The Ark And The Cross
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The Old Testament is full of types and shadows. That’s because God is Sovereign and His plan has been in effect since the beginning of time. One of the greatest ways to prove that Jesus is the Messiah that was prophesied to come, is to look back in the Old Testament and study all of the passages that the life of Jesus fulfilled.
But tonight, we’re not going to talk about prophecy. Other than prophecy, (which is simply passages where Jesus’ life was predicted and revealed from God to man hundreds and even thousands of years before He was born) there are places all over the Old Testament where we can see Jesus. Things that point toward Him, or perhaps just passages which allude to Him. They say that the Old Testament conceals what the New Testament reveals; And today, we can now look back and point to Jesus in the law, and the prophets. That’s why i love the book of Hebrews. If you don’t have an understanding of the Levitical law and the Old Testament, Hebrews probably isn’t your favorite book. But when you familiarize yourself with the books of Moses, you are truly amazed at how all of the sacrifices and the priesthood all foreshadowed JESUS! So, tonight we’re going back to the beginning. Tonight’s message is entitled: The Ark and the Cross.
Before we dive in to the life of Noah, let me show you from the mouth of Jesus that what I’m saying is true. Jesus Himself shows us that if our eyes are open, and we are seeking it out, we can see Him in every book of the bible.
And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Jesus here shows us that beginning with MOSES, which means beginning in GENESIS, there were scriptures concerning HIM! I love that. We can talk about apologetics, which is proving outside of the Bible that God exists, but as a Christian, I think it’s really important to be able to prove that Jesus is who He says He is, beginning in scripture that was written thousands of years before He came to earth.
As we walk through some of the life of Noah, we are going to see some clear foreshadows of Christ, and if we pay attention, i believe this study will be truly rewarding. -
When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son
and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.”
Right off the bat we have some interesting details about Noah. Let’s just begin with his name. The name Noah means “Rest”. It is derived from the Hebrew word meaning “To rest”.
This is interesting because Noah’s father prophesies over him, saying that Noah would bring them RELIEF from their work, and the painful toil of their hands.
Rest is a very important piece of the puzzle that connects the Old Testament to Jesus.
First, let’s examine how Noah’s life would bring the people relief. Noah’s father said that Noah would bring them relief from their work and the painful toil of their hands. Did Noah’s life reverse the curse of the ground? So how did Noah bring relief?
Through the life of Noah, God brought relief to the world through a devastating flood that would wipe out the effects of so much human sin.
When God looked down on that world in the time of Noah, what did He see?
The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.
So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
As sinful as our culture is today; as inhumane with the murdering of babies, with it’s perversion through homosexual agendas and gender confusion, as bad as it is, it was so bad in that day that God was grieved. He regretted that man was created.
The flood indeed was judgement, but i would submit to you that it was also an act of grace. If mankind would have continued on in the fashion of the culture of Noah’s day, the wickedness of the earth would be far greater than what it is today. Evil would be so rampant, i believe there would be less people born again today. How can I say that? Isaiah asks the question, who can believe if there’s no one to preach the good news? Christianity is already attacked in today’s culture. But without the flood, perverse wickedness would be so normal, that there would be less parents teaching their kids about God, there would be less people inclined to listen to the things of God, and hatred for good and for God would be more powerful than it is today. Therefore, for the good of the world, and the good of the future of man, the flood had to take place.
But now, let’s connect the dots here. Noah’s lifetime saw relief from the great wickedness of man. How? By God purging the earth of wickedness and sin. But greater relief is foreshadowed here. Noah’s name means rest, but truly-
JESUS IS OUR REST
There’s so many places we can take this now. Jesus gave us rest from so many things. But let’s look to the book of Hebrews for some explanation on how the rest that Jesus gives, connects to the Old Testament.
Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.
For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.
For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’ ” although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.
For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.”
And again in this passage he said, “They shall not enter my rest.”
Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience,
again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on.
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,
for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
The Israelites did not enter in the rest of the promised land because of their UNBELIEF!
Therefore the message of God cannot benefit us unless we have FAITH!
Those who believe in Christ enter into REST!
God entered into rest on the sabbath day, for His WORK WAS COMPLETE!
If the rest of Joshua, who brought the Israelites into the PROMISED LAND was the rest that God spoke of, He wouldn’t have spoken through David in Psalms 95, speaking about the disobedient not entering His rest.
So then-
THERE REMAINS A SABBATH REST FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD!
So what does that mean? Think about it; God told the Israelites to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. They were not to do ANY WORK on the Sabbath. Why? Because God rested from His works on the 7th day.
The last verse of our passage in Hebrews 4 tells us that
WHOEVER HAS ENTERED GOD’S REST HAS ALSO RESTED FROM HIS WORKS AS GOD DID FROM HIS!
