Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Good evening and welcome back!

Tonight if you will, start turning in your Bibles back to Genesis 6.

Tonight we are going to be looking a little bit at the life of Noah and some of the surrounding issues with his building of the Ark.

Outside of Jesus and Jonah, there are probably few things in the Bible that are more familiar to us than the account of Noah and his ark.

From the time we are old enough to understand and be taught we are taught about Noah and the ark and how God told Noah to build an ark, fill it with two of every kind of animal on earth, and then go into the ark because God was going to send a great flood.

We also know all about it raining for 40 days and 40 nights and the water even coming up from the deep to flood the earth and how everything outside the ark was killed.

We know how when the rain stopped Noah sent the raven and then the dove and the dove returned and after seven more days he sent out the dove again, that came back with an olive branch and then after seven more the dove didn't come back signaling that there was dry land for Noah.

We also know about God sending the rainbow as a sign that He would not destroy the earth via flood again.

All of that we have been taught and is important history and tells an important lesson about God, His mercy toward His children, and His judgment on the evil of the world.

However what I want to talk about tonight are those outside the ark.

Those that wouldn't come into the ark!

What it was like for them.

And what their refusal to come into the ark represents for us, the Church in the year 2022.

So, again we are going to be looking at Genesis 6, starting in verse 8 . . .

Scripture Focus

The Ark Represents Salvation

So, we see here the beginnings of Noah and his walk with God that would eventually save himself, his wife, and his sons and their wives, along with the animals.

But even at that, this was a little bit of a strange request from God.

Of all the things he could have told Noah to do, he told Noah to build an ark—a boat.

Noah, go out and build me a boat!

Because . . .

So, we begin to see God's plan unfold here.

He tells Noah that He is going to bring a flood upon the earth and the flood is going to destroy everything.

But why?

Why would God go to this extreme?

And skip down to verse 11 . . .

Humanity had grown wicked and evil.

People’s hearts were corrupt and focused on evil continually.

The earth was filled with violence.

It had gotten so bad that it grieved God.

The Bible says that it repented the Lord that he had made man on earth and it grieved his heart.

If God felt that way about the world then, I wonder how He feels about our world today?

The evil and corruption that we have going on today.

The wickedness of humanity.

Jesus also talked about the times we are living in...

As Jesus points out that in the days of Noah, the people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage.

In other words they were going along, living their life, not a thought in the world about the eternal things, about the coming of the Son of Man.

Their heart was evil and corrupt and they were clueless about what was coming on them.

However, this all changes . . . .

And, finally a warning from Christ . . .

Some Refuse to Heed the Warning

We are to WATCH and BE READY because we don't know when He is coming.

Rest assured though, He is coming!

And going back to our passage, in Verse 14 of chapter 6, God gives Noah the command to build the ark . . .

After this, God gives Noah the instructions on how to build the ark, what dimensions it will be and what materials to build it out of.

He then tells Noah His plans for the earth . . .

Just like God established a covenant with Noah, He also establishes a covenant with us today.

This isn't just as promise or a contract.

This is a blood covenant based on the blood of Jesus!

And . . .

And . . .

This covenant is not just offered to a select few BUT TO ALL WHO will accept it.

And . . .

And just like Christ preached the message on the earth, his Apostles preached the message, and every preacher since has preached the message, Noah also preached the message.

In fact, he preached the message for 100 years while he was building this ark.

And the message was this.

Judgment is coming!

Get ready!

Come into the ark!

However, they still refused.

They still would not commit to God.

They still were living their lives oblivious to the end.

They thought that they were okay, didn't have anything to worry about.

Thought old Noah was just some old nut out building a big boat.

After all, it had never rained before.

They didn’t even know what it was or what Noah was going on about.

So, they mocked him and ignored him.

Just the ramblings of this crazy old dude building a big boat on dry land.

They had better things to do.

The State of the Modern Church

That's the state the modern day church is in in many instances.

So many out there that won't come and get into the ark.

They won't enter into the true covenant with God.

They may have to give up something, leave some worldly possessions behind.

What's even worse is we have multitudes that came and got into the boat, but they got back out before the flood came.

God tarried a little while and they decided that they would take their chances.

But Noah obeyed and followed God.

And guess what—the floods came.

Notice that Noah was six hundred years old when he got in the boat.

If we back up a couple of chