Open Windows, Closed Doors (Genesis 7)

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. 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, 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. 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.” And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him. 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. Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah.

Revelation leads to Preparation

I remember pretty vividly the birth of Addi my oldest and first child.

Addi was born at like 11:45pm, after a long labor.

By the time our family and friends left and we settled it was 2am.

The nurse came in and was like do yall want us to take her to the nursery?

Morgan and I looked at eachother and then looked the nurse and quickly said no we will have to start being parent’s might as well start now.

And with the first baby one you think they are so loud that you are disterbing everyone in the hospital, and you are tired because you were standing all day while Morgan took her sweet time delievering the baby…

So finally we broke and sent Addi to the nursery. And we rested and slept.

When the time came for us to leave, It was terrible.

They were going to send us home with a 2 day old baby… how were we going to take care of her without a staff of nurses, and a doctor doing rounds?

I remember Addi cried when I tried to buckle her into the car seat the first time… The poor guy was helping everyone get out of the hospital and it was our turn and I couldn’t figure out those straps, and was I hurting Addi was it to tight? Was it to lose? Did I pinch her? It was rough.

We lived in Spearman so on the way home Addi started crying.

Spearman is an hour and a half north of Amarillo.

We didn’t know what to do… So we tried to calm her down, I started preaching thinking maybe she will fall asleep.

Notheing worked.

So we pull into the post office parking lot of Sanford Texas, if you don’t know where Sanford is you are doing pretty well in life.

As soon as Addi got out of the car seat she stopped crying.

It took us almost 3 hours to make that drive.

Now with Bryn… that girl came FAST!

My mother in law told us that our nurse left our room at one point, and as soon as the door shut made a full sprint to the phone to call our doctor.

We held Bryn Addi met her, everyone left and it was like 5pm.

So we sent her to the nursery immidiatly!!!

Aint no waiting this time and we crashed out.

Bryn had to go to the NICU for reasons we are still a little hazy about, and that started Bryn’s love for using up our deductable.

Other than that little stint it was a million times more comfortable that with Addi. It wasn’t as strange, We knew what t expect.

We had knowledge and that knowledge allowed us to mentally prepare.

I didn’t panic about getting her in the car seat, I was pretty good at it by that time.

We made it back to Spearman in normal time, infact it was so much easier I think we stopped at Alsups for dinner before we went to our house, becase I treat my ladies right!

With Cannon who will come in June...

It’s a new hospital and a new doctor… but the knowledge we have from the last too has helped us prepre for this one.

We know what to expect, and things could change but by and large we are ready because it a wonderful thing to see your kids be born, and it’s even better knowing what to expect.

Knowledge leads to preparation.

This is true of most things in life and it was true of Noah.

The divine knowledge of the impending flood and inevitable destruction leads to Noah and his family to prepare in obedience to God’s Word.

In Genesis 6:8 we saw that Noah found favor (grace) with God, while the rest of the world was unrighteous and lost, and rapidly getting into amounts of depravity that would make the politians blush.

We saw in Genesis 6:9 that beause of this grace that was recieved through faith, Noah was counted as Righteous, blameless, and walked with God.

God laid out his plan for destroying the earth, and gave Noah orders to build a boat. There is no lumber mills, Home Depot isn’t able to deliver to Noah’s region, the price of plywood is crazy high right now, but I would pay that ten times over before I thought about making my own plywood.

Yet Noah leads his family to diligently, faithfully obey God’s commands, and God covenants with Noah, God promises Noah that He will spare him if Noah will obey.

100 years Noah and his family were looking like fools, building a boat in the desert feels like us building a sports staidum that could seat 2 million people in Ira Texas.

Who would ever use that?

It would never justify the cost...

The Blood sweat and tears that went into making it would be wasted.

Not to mention someone has to pay for it.

But Noah did all that God commanded Him to do.

Because of the divine relalation, because he trusted God’s words to be true.

Noah built the Ark.

What I love about this story is it shows how divine soverenty and human will interact.

Noah built the ark, God sent the animals.

