Faith Like Noah - Faith for the Impossible
Faith Like Noah • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Today is week 2 of our series of messages titled Faith Like Noah. Last week we looked at the meaning of the word faith and how Noah was able to have the faith he had. Let’s do a quick recap:
Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1
1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
The amplified translation says it like this:
Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].
Hebrews 11:1 Amplified Version
Faith gives substance to those things that we hope for and cannot see. Things that we cannot experience by our senses.
We looked at three areas of Noah’s life that resulted in the faith that he had to do the things that he did. By looking at these areas of his life, we can then apply those to our life. If we want a Faith Like Noah, we must have a
Heart Like Noah
Heart Like Noah
In Genesis 6:5-8, we read about the plans in the hearts of men being evil all the time, yet Noah found favor with the Lord. His heart was in tune with the Lord, he sought to please the Lord rather than his own desires. In order to have a faith pleasing to God, we have to examine our hearts daily…we have to repent of those areas where we are not in line with God’s Word and desires for us and take those thoughts captive. Only then can our heart be ready for a Faith Like Noah.
Then we read in Genesis 6:9
9 This is the account of Noah and his family.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.
In order for our faith to grow, we must pursue righteousness and when, not if, but when we fail we must ask forgiveness and repent. That is the meaning of the word blameless in this verse. So if we want a Faith Like Noah, we must be
Righteous & Blameless Like Noah
Righteous & Blameless Like Noah
Finally, verse 9 finished with: he walked faithfully with God. Our level of faith will be in direct proportion with our our walk with God. A Faith Like Noah comes from a
Walk with God Like Noah
Walk with God Like Noah
There is a quick recap of last week. Hopefully that helps as we dig further into Noah’s faith today. Turn with me to Hebrews 11:7. This is our verse for the series…most likely we will start here each week and then jump from there. I am guessing we will have 1 or 2 more messages in this series. Let’s read:
7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
This is our verse for this sermon series and really it’s just the first 3 words “By faith Noah” that are the key. So many times we can look at someone who has done some amazing things and give that individual credit, but for the believer our faith plays a much larger role than our abilities or accomplishments. For Noah, it was no different. Everything he did flowed from his faith. Without his faith, none of what he did was possible.
Let’s look at these first two phrases in this verse: “…when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.”
I am sure no one in the time of Noah could have imagined a catastrophic flood coming and wiping out the earth. It had never been seen before. It could not be imagined or thought up, yet Noah received a word from the Lord that it was coming.
Noah’s response was 2 fold:
Holy fear
Action
Most revelations from God will result in these 2 steps
I need to clarify here though...Holy fear is not just being scared. It is a reverence for God that no other deserves. It is the first step in obedience. The Hebrew word translated holy fear is the same word at the end of Hebrews 5:7
7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.
What is translated “reverent submission” is the same as fear when talking about Noah’s response.
Then comes action. Faith is not faith without action.
Noah believed the word from God and built an ark that would take decades to build. It is not enough to have faith, we are called to act on our faith. I’ll share more in a bit about how Christians are called to act on their faith.
Let’s go to Genesis 6 and read the detailed account that this verse in Hebrews is referencing. We’ll start reading in Verse 11
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence.
12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.
13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.
14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.
15 This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high.
Just for reference, a cubit is roughly 18 inches. Given that assumption, the ark was 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. For the football fans, 1.5 fields long and half a field wide and as tall as the goal posts.
If I’m Noah at this point, I was tracking with the instruction to build a boat and at this point, I’m wondering why it’s so big…then
16 Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks.
17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has 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—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.
Alright, doors, check, several levels....check, destroy life…that seems harsh, but check. Family on the boat…check. So far, so good.
19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.
20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.
21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”
Whoa…wait a minute…2 of all living creatures…how is that even going to work? Food for all of us? We just went from building a boat to building a zoo that floats. Last I checked, if we put lions and zebras together, we’ll be short a pair at the end of the journey…and yet...
22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
I would have had some questions. I would want have wanted to know how this was even going to work. Not sure if Noah felt the same way…we don’t see that struggle in scripture, but what we do know is that Noah did what God asked him to do.
