Safe in the Ark

Genesis Safe in the Ark - Genesis 7:1-24 August 2, 2026 I'm sure most of us are aware of Arizona's "Stupid Motorist Law" [which] states that any driver who ignores physical barricades or warning signs to enter a flooded road and then needs to be rescued can be billed up to $2,000 for the cost of the emergency response. Unfortunately, what do we see every monsoon season? People getting their cars swept away by the floods. What a shame, what a waste of resources, and what a way to become part of the statistic! All they had to do was follow the warning signs, and they'd be safe and probably not make the news! Last week we returned to the book of Genesis, beginning with the opening chapter of the story of Noah and the Ark. One of the things we mentioned was that Noah finished the ark in 120 years. Plenty of time for people to hear God's warning and respond accordingly. The main idea from that message was I can live through the wickedness because I walk with God. In many ways, today, we're going to focus a little more on those last two words ... with God. In fact, this morning, we're going to see how this part of the account - where most of the chapter takes place on the ark - foreshadows Jesus and reveals to us what being with God means for us. So, I want you to keep that in mind as we read Genesis 7 this morning: 1 THEN THE LORD SAID TO NOAH, "GO INTO THE ARK, YOU AND ALL YOUR HOUSEHOLD, FOR I HAVE SEEN THAT YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS BEFORE ME IN THIS GENERATION. 2 TAKE WITH YOU SEVEN PAIRS OF ALL CLEAN ANIMALS, THE MALE AND HIS MATE, AND A PAIR OF THE ANIMALS THAT ARE NOT CLEAN, THE MALE AND HIS MATE, 3 AND SEVEN PAIRS OF THE BIRDS OF THE HEAVENS ALSO, MALE AND FEMALE, TO KEEP THEIR OFFSPRING ALIVE ON THE FACE OF ALL THE EARTH. 4 FOR IN SEVEN DAYS I WILL SEND RAIN ON THE EARTH FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS, AND EVERY LIVING THING THAT I HAVE MADE I WILL BLOT OUT FROM THE FACE OF THE GROUND." 5 AND NOAH DID ALL THAT THE LORD HAD COMMANDED HIM. 6 NOAH WAS SIX HUNDRED YEARS OLD WHEN THE FLOOD OF WATERS CAME UPON THE EARTH. 7 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. 8 OF CLEAN ANIMALS, AND OF ANIMALS THAT ARE NOT CLEAN, AND OF BIRDS, AND OF EVERYTHING THAT CREEPS ON THE GROUND, 9 TWO AND TWO, MALE AND FEMALE, WENT INTO THE ARK WITH NOAH, AS GOD HAD COMMANDED NOAH. 10 AND AFTER SEVEN DAYS THE WATERS OF THE FLOOD CAME UPON THE EARTH. 11 IN THE SIX HUNDREDTH YEAR OF NOAH'S LIFE, IN THE SECOND MONTH, ON THE SEVENTEENTH DAY OF THE MONTH, ON THAT DAY ALL THE FOUNTAINS OF THE GREAT DEEP BURST FORTH, AND THE WINDOWS OF THE HEAVENS WERE OPENED. 12 AND RAIN FELL UPON THE EARTH FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS. 13 ON THE VERY SAME DAY NOAH AND HIS SONS, SHEM AND HAM AND JAPHETH, AND NOAH'S WIFE AND THE THREE WIVES OF HIS SONS WITH THEM ENTERED THE ARK, 14 THEY AND EVERY BEAST, ACCORDING TO ITS KIND, AND ALL THE LIVESTOCK ACCORDING TO THEIR KINDS, AND EVERY CREEPING THING THAT CREEPS ON THE EARTH, ACCORDING TO ITS KIND, AND EVERY BIRD, ACCORDING TO ITS KIND, EVERY WINGED CREATURE. 15 THEY WENT INTO THE ARK WITH NOAH, TWO AND TWO OF ALL FLESH IN WHICH THERE WAS THE BREATH OF LIFE. 16 AND THOSE THAT ENTERED, MALE AND FEMALE OF ALL FLESH, WENT IN AS GOD HAD COMMANDED HIM. AND THE LORD SHUT HIM IN. 17 THE FLOOD CONTINUED FORTY DAYS ON THE EARTH. THE WATERS INCREASED AND BORE UP THE ARK, AND IT ROSE HIGH ABOVE THE EARTH. 18 THE WATERS PREVAILED AND INCREASED GREATLY ON THE EARTH, AND THE ARK FLOATED ON THE FACE OF THE WATERS. 19 AND THE WATERS PREVAILED SO MIGHTILY ON THE EARTH THAT ALL THE HIGH MOUNTAINS UNDER THE WHOLE HEAVEN WERE COVERED. 20 THE WATERS PREVAILED ABOVE THE MOUNTAINS, COVERING THEM FIFTEEN CUBITS DEEP. 21 AND ALL FLESH DIED THAT MOVED ON THE EARTH, BIRDS, LIVESTOCK, BEASTS, ALL SWARMING CREATURES THAT SWARM ON THE EARTH, AND ALL MANKIND. 22 EVERYTHING ON THE DRY LAND IN WHOSE NOSTRILS WAS THE BREATH OF LIFE DIED. 23 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. 24 AND THE WATERS PREVAILED ON THE EARTH 150 DAYS. Hopefully it isn't hard to see that the Ark was the only place for Noah, his family, and the creatures that were also there, were safe. Better stated, our main idea says this: The safest place to be is with God in the salvation He provides. I've shared this before, but the late philosopher, theologian, author, pastor and all-around good guy, R.C. Sproul was stopped on a college campus after a speaking engagement by a student. The student asked Sproul what the Christian was saved from. Sproul responded simply: God. Upon entering the Ark, Noah and his family were safe ... from God. From God's judgement. From His wrath. So, through the death and destruction that surrounded them, they were safe because they were in the Ark - but more than that, they were with God. That's what the very first verse reveals. The ESV starts the chapter with: THEN THE LORD SAID TO NOAH, "GO INTO THE ARK. The KJV and NKJV uses "COME" instead of "GO," which is the better translation. In other words, God was inviting Noah and his family to come onto the ark, joining Him where He was. The Ark itself was a vessel to keep them safe, but really it was about being with God. The Ark was, and will continue