THE CERTAINTY OF JUDGEMENT
Notes
Transcript
1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,
2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
4 There were giants 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.
5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
7 So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
INTRODUCTION:
The judgement of sin by God is certain.
3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
2. In every period of time since creation, God has extended mercy and grace. But when the longsuffering of God was exhausted, judgement was dispensed.
3. Scriptures reveal a similar pattern for the end times.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
4. We are living in a day of God’s grace and mercy.
We are living in a day in which, the ark is ready to float....
The animals are on board
Noah and his family are on board
But the open door begs for more to get on board.
Now is the time to get on board before the door closes.
5. Although God was patient and longsuffering, justice forced Him to bring judgement.
6. His fierce judgement came in the form of a world-wide deluge of water — a flood.
I. THE WORLD IN NOAH’S DAY
I. THE WORLD IN NOAH’S DAY
5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
In spite of the widkedness of man, God extended mercy.
God gave all flesh an opportunity to be saved. But only Noah and his family obeyed God’s plan for redemtion.
A. The Patience of God
15 But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.
While God must judge sin, it is always his desire first to extend grace to the offending individuals.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
2. The world in Noah’s day was wicked, but not so wicked that it was beyond the reach of God’s forgiveness.
3. God waited 120 years, giving all mankind the opportunity to repent.
B. No Other Choice
Justice demanded judgement.
6 And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
7 So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
God is holy and He cannot indefinetely bear the disobedience of mankind.
Man’s wickedness required God’s judgement.
17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.
II. A WAY OF ESCAPE
II. A WAY OF ESCAPE
God extended His grace to Noah, and then gave him BLUEPRINTS for salvation.
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
A. Active Faith
7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
Noah beleived that God would do what He said He would do. And his faith motivated him to act.
Noah’s faith in God’s spoken workd, coupled with his action of building the ark, brought about his salvation and that of his family.
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
3. Man cannot just “think faith,” he must “act faith”.
Hebrews Chapter 11 is our best example:
“Abel offered”
“Noah built”
“Abraham obeyed”
“Isaac blessed”
“Jacob blessed”
“Joseph gave instructions”
“Moses chose”
The New King James Version Chapter 11
who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again.
B. God’s plan of Salvation
God provided a plan....
God told Noah exactly how to build the ark.
Jesus provided us with the blueprints necessary for our salvation.
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
The apostles made it very clear...
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
God has always made a way for those who desire to be saved.
13 And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter,
14 who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.’
And when a man obeys the scriptures, God will provide salvation.
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.
45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.
46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered,
47 “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.
C. Necessity of obedience
It is not enough that God provided a way, he had to obey completely.
22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.
What if Noah had decided to not build an ark?
What if he decided to built it his way?
11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
22 So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.
III. A MESSAGE FOR TODAY
III. A MESSAGE FOR TODAY
The cleansing power of the water in Noah’s day is symbolic of the cleansing power of water today.
20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.
21 There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
A. A Comparison to the End Times
Noah’s story should cause us to prepare...
37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
A Call to be Ready
42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’
7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’
12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
Be Ready!
Don’t be left behind.