This knowledge caused Noah to prepare for something that noone knew was coming.

Two by two animals show up, there are some animals that have more than two, those are the clean animals, we will see, when Noah gets off of the ark he sacrifes animals to the Lord.

It would be tough to repopulate the Earth if you sacrifce all the males or female animals.

It would a DoDo Bird situation from Ice Age, the animated movie...

We also see in God’s conversation with Noah that EVERY living thing that is not in the Ark will be blotted out by God.

The flood is judgement on human sin, and God is the judge and jury.

Those on the ark will be saved, but God alone is the one who saves.

Those on the ark are saved because God told them, build the Ark (Noah and family) or God sent the animals.

Humans on the ark are Noah, his wife, his three sons, and his three daughter in laws.

Then we learn Noah was a young 600 years old when the flood came.

100 years ago he was told to build the ark and now he is going to need to use it.

Revelation leads to preparation.

Preparation leads to preservation.

Preparation leads to Preservation

Genesis 7:10–24 ESV

And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth. 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. And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 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, 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. They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life. And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the Lord shut him in. The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. 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. And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days.

Preparation leads to Preservation

I am a last minute trip packer!

Morgan is a start packing about 3 weeks before a trip.

It’s been a struggle in our mariage, but what almost always happens is I will go on no I forgot to pack… something important tooth brush, tooth paste, pants.

Morgan will go don’t worry I packed it for you.

This happend because her preperation leds to having the things we need when we need them.

Noah spent 100 years preparing for the coming flood, building the ark and staying diligent in his preparation.

Because of that praparation that came because he has the divine relvelation from God, Noah was preserved.

The fountains of the deep BURST FORTH, this wasn’t a trickle from the ground this was a gizzer!

Windows of the heavens were opened, and it poured down water!

It did this for 40 days and 40 nights.

The day it did this Noah and all his family loaded the Ark, they had all the animals on board.

The bible tells us not every animal was on the ark, but at least 2 from every kind was on the ark.

Species that could procreation fill the Earth, and even mirco evolve.

Nothing evolves into different species, but within secies we see animals change and shift, finches beaks change, certain animals will change colors to match their curroundings over time etc.

But a finch never becomes a dog.

It’s always a finch.

Two by Two a male and female of each kind of Animal entered the Ark, when everyone and every animal entered, the question shifted to who is going to shut the door?

Genesis 7:16 ESV

And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the Lord shut him in.

God opened the windows of destruction and shut the door to the Ark.

God makes it rain and flood the Earth.

God made the Ark float.

God made the waters prevail.

There are some who say the flood was not global.

Those who say that have to say the bible is misspeaking because

Genesis 7:19 ESV

And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered.

ALL the High Mountains

under the WHOLE heaven were covered.

All life that is not on the Ark is killed.

Blotted out.

Only those in the Ark survive.

We need to make sure we are understanding what is being said.

We face a temptation here of watering down the text, and trying to “defend” God by lightening what the bible says.

That does nothing except change the character and being of God so that we begin to make God in our image, instead of being conformed to the image of God.

God is the one who shut the Ark doors.

God is the one who sent the flood.

God is the one who floated the ark, and saved Noah, his family and animals.

God is the one who open His judgement upon the world.

He blotted them out.

We have seen how terrible they were.

We have seen how sin was running rampant and spreading in terrible ways.

This is uncomfortable for many people because our view of God is a kindly old man up stairs who offers good advice, and will send you a check every now and then, but isn’t really involved nor does he care much about life.

That is a false view of God.

He is HOLY.

He is the creator and owner.

He is the judge and jury.

He is the one who exacts perfect justice.

What we need to see here is sin is punished, man is culpable, and God is the one who exacts this punishment.

If we miss those things, then we miss the point.

God in his gracious mercy saves some and will rebuild the population of the earth, look around Ira and see the wandering herds of cats and know they turned out ok.

But without God’s grace and mercy.

Without God’s love.

Without those things our faith can not be helpful for saving.