How so?
For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
JESUS HAS SET US FREE FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW! The law showed us how sinful we are. The law condemned us, rightfully so, as sinners deserving of death. Under the law, one must work for his right standing. He must keep the ordinances of washings, and observing of days, and animal sacrifices and offerings. But because of Christ, Paul says we are now free from the law of sin and death. Meaning the sin i was born with no longer has dominion over me.
Under the law, i was shown to be sinful, and the word says that the law strengthened sin. It caused sin to kill me. But today, I am not under the law. Today I am under grace. -
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
I had no hopes of justification before Christ. Man was under the law, under the curse of the law, always mindful of sin as the requirement for sin was daily and yearly sacrifices. The law kept man sin conscious. But today, we can REST from our work of trying to be holy within ourselves, trying to be righteous through works. Today we are only made RIGHTEOUS through FAITH IN CHRIST!
THEREFORE THE SABBATH DAY WAS A FORESHADOW OF JESUS
God was giving us a glimpse of the rest that was to come in Christ. A rest from our works, a rest from the works of the law. The law could never make me righteous. I could have some right standing with God as i devoutly observed the law; but i could never be JUSTIFIED! Because sin is an internal problem. I needed a heart change. And only Jesus could could make me righteous from the inside out. The blood of bulls and goats could never bring true remission from sins.
TODAY WE CAN REST IN THE FINISHED WORKS OF JESUS, JUST AS GOD RESTED WHEN HIS WORK WAS FINISHED
So the good news is, if you are here tonight and you’re struggling with your addiction, if you’re struggling with greed, if you’re struggling with lust, if you’re struggling with gluttony, if you’re struggling with selfishness, if you’re struggling in your mind, IF YOU’RE STRUGGLING WITH SIN YOU CAN REST IN JESUS!
There is a rest for you. The word says that there is no rest for the wicked. But when you come to Christ, you are made the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD AND FOR THE RIGHTEOUS THERE IS REST!
Don’t let satan lie to you and tell you you’ll never be free. Don’t let the flesh control you and make you feel like there’s no hope of resisting temptation.
IF YOU SEEK THE REST THAT JESUS BRINGS, YOU MUST STAND ON THE WORD OF GOD
If you’re not standing on what HE says, then you’re standing on the lies of the enemy. There’s no in between. You can stand on fear, or on the word. You can stand on anxiety, or the word. You can stand on the doctors report, or you can stand on the word. The choice is up to you.
One last interesting note about Noah and rest. Remember his father Lamech said that Noah would bring them relief from their WORK and the painful toil of our hands. Well, Jesus brought rest from a GREATER WORK, from a greater toil. Because Peter said that trying to obtain righteousness by the works of the law was a burden none of the forefathers could bear. Jesus is the greater Noah, as He has brought us a greater rest.
And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.
So God told Noah that judgement was coming. God commanded Noah to make an Ark out of Gopher wood, and through this ark, Noah would be delivered from judgment.
When we look at the phrase in verse 12 that is transliterated “Gopher wood” it says that it is an unknown TREE in the Hebrew. But from this tree, Noah was to build his means of escape from the floodwaters. And not just a means of escape. Means of sustaining life. He was told to load his family, and to load up every kind of animal that their life may be preserved. Here we see an easy connection.
The tree made the ark, which brought salvation from judgment.
Jesus hung on a tree, on which He endured our judgment, and freely gave salvation from sin.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
It may be a coincidence.. But it’s interesting to me that the tree for the Gopher wood that Noah built the Ark from, is from an UNKOWN TREE.
Well, Jesus died on a cross. A form of death that was unlawful for the Jews to condemn someone to. It was a Roman practice. Therefore it was UNKOWN to the Jews. Yet it was divinely orchestrated that although the Jews were the ones condemning Jesus to death, it was brought to the Romans, that Jesus would die EXACTLY AS IT WAS PROPHESIED, in a way the Jewish people never would have been able to do on their own. Even the Roman oppression of the Jews was used to fulfill God’s plan.
Through the tree that built the ark, Noah became a Herald of righteousness. Preaching repentance through his obedience. (elaborate, faith despite it never raining)
Jesus came, a herald of righteousness preaching “REPENT AND BELIEVE FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND”, and through His obedience He gave Himself up on a tree.
Through the tree that built the Ark, Noah was able to save his family from the judgment to come.
On the tree at calvary, Jesus gave us salvation from the judgment to come, and is even called our Elder Brother.
Do you see the similarities? It should leave us in awe at the awesomeness, and sovereignty of God.
Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth.
And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood.
Noah and his family entered into the Ark to escape the waters of the flood. God commanded that they enter the Ark in order to be saved.
This is something that really came alive to me when we took our Dream Center to the Ark Encounter in Kentucky. Think about how Noah and his family had to enter the ark. How they walked in, and the door was sealed behind them, and they were the only ones saved from the judgment of the flood. Everyone who refused to listen to the preaching of Noah, all of the wicked people on the face of the earth, could not escape judgment, because they didn’t enter the Ark.
To escape judgment, one had to enter in to the Ark.
How did they enter into the Ark? - THE DOOR!
I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
Just as Noah and his family and all who would survive the flood waters had to enter through THE DOOR OF THE ARK; all who will be saved, all who would escape the wrath to come, must enter through THE DOOR THAT IS CHRIST! There is no other way!
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Just as the ark was the only way to escape judgment, so Jesus is the only way to escape our sin, and the penalty of our sin. There is no other way. There is no other God, there is no other path, there is only ONE WAY! Just as there was only ONE ARK which despite having three levels there was only ONE DOOR! This may be a stretch, but notice there were three levels, with one door… Father, Son, Holy Spirit, triune, three, the only DOOR to the Father is Jesus? - just saying..
Jesus is the only way..
If you’re here, and life is beating you up, and your addiction has a hold on you, and you feel dead inside, that AA, and NA may be helpful, but it cannot save you. Drug court cannot save you, SOBRIETY CANNOT SAVE YOU!
JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRUE RECOVERY
There’s a difference between being SOBER and being SET FREE! Listen, 5 1/2 years after surrendering my life to Christ, sobriety is not white knuckled for me. Sobriety no longer feels like a decision, it’s just a way of life. I don’t have to think about being sober today. Why? I’m delivered, I’m set free! And Jesus is the only way that happens. I’ve seen people who have been sober for 20 years and still call themselves an addict. Why? They’re relying on something or someone other than God for their recovery. They’ve bought the lie of the enemy, of secular teaching.
I AM NO LONGER AN ADDICT, I AM NO LONGER A SLAVE TO SIN, I AM A CHILD OF GOD!
And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the Lord shut him in.
The Lord is the one who was responsible for shutting the door of the ark. Noah obeyed, and entered in, but God SHUT HIM IN!
I can’t help but think of the fact that entering in through the door of our salvation has NOTHING TO DO WITH US! Think about it, yes Noah built it yes Noah obeyed God, and he entered into the door of the ark, but think about this. What did Noah really have to do? He had to BELIEVE GOD! Through his belief, he had works of faith, and GOD TOOK CARE OF THE REST! He shut them in, he protected the ark from the flood, He rained judgment upon the earth, and He sustained Noah’s life because NOAH BELIEVED GOD!
Reminds me of how were told in Genesis 15 that Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. - and today, for us, it’s the same. In order to enter through the door, it’s as simple as this.
REPENT AND BELIEVE! When Jesus used that word repent, in the greek it means to change your mind. Change your mind about sin, change your mind about righteousness. How do you do that?
BY LIVING LIFE IN THE WORD OF GOD
You’ll never live in the freedom Christ died to give you, unless you believe that you have freedom in Christ. And you’ll never believe that you have freedom in Christ unless you get into the word for yourself and see the promises and stand on them.
Noah believed that God was going to bring judgment upon the earth. So in faith, Noah built an ark, despite the fact that it had never rained on the earth.
You need to understand that it doesn’t matter what you see, what you feel, if God said it, HE’LL PERFORM IT! - NOAH HAD NEVER SEEN RAIN! But he believed that God would do what He said He would do.
Jesus said He came to set the captives free. It doesn’t matter if you FEEL free, it doesn’t matter if it looks like things will NEVER CHANGE! You must believe God, despite your natural senses.
As I bring this to a close, let us look at one last thing about the flood.
The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep.
And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind.
Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died.
He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.
The judgment of flood waters rose upon the earth, high above the mountains. The earth was completely covered. And every person who was outside of the ark, died. Think about this, every person who was outside the means of escape that God had provided for those who had faith, they died.
JUST AS EVERY PERSON COVERED BY THE WATERS DIED, SO EVERY PERSON COVERED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS WILL LIVE
Just as every person who was in the Ark survive, so every person who is in Christ, will live.
The flood waters were mighty enough to destroy the earth, but the blood of Jesus is strong enough to destroy all of sin.
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Jesus took away the sin of the world, Jesus defeated sin. But the only way to truly be saved, is to BELIEVE IN HIM, to believe in His sacrifice, and believe that He has made you right with God. And to enter through the Door.
Just as Noah had to believe. We have to believe. There is a door, which we can enter into salvation, there is a door, by which we can escape judgment. But the question is, do you believe? Do you truly have faith? Just as Noah’s faith led to works that proved his faith, so will we have fruit of faith in our life.
