By Faith, With Fear, For Family - June 20th, 2021
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· 28 viewsHow did Captain Noah get all of his family aboard the Good Ship Grace?
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Introduction:
Introduction:
7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
May I tell you that the devil hates family worship and yet the Bible is so full of it?
In the New Testament, especially in the Book of Acts, when someone got saved, they had a burden for their entire house.
13 And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; 14 Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.
That is, your household or those who live in your house “shall be saved.”
Or, what about Lydia, in Acts 16, who let the church at Philippi get started in her own house. The Bible tells how Lydia believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, the other members of her house got saved too, and they all got baptized that day. The entire home got baptized. Thank God for that because they all trusted in the Lord Jesus.
And again in Acts 16:30-31 we can read of the Philippian Jailer who got saved when he asked Paul and Silas,
And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
That is, every person in your household needs to be saved. And, they all got baptized, because they all had received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.
Look back at our verse in Heb. 11:7 where Noah prepared an ark. The Bible says that Noah prepared the ark to the saving of his house. That is, all of those in daddy Noah’s family were saved. They came to know the Lord because of the leadership of that dad.
If you read Genesis 7,
1 And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.... 4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. 5 And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him. 6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth. 7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.... 10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. 11...the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark... and the Lord shut him in. 17 And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.... 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. 20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. 21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. 23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
You discover all eight of them were saved. There’s a great emphasis in the Bible on household salvation.
Main Thought:
How did Captain Noah get all of his family aboard the Good Ship Grace?
Can you think of a better Father’s Day verse than Heb. 11:7? Not only did Noah get in, but he got his family in also.
Sub-intro:
In order to understand this story we have to go back to the Old Testament where it happened in Genesis 6-9.
Oh no, dear friend, this is neither fiction, fable, nor legend, but an actual event. All great civilizations have some record of the flood. Geologists and archaeologists have unearthed seashells and marine fossils in the top of the Alps, in fact, we have them in the tops of the Rockies, right over here, which shows that the world at one time was covered by a great deluge. Jesus said,
26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
If the Lord Jesus believed the Genesis account, then friend, that’s good enough for me. Genesis 6 is a factual occurrence and an incredible illustration of salvation. What were the days of Noah like? Well, look in Genesis 6:1–3:
1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
—The godly lines of Seth—“saw the daughters of men”—That is, the ungodly line of Cain—“that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.”—They blatantly disregarded God and they went their own willful way—“And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man.” There was a conflict with the Spirit of God. And, the mind of man went against the will and the Spirit of God.
A. These Were Days of Disinterest in Spiritual Things
A. These Were Days of Disinterest in Spiritual Things
The Bible describes how they married and how they were giving in marriage. They were buying, they were selling, and they knew not until the flood came.
So like this generation. We have a generation that just rolls over and yawns in the face of God.
The following is excerpted from “Record High,” Gallup.com, June 8, 2021: “U.S. support for legal same-sex marriage continues to trend upward, now at 70%--a new high in Gallup's trend since 1996. This latest figure marks an increase of 10 percentage points since 2015, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that all states must recognize same-sex marriages. Today's 70% support for same-sex marriage marks a new milestone in a trend that has pointed upward for a quarter of a century. A small minority of Americans (27%) supported legal recognition of gay and lesbian marriages in 1996, when Gallup first asked the question. But support rose steadily over time, eventually reaching the majority level for the first time in 2011. By the time of the Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges decision in 2015, support for gay marriage had reached 60%. ... Republicans, who have consistently been the party group least in favor of same-sex marriage, show majority support in 2021 for the first time (55%). The latest increase in support among all Americans is driven largely by changes in Republicans' views. Democrats have consistently been among the biggest supporters of legal same-sex marriage. The current 83% among Democrats is on par with the level of support Gallup has recorded over the past few years. ... As would be expected at a high-water mark in national support for same-sex marriage, all age groups are the most supportive they have been to date. Still, age differences remain, with 84% of young adults, 72% of middle-aged adults, and 60% of older adults saying they favor same-sex marriage.”
The houses of lust-filled pleasure abound today. People by-in-large are not in the house of God. They care not for the things of God. How can we not be living on the very threshold of an even greater judgment than Noah witnessed? Our children are facing the same kind of wickedness that they faced in Noah’s day, perhaps the greatest wickedness of all-time, when people who otherwise should know better simply make their plans in life and leave the the things of God out of the picture, or at a minimum give them a backseat to their own bellies. That is the mark of the last days. Yet, in the face of all of that Noah was able to get his family on board the ark.
B. These Were Days of Doctrinal Falling Away
B. These Were Days of Doctrinal Falling Away
They were days when those from a godly heritage fell away from the things of the Lord. Verses one through three say they were going against the Spirit of God and the co-mingling of that which is godly and that which is ungodly.
There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
Now, they were not mighty to serve God. They were mighty to serve wickedness.
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
God is heartbroken over the sins of this generation. The Bible says that these kinds of days breaks His heart.
And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
C. These Were Days of Dreaming of Only Evil Continually
C. These Were Days of Dreaming of Only Evil Continually
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
“Imaginations” is a very interesting word. It does not mean daydreams, but it actually comes from a Hebrew root word, which means to fashion something as a potter would fashion a vessel. “Inventions” carries a helpful flavor. They were constantly inventing new ways to sin against God and His beautiful creation. One writer described it as, “scheming and philosophizing. Here was a generation whose heart and mind was set against God. They fashioned wicked philosophies, they espoused filthy causes, and then they tried to pour society into their mold.”
Is that not precisely what we see happening today. They tried to reshape society. The same sins that produced the flood in Noah’s day are reaching to Heaven today.
Transition: I don’t want to dwell on the evil, though, otherwise we’d only be more and more discouraged.
Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop:
But a good word maketh it glad.
So, what’s the Good Word for today? I want you to see why I am so excited about Noah’s ark because Noah’s ark is a wonderful and glorious picture of salvation. When you look at the ark you find out what we have in the Lord Jesus. This is not mere happenstance. In the New Testament, Simon Peter clearly tells us in the New Testament that the ark of Noah is a picture, a type, and a prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice first,
I. What Does the Ark Picture - Salvation?
I. What Does the Ark Picture - Salvation?
And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Judgment is coming. Therefore verse 14 says: “Make thee an ark of gopher wood.”
A. A Picture of Someone Incorruptible
A. A Picture of Someone Incorruptible
What is the ark made out of? Gopher wood. What is gopher wood? I believe it is similar to a kind of cypress. And, what is cypress? Cypress is, perhaps, the most incorruptible of all of the woods.
Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens horizontalis). The cypress is a massive tall-growing evergreen with scale-like leaves and is widely distributed in the mountainous regions of the Bible lands. On Mt Lebanon and Mt Hermon it grows together with the cedar and oak. Its usual height is 50 to 60 feet but it may grow as tall as 80 feet. The cones are rounded and smaller than most pine cones. Cypress wood is very hard and durable and was employed by the ancients in the manufacture of idols. It is said to have been used extensively in ship building by the Phoenicians, Cretans, and Greeks. There is general agreement that the “gopher wood” of Genesis 6:14 is cypress because the wood is very durable. The ancient Egyptians used it for making coffins. [Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible]
Jesus Christ is pictured in the Bible as a the Righteous BRANCH, and branches are trees. One who will grow up as a root out of dry ground. Psalm 1 speaks of the righteous as a tree planted by the rivers of water. Dear friend, that’s what a cypress is. It’s a tree planted by rivers of water. And, here’s an ark that is made of gopher wood; or cypress wood, and that wood speaks of the humanity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
B. A Picture of Someone Impregnable
B. A Picture of Someone Impregnable
Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
Pitch means to put gooey tar on the outside of the ark, and to put gooey tar on the inside of the ark. That tar was called pitch. And God said to Noah, “Now, Noah, I want you to make this ark of this incorruptible wood, and then all over the outside, I want you to put pitch. And, then get on the inside of the ark, and all over the inside of the ark, I want you to put pitch.”
