button on the world. Let’s read from Genesis 6...

Genesis 6:1–8 CSB

1 When mankind began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful, and they took any they chose as wives for themselves. 3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit will not remain with mankind forever, because they are corrupt. Their days will be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth both in those days and afterward, when the sons of God came to the daughters of mankind, who bore children to them. They were the powerful men of old, the famous men. 5 When the Lord saw that human wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time, 6 the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and he was deeply grieved. 7 Then the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I created, off the face of the earth, together with the animals, creatures that crawl, and birds of the sky—for I regret that I made them.” 8 Noah, however, found favor with the Lord.

And let’s continue together in our focal passage...

Genesis 6:9–22 CSB

9 These are the family records of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with wickedness. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth was, for every creature had corrupted its way on the earth. 13 Then God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to every creature, for the earth is filled with wickedness because of them; therefore I am going to destroy them along with the earth. 14 “Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it with pitch inside and outside. 15 This is how you are to make it: The ark will be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 16 You are to make a roof, finishing the sides of the ark to within eighteen inches of the roof. You are to put a door in the side of the ark. Make it with lower, middle, and upper decks. 17 “Understand that I am bringing a flood—floodwaters on the earth to destroy every creature under heaven with the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark with your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives. 19 You are also to bring into the ark two of all the living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of everything—from the birds according to their kinds, from the livestock according to their kinds, and from the animals that crawl on the ground according to their kinds—will come to you so that you can keep them alive. 21 Take with you every kind of food that is eaten; gather it as food for you and for them.” 22 And Noah did this. He did everything that God had commanded him.

[pray]

Who Was Noah?

I have to assume that many of you know who Noah was. You have heard the Bible story as a kid or at some point in your life, or maybe you have skimmed through the biblical account at some point. Or if not, maybe you saw the 2014 film adaptation starring Russell Crowe. I did not see the 2014 film adaptation starring Russell Crowe. However, my wife did (I think she saw it on a long plane trip). She reported that it was not true to the biblical account (*shock*). Shocking, I know, who might believe that Hollywood could get it wrong? It was more akin to some kind of fantasy story with monsters and giants and a brooding and depressed Noah that had no connection with the righteous believer of the one true God that we see in the biblical account.

I. Noah was a righteous man

The text describes Noah as being righteous and blameless. Let’s look at verse 9...

Genesis 6:9 CSB

9 These are the family records of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God.

What does it mean to be righteous?

Noah is the first man in scriptures that is describes as being righteous.

righteous צַדִּיק (tsaddiq) - blameless, innocent, just, one in the right, justified, vindicated, acquitted

Righteousness is something that can only be determined by God. Righteousness is a determination that speaks of one’s innocence and justification before God, the Judge of all Creation.

We can look to the account of Abram to see how God determines righteousness. Genesis 15:6 says that Abram...

Genesis 15:6 CSB

6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

God knew Noah and knew that He could count on him to believe him and do what he asked of him because of his righteousness.

The Apostle Peter writes about God’s judgement and how he protected Noah and his family. 2 Peter 2 gives us some understanding of God as judge, especially in regard to several Old Testament events where judgement was necessary...

2 Peter 2:4–10 CSB

4 For if God didn’t spare the angels who sinned but cast them into hell and delivered them in chains of utter darkness to be kept for judgment; 5 and if he didn’t spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others, when he brought the flood on the world of the ungodly; 6 and if he reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes and condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is coming to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, distressed by the depraved behavior of the immoral 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day by day, his righteous soul was tormented by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, 10 especially those who follow the polluting desires of the flesh and despise authority. Bold, arrogant people! They are not afraid to slander the glorious ones;

The question that I have for you today is this…

Could you be considered righteous?

I love that phrase in verse 9...

2 Peter 2:9 CSB

9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,

While we might not be righteous in God’s estimation, I have another question for you...

Could you be considered godly?

Do you believe in God the way that Noah did? Has God justified you in some way?

Peter says here that God knows how to rescue the godly person from trials. he says that he knows how to preserve those who believe in him and that he will punish those who are unrighteous.

II. Noah was a blameless man

Not only was Noah granted righteousness by God, the text also describes Noah as being blameless...

Genesis 6:9 CSB

9 These are the family records of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God.

While righteousness is something that is determined by God, blameless is something that is considered by men—those who knew Noah and walked alongside him in the world considered him to be blameless.

blameless תָּמִים (tamim) - complete, integrity, perfect, sincerity, unblemished, uprightly, whole, without defect

To be blameless essentially means to be a person of integrity. This is something that is determined by those we interact with in the world.

Let me be clear in saying that being blameless does not necessarily indicate that one is without sin. It speaks to his reputation, his integrity, and his sincerity.

Philippians 2:12–16 CSB

12 Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose. 14 Do everything without grumbling and arguing, 15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world, 16 by holding firm to the word of life. Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run or labor for nothing.

Could you be considered “blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation?”

Paul told the Philippian church that his secret to maintaining this status was “by holding firm to the word of life.”

What are you laboring for? Is your labor, all of your effort, being spent for the kingdom of God or for something temporary? Even if you say something like: “Everything I do, I do for my family.” I would ask you, “is that enough in the sight of God?” I can’t answer that question for you. That’s only a question that can be answered between you and God.

We are recognizing the graduates this morning. They are turning the page and starting a new chapter in their lives.

Graduates, are you willing to live your life in a way that is considered blameless and pure? Would God consider you to be one of his righteous children?

Conclusion

God did save Noah and his family. I’m not going to delve into the rest of the story. We’ve had a busy morning with recognizing veterans and those who have lost loved ones in the line of duty. Not to mention spending time recognizing graduates.

Noah and his family preached a saving knowledge of God in a world that was lost. They collected the land animals and herded them up onto a big boat. And when rain started falling from the sky, they closed the doors as God commanded and waited for the water to raise up the boat as the rest of humanity was lost.

This was not their decision, but God’s decision.

I would ask you this: “If God asked you to do something very difficult that caused you to turn your back on most everything you know and love, would you do it?”

What if God asked you to join with him in his righteousness? Would you do that?

This is essentially what God is asking us to do when we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and choose to make him the master of our lives.

Our path to righteousness is only found through Jesus. Jesus himself gave this response to Thomas’ question...

John 14:5–6 CSB

5 “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where you’re going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Have you accepted Christ? Will you chose to follow him?