Only a man who has a reverential fear and respect of the Lord would even consider such a project. Yet Noah’s faith compelled him to act. Not only compelled him, but was the reason for success. Without faith, none of that would have been possible. If we want a faith like Noah, we’ve got to:
Do everything just as God commands.
Do everything just as God commands.
This is a great barrier for us in our faith - doing everything just as God commands. We make excuses why, we say that that’s not my job…we are so creative when it comes to our reasons why we don’t do everything just as God commands.
Let’s keep reading
1 The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.
2 Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate,
3 and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth.
4 Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.”
5 And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.
There it is again. And Noah did all that Lord commanded him. I don’t think Noah knew exactly how he was going to get all these animals on the ark together, but he just did the things that he could and left the rest up to the Lord. Faith.
6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth.
7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood.
8 Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground,
9 male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah.
And there we have it. The animals came to Noah. Noah did what he could and trusted by faith that God would somehow get these animals there.
We can become so paralyzed by what we see as impossible that we don’t even do what is possible.
If Noah waited to build the ark until he knew how he was going to get the animals on the ark, the flood would have come and washed him away as well. If we want Faith Like Noah, we should:
Do what you can do and leave the rest up to God.
Do what you can do and leave the rest up to God.
It’s not our job to save the world, but we can tell the world about the Savior.
It is God who changes hearts not us, but we are called and commanded to tell others about the one who changed our hearts.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen myself get overwhelmed and paralyzed by large projects. It just looks like too much, so I don’t do anything. I’ve realized though that if I just take 1 step in the direction of the finish line, before I know it, I’m there. That’s what Faith in action is. We don’t have everything figured out, but God has pointed us in a direction and says go. We start by taking just one step. That’s how the impossible happens by faith. Noah gets the word from the Lord to build an ark, so he cuts down the first tree...
I want to leave you with three commands from Jesus that can only be accomplished by faith. And just as the ark started with just one tree, these also start with just one step and before you know it, God is filling in all the initial thoughts of how it was going to work.
15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
The first command is to repent and believe the good news.
Repent means to turn away from and head in a different direction. We to turn away from our selfish, sinful desires and turn toward God. To pursue holiness and righteousness. Repent and believe. Believe in Jesus as the Messiah, as our Savior. There is so much more in this command…if you have not followed through on this command, then the next 2 will really be impossible. Talk to me or one of the elders or other leaders about this if you need to make that first step.
The second command is found in Matthew 22:37-39
37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Love God and Love others. It doesn’t say to tell others all that they are doing wrong and point out their flaws and tell them what to do…it say to love your neighbor as yourself. Sometimes love includes hard truth, but hard truth is rarely accepted without deep relationship.
Jesus took the hard truth route with those who were self righteous and thought themselves above others. Those who were the outcast and labeled sinners, He showed them love and kindness before addressing their sin.
It may seem and feel impossible to do, but it is possible to love and accept someone without affirming their sinful behavior.
First command: Repent and Believe.
Second command: Love God, Love Others.
Third command is found in Matthew 28:
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Go and make disciples. It doesn’t say where to go or necessarily how specifically to make disciples other than to teach what Jesus has commanded. Teaching takes on so many different forms. Preaching is a form of teaching, sitting one-on-one and working through something is teaching. Being in a classroom is teaching. Modeling something is teaching. These are all ways of making disciples, but we can’t make disciples without first going.
God revealed his plans to Noah and gave Noah a specific role in those plans. By faith Noah built something that would be the salvation of the human race and animals from all over. Noah didn’t act because it was his idea or because he thought he could save, he acted because God told him to.
Through Noah’s action, salvation came by God’s prompting.
We are all in the same position as Noah. Destruction is coming for all who are not in Christ. Jesus gave us our marching orders. Just like Noah likely started with cutting down one tree, we just take the next step in what we’ve been commaded to do:
1. Repent and Believe (Mark 1:15)
2. Love God and Love others (Matthew 22:37-39)
3. Go and Make Disciples. (Matthew 28:19-20)