Now, what was that for? Well, obviously, it was to keep the water out. Now, what was the water? The water was judgment. And God said, “You put the pitch on the outside, and put the pitch on the inside, and that’ll keep the judgment out.” Did you know that Hebrew word pitch is the word kaphar?
kapar (כָּפַר, 3722), “to cover over, atone, propitiate, pacify.” This root is found in the Hebrew language at all periods of its history, and perhaps is best known from the term Yom Kippur, “Day of Atonement.” Its verbal forms occur approximately 100 times in the Hebrew Bible. Kapar is first found in Gen. 6:14, where it is used in its primary sense of “to cover over.” Here God gives Noah instructions concerning the ark, including, “Cover it inside and out with pitch” (rsv). (The kjv translates, “Pitch it within and without with pitch.”) Most uses of the word, however, involve the theological meaning of “covering over,” often with the blood of a sacrifice, in order to atone for some sin. [Vines]
And, do you know how it is translated over seventy times in the Bible, that same word? It’s translated “atonement.” When the Bible speaks of the blood in the Old Testament, it says,
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
It could be read like this, “It is the blood that maketh pitch (kaphar, or atonement) for the soul.” What a play on words. God says to Noah, “Now, Noah, build this massive boat, and put atonement on the outside, and put atonement on the inside.” Atonement keeps the judgment out. Do you understand that?
This ship was incorruptible, this ship was impenetrable by the judgment of God. And this ship pictures and represents the Lord Jesus Christ.
C. A Picture of a Savior All-Sufficient
C. A Picture of a Savior All-Sufficient
Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
1. The Ark - Sufficient in Size
1. The Ark - Sufficient in Size
Rooms were to be made in the ark. Well, what are rooms for? Well, rooms are for people to stay in. Without getting into too much detail, may I tell you, my dear friend, that this is three million cubic feet of space. An incredible size. There was room for everything that it was meant to do. May I tell you today, there’s room on board for you? May I tell you today, that there is room at the cross for you?
Room at the Cross for You
Ira F. Stanphill, 1946
Cross of Jesus; invitation to accept Christ as Savior
Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts:
And let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him;
And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
2. The Ark - The Shape of Death’s Door
2. The Ark - The Shape of Death’s Door
But, think again, if you will, and look in verse 15 at the shape of this ark. Notice, that the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. It didn’t have a prow. Why? Because it didn’t have a helm. No human hands steered this ship. Why? Because it didn’t have a destination. God was in charge of where that boat went. There was no prow. It was blunt at this end, and it was blunt at that end.
The shape of the ark was that of an ancient coffin. That was the shape of it. It was shaped like a coffin. Why is that? Because, dear friend, we die with Christ that we might live with Him. When Noah went into that ark, the world that was under judgment was sealed out to Noah, and Noah was sealed in to God. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:20). Ancient people made their coffins out of cypress wood. So, you see, dear friend, the, the substance of the ark, the safety of the ark, the size of the ark, the shape of the ark, and, now.
3. The Ark - A Picture in Stories
3. The Ark - A Picture in Stories
A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
The Ark had three stories, which shows us the tri-unity of Christ’s nature in His humanity, and His deity. One God, in three persons.
4. The Ark - Shut by Jehovah Himself
4. The Ark - Shut by Jehovah Himself
But, on the side of the ark is a door and at the top of the ark was a window. Now what does that tell us? Well, dear friend, God controlled the door. Noah controlled the window. God shut the door, God put Noah in the ark, and God controlled the door, but Noah was closed in, the only way he could look was heavenward. Now, my dear friend, that ark is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. We know God through Christ. When we come into the ark He brings us in and as God controls the door then we can pull back the window and look into the face of God.