to be, a picture - or foreshadowing - of Jesus. And that's really what I want to talk about for the rest of our time today: HOW THE ARK FORESHADOWS CHRIST I'm going to start with the obvious: * Jesus calls us to salvation. (vv. 1-5) o We spoke quite a bit about Noah's obedience last week, but here again, we see his obedience - which was an act of faith - as a major theme of the opening verses of this chapter. o Not only do we see Noah and his family's obedience in verse 5, but in the preceding verses, we actually see the obedience of all the animals as they entered the Ark. o Somehow, God made these animals come to the Ark. That's what we read in verse 20 of chapter 6: OF THE BIRDS ACCORDING TO THEIR KINDS, AND OF THE ANIMALS ACCORDING TO THEIR KINDS, OF EVERY CREEPING THING OF THE GROUND, ACCORDING TO ITS KIND, TWO OF EVERY SORT SHALL COME IN TO YOU TO KEEP THEM ALIVE. o Once again: God is in control. God is all-powerful. o To say it another way: God alone has the power to bring everyone and everything together! o I also want to draw your attention back to verse 16 of chapter 6, where we read: MAKE A ROOF FOR THE ARK, AND FINISH IT TO A CUBIT ABOVE, AND SET THE DOOR OF THE ARK IN ITS SIDE. o You see that? There was only one door. One way into the Ark. o It may be hard to see on the screen, but here's a picture of Elizabeth and I in front of that door, from the inside. Of course, the Ark Encounter used some creative license and added the lit up cross against the door. o Every person and creature who were saved had to enter through that door. No other way. o And where did that begin? With God's invitation to "COME" into the Ark. Apparently, this is the first "invitation" in the Bible, and the invitation carries us all the way through the Scriptures with Revelation 22:17 as the last invitation. o You see, we have all be invited to come to the Father, through Christ, and we all must enter through that narrow door to be with Him and therefore be safe. o Next ... * Jesus saves us from eternal judgement. (vv. 6-16) o Verse 10 tells us that AND AFTER SEVEN DAYS THE WATERS OF THE FLOOD CAME UPON THE EARTH. o This means that the promised judgement, from chapter 6, verses 7, 13, 17, and chapter 7, verse 4 has come to pass. o This shows us - clearly - that God will do what He says. o Now, without going into too much detail, when we read this account, we can conclude that this storm was unique and unprecedented. o Not only do we know that God promised to never flood the earth like this again (Genesis 9:11), but the specific language used throughout shows us the severity of this flood. o Noteworthy is verse 11 which reads: IN THE SIX HUNDREDTH YEAR OF NOAH'S LIFE, IN THE SECOND MONTH, ON THE SEVENTEENTH DAY OF THE MONTH, ON THAT DAY ALL THE FOUNTAINS OF THE GREAT DEEP BURST FORTH, AND THE WINDOWS OF THE HEAVENS WERE OPENED. o I'm no meteorologist or scientist, but I'm pretty sure what this tells us is that the waters came up from the ground and came down from the sky. o What follows in verses 17-24 is heartbreaking, but God never leaves us without hope. o Here's that reminder again from verses 15-16: 15 THEY WENT INTO THE ARK WITH NOAH, TWO AND TWO OF ALL FLESH IN WHICH THERE WAS THE BREATH OF LIFE. 16 AND THOSE THAT ENTERED, MALE AND FEMALE OF ALL FLESH, WENT IN AS GOD HAD COMMANDED HIM. AND THE LORD SHUT HIM IN. o Two things stand out. The BREATH OF LIFE was given to those who were with God on the Ark, and GOD SHUT THEM IN the Ark - keeping them safe from the judgement looming outside. o The picture here is beautiful, God shut them in. o When we enter into Jesus - just like those in the Ark - God promises to keep us from eternal judgement, by shutting us in, keeping us safe. o Lastly ... * Jesus gives us security.(vv. 17-24) o In reality, when the flood came, there is no indication of fear or doubt from Noah and his family, nor the animals on the ark. o They trusted the ark, because as we noted already, God was with them. o The details given to us in verses 17-24 are brutal. o I already mentioned the language indicated a severe and powerful flood. o One hint that we have for this conclusion is the word used in both verse 18 and verse 24 - PREVAILED o This term apparently means that it was literally, "overwhelmingly mighty," and it "suggests that the waters were stronger than the earth." o This means that the form of the earth was likely forever changed because of the results of this flood. o Many "creationist scientists" understand this to be a reason for fossilization and rock layers found in places such as the Grand Canyon. o The Ark kept those aboard safe from this flood that destroyed everything on the earth. o If the ark is a picture of Jesus - which I believe that it is - then, we can conclude that Jesus keeps us safe from God's final judgement that is to come. As stated earlier in our main idea: the safest place to be is with God in the salvation He provides. Are you safe? The 120 years are over, the Ark is ready to be boarded. When Jesus came, He invited us to come to Him. He continues that invitation until all those who are called to come have boarded, then He will shut us in, providing us safety from God's final judgement. Are you safely on the Ark? Are you safely with Jesus? Let's pray. 2