God is long suffering, he told Noah to build the ark 100 years before, he could have wiped out the human population after Adam and Even sinned and at anypoint between then and now, but God delayed his judgement so that people had oportunties to recieve the grace of God through faith.

The reality is the flood is a terrible judgement, BUT a much more severe relaity is there is another judgement coming.

We will die or Jesus will come back, and there will be another judgement on sin.

Those who have heard the divine revelation, the word of salvation and respond to it in faith in Jesus, prepare.

Those who through grace prepare for the coming judgement are those who are preserved.

Revelation leads to preparation.

Preparation leads to preservation.

Application

If you knew for certain that in 1 year the world would end completely and that everyone would stand before God in judgement what would you do?

I thought about this alot this week.

in all honesty apart of me thought I would cancel life insuance and health insurance.

I would plan a massive vacation.

I would spend every penny that I own.

Probably quit.

Because I have a year to live it up.

Then as I began reflecting on that I relized, if that is my response to knowing the world would end, it looks like I do not know to goodness and joy and grace and mercy and love that is found in Jesus.

I began to get conviced and starting rethinking what should my heart be longing to do, if I have 1 year left and so does everyone else, my heart should not long to go off and soak up all the joys of ths fleeting world.

My heart should prepare for the coming judgement.

My heart should prepare for Jesus.

And not just for me, but my love for God ought to overflow into a love for others who are created in the image of God too.

I ought to be sold out to our church if I knew the world as ending in year, working hard with the insitution that God created to be the body, the building, the family of God.

Leading us in one last final push the reach out to our neightbors and those who are lost in Ira.

My heart should long to know Christ more and grow in Him, not abandon everyhting about Jesus ebcause ill make it up in eternity.

My heart should want to be more devoted to Jesus not less.

Jesus talked about this in Matthew 24:36-39

Matthew 24:36–39 ESV

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

What the bible clearly state is that there is another judgment coming, it will not be a flood, but it will be global.

This one will be different.

Everyone will stand before the Son of God and give a report for their lives.

Those who have been saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for the Glory of God alone, will stand in Judgement and plead grace, faith in Christ.

Jesus in my place.

Their account for thier life will be Christ’s righteousness, not my own.

On the merit of Jesus alone they will enter into eternal life.

Yet what we see happening before the flood is

normal life hapening.

eating, drinking, marrying, life was hapening while noone had any idea of the judgement that was about to take place.

Sure Noah had ths boat and filled it with animals, but it’s not going to flood in the dessert.

They were more certain life would continue like normal, than they were certain that God would judge sin.

They were wrong.

If we take this seriously, we know Jesus is going to come back.

We know that the day of judgement is certain.

We do not know when.

If anyonw gives you a specific date, you can point them to this verse and stop buying their books.

Not one think should change about our lives if we knew that Jesus was coming back in one year.

We are called at this very moment if we beleive in Jesus to be living in light of the reality that He will come back.

We can point to the chaos all around and be reminded that Jesus’ return very well could come soon.

We can also look across the globe and realize that at this very moment in history there are more Christians on the face of the earth than every before… just not in America and Europe.

Our calling does not change.

Love God.

Love others.

Reorient your life because of the divine revelation that we have recieved.

We know slavation.

Noah built the Ark.

We cling to the Cross, where Jesus bled and died for me.

He died so I could live.

Is that true of your life?

Are you living a life of dilligent obeident preparation for what God has told you and I?

Or is you life being influence and lived like the world and the flesh want?

the Ark is a shadow of the Cross.

What we saw was the windows of desctrion were opened, and the doors of salvation were closed.

At this very moment the windows of destruction are closed, and the door of salvation is open.

John 10:9 ESV

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

There is time.

God is holding back judgement and extending grace, but one day that will end.

and the truth is.

Revelation 3:7 ESV

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

Hear the word of God.

Let the grace of Jesus wash over you so much, that you love your neighbor enough to reorient your life so that they too might hear the word, be prepared, and be preserved.

Gos is patient and longsuffering with sinful people. Giving ample time to repent and turn to him for salvation