What was God showing Noah? That he’s no longer to be worldly minded. He is now to be heavenly minded. He has entered into the Lord Jesus Christ.
5. The Ark - Sufficient to Sustain Its Passengers & Crew
5. The Ark - Sufficient to Sustain Its Passengers & Crew
And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.
There is sustenance in Christ. “When you find that Christ is all you have, then you realize He is all you ever need.” When Jesus saves us, He invites us to His table. And, the Captain of our Salvation sets a good table.
Again, to quote the old preacher, “Not only does Jesus save, Jesus satisfies.” Say, “Amen.” Not only does He save, He satisfies.
D. A Picture of a Savior Who Is "Right on Time”
D. A Picture of a Savior Who Is "Right on Time”
And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
This might be the most amazing part of the whole picture! What’s so special about the seventh month? Well, what is the first month in the Jewish calendar? It’s Nian, or March-April. So what is the seventh month? The seventh month is the month of Tishri, or Sept-Oct. Now, what day in Tishri did the ark come to rest? On the seventeenth, which is three days after the Day of Atonement, the fourteenth. How long did Jesus endure temptation in the wilderness? 40 Days & 40 Nights. How long did Jesus lay in the grave for sin? Three days and three nights. When the Ark finally rested on the seventeenth day, it was a sign that His judgment for sin was finally abated. When Jesus rose the third day, it was vindication that God’s wrath on sin was satisfied by His blood.
The Core of the Gospel
There are several animals involved in the ritual performed on the Day of Atonement. Before the high priest can enter into the Most Holy Place (which he alone can do only one day each year), he must make a blood sacrifice and go through an elaborate process of purification. There are two more animals involved, one that is killed and another that survives. The one that is killed yields blood, which the high priest takes into the inner sanctum and sprinkles on the mercy seat to bring reconciliation. Yet, in this drama there is no power in that blood other than its pointing forward to the blood of the Lamb, even as the blood on the doorposts on the night of Passover pointed beyond itself to Christ.
We know two things from the Day of Atonement. First, that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. We also learn from the author of Hebrews that the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin. But in the drama of the blood sacrifice that is sprinkled on the mercy seat, an act of propitiation is symbolized, which some brilliant translators in the middle of the twentieth century decided to take out of the New Testament, to their everlasting shame.
Those are two words at the core of the gospel—propitiation and expiation. They have the same root but different prefixes. People must understand propitiation and expiation if they are going to understand the gospel....Let’s not forget the other animal that liberal theologians try every which way to erase from the biblical record. I’m speaking of the goat, the scapegoat, which became the object of imputation when the priest lay his hands on the back of the animal, symbolically indicating the transfer of the guilt of the people to the back of the goat. Afterward the goat was driven into the wilderness, outside the camp. In the middle of the camp, equidistant to every settlement of every tribe, was the tabernacle, which indicated that God was in the midst of his people. So to be driven out of camp, outside the covenant community, was to be driven to the place where the blessings of God did not reach. That’s what Christ did for us in expiation.
When on the cross, not only was the Father’s justice satisfied by the atoning work of the Son, but in bearing our sins the Lamb of God removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. He did it by being cursed.
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
He who is the incarnation of the glory of God became the very incarnation of the divine curse.
Many years ago [a preacher] was asked by the Quaker community of Pennsylvania, the Society of Friends, to come to one of their meetings and explain to them the difference between the old covenant and the new covenant. [He] talked about the Day of Atonement in Israel and the crucifixion of Christ in the New Testament. As [he] spoke of Christ becoming cursed, [his] message was interrupted by a guy in the back who stood up and shouted, “That’s primitive and obscene!” [The preacher] was taken aback, and just to give [himself] a chance to think [he] said, “What did you say?” as if [he] hadn’t heard him. (Everybody in the room heard him.) With great hostility he repeated himself, so [the preacher] told him that [he] loved the words he’d chosen. What could be more primitive than killing animals and placing the blood over the throne of God or taking a human being and pouring out his blood as a human sacrifice?
[The Gospel] wasn’t written merely for an agnostic elite group of scholars. The drama of redemption is communicated in terms so simple, so crass and primitive, that a child can understand it. [The preacher also] really like the second word he used—obscene. If there ever was an obscenity that violates contemporary community standards, it was Jesus on the cross. After he became the scapegoat and the Father had imputed to him every sin of every one of his people, the most intense, dense concentration of evil ever experienced on this planet was exhibited. Jesus was the ultimate obscenity....
All the imagery that betrays the historical event of the cross is the imagery of the curse. It was necessary for the Scriptures to be fulfilled that Jesus not be crucified by Jews; he had to be delivered into the hands of the Gentiles. He had to be executed not by stoning but by Gentiles outside the camp so that the full measure of the curse and the darkness that attends it be visited upon Jesus. [Sproul, Proclaiming a Cross-Centered Theology]
Transition: Tucked away here in the Old Testament, God has given us a picture of the salvation that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ, who passed through the waters of judgment on our behalf? The Bible says the ark rested there. And, my dear friend, our Lord is seated at the right hand of the majesty on high, having let the billows of judgment roll over Him, and He’s not lost a single soul who has come in to Him.
II. How Do We Enter this Salvation?
II. How Do We Enter this Salvation?
How did they got on board this wonderful ark? This should be so simple today. My prayer is that the Lord would help me not to be over-complicated, or convoluted. Lord, help me just to be clear, plain and simple. Two of the plainest verses are Ephesians 2:8-10,
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Let’s go back to high school English, you know what a preposition is. Okay? There’re three key prepositions in Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 and 9. “By,” “through,” and “unto.” “By grace,” “through faith,” and “unto good works.” Keep those in your mind. Similar to the three prepositions in my title: By faith, with fear, for family. Keep those three prepositions in your mind and you will understand the theology of salvation perfectly. By, through, and unto. It is “by grace,” “through faith,” and “unto good works.” “By grace,” “through faith,” and “unto good works.”
A. Salvation Is By Grace
A. Salvation Is By Grace
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
This is the first mention of grace in all of the Bible. How did captain Noah and his family find salvation? By grace. And, what is grace? Grace is as Dr. Adrian Rogers once described, “God’s incredible, indescribable love that causes Him to love us when we don’t deserve to be loved.”
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
What do we see in the Noahic Covenant? We see a covenant of grace. Noah’s name means “Comfort.”
But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
Salvation is a covenant of grace because we’re never saved by good works: not by joining any church, giving any money, getting baptized, keeping the Ten Commandments, or living right. “Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, it is a gift for the guilty.” If you go to heaven, dear friend, it’ll only be because God gave you grace and has prepared a place of salvation for you in the Lord Jesus Christ.
B. Salvation Is Through faith
B. Salvation Is Through faith
What did Hebrews 11:7 tell us? That by faith Noah prepared an ark to the saving of his house. “By grace” was God’s part; “by faith” was Noah’s part.
And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
And when Noah walked up that gangplank, that was faith, dear friend. You see, faith is as the old preacher used to say, “the gangplank that gets us on board the good ship Grace.”
“Just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me, O Lamb of God I come to thee, I come.” You say, “He didn’t say it in those words.” No, but here God had given him a picture of grace. And God says, “Noah, I have prepared for you an ark of salvation, and I want you to come.” and Noah responded, “Just as I am, I come, I come.” (Adrian Rogers)
C. Salvation Is Unto Good Works
C. Salvation Is Unto Good Works
And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
Were they saved because they were fruitful, and multiplied, and replenished the earth? No. They were fruitful, and multiplied, and replenished the earth because they were saved. Fruit is never the cause of our salvation, it is only an effect of our having already been saved.
“I cannot work my soul to save, that work my Lord has done, but I will work like any slave, for the love of God’s dear Son.” ~ Adrian Rogers
We can never be saved by any works even if mixed with faith, but we are nonetheless saved by faith that then works. Noah was so grateful for what God had done for him that he took God at His word to be fruitful and to multiply. Just like each one of us should be. How did captain Noah get his family aboard?
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
III. What Is This Salvation?
III. What Is This Salvation?
And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.
A. To Be Saved Is to Be “Sealed”
A. To Be Saved Is to Be “Sealed”
Who shut the door? Jehovah did.
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Not only did God shut the water out, but also God shut Noah in.
B. To Be Saved Is to Be Secured
B. To Be Saved Is to Be Secured
This is the reason I believe in the eternal security of the believer. Do you see, God shut the door. God said to Noah, “Come into the ark.” Now, God didn’t say to Noah, “Noah, go into the ark.” You say, “What’s the difference?” Well, if I say to you, “Go into that room” that means I’m out here and you go in there. But if I say, “Come into this room” that means I’m in here. Come in with me, right?
Friend, if the ark had gone down, God would have gone down. God was in the ark. I’ll tell you when I’ll lose my salvation, I’ll lose my salvation when Jesus Christ loses His relationship with the Father, because I’m in Christ.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
I am in Christ, as Noah was in that ark. And I am shut in to Christ, as Noah was shut into that ark. I am safe and secured with Christ in the vessel, I can smile at the storm.
You say, “Well, what if you slip and fall? You say, what do you mean, ‘what if,’ my dear friend?” I slip and fall a lot. I’ll tell you one thing, Noah may have fallen down many times in that ark, but he never fell out of it. He couldn’t fall out of it, because God had shut him in. You know, I think a lot of these folks just believe they’re going to be kept saved by, somehow, just holding on.
Suppose God had said to Noah, “now, Noah, if you want to be saved, you put some eight pegs on the outside of that ark. One for you, and one for Mrs. Noah, one for Shem, one for Ham, one for Japheth, and one for each of their wives. Then when it starts to rain real hard, you get on a step ladder, and go up, and hold on to those pegs as tight as you can. It’s gonna be rough. But Noah, if you all can hold onto that slimy peg until the water goes down, then you’ll be saved. Isn’t it so sad that some people actually think that they can be saved by trying as hard as they can to hold onto God? No, my dear friend. We’re saved because He holds onto us.
Security is not in a place; security is in a Person, and His name is Jesus. And, dear friend, if you’re in Christ, you’re secure. And if you’re not in Christ, you will never know true peace and security that can only be found in Him. “By faith Noah … Moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house.” Dad, have you led your wife, your sons, your daughters to Jesus?
Jessica and I have some little babies in heaven; and we have three children here on this earth. By God’s grace they each know and love the Lord Jesus, but that’s because we have been focused on helping them each come to know Him personally. They each believe in daddy’s God.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Oh, my dear friend, I don’t know how I could ever bear the thought of going to Heaven and leaving my children behind. “Come thou, and thy house into the ark.” My captain brother, the question for you today is, “Is all the crew on board?” I mean, have you led your children to Jesus? Are you, sir, on board that ark?
Let’s bow in prayer. Heads are bowed, eyes are closed. Friend, I’m telling you the days of Noah are here again. Our world is headed for judgment that is worse than what Noah faced. And I wonder, today, how many watching would say, “Pastor, if I died today, or if Jesus comes today, I know I’d go to heaven.” I hope that many of you can say that. “Father God, I pray give the invitation, that many precious souls listening to this message will come to Jesus. In His wonderful name I pray, amen.”
[Adapted from: Adrian Rogers, “The Captain and His Kids,” in Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust, 2017), Heb 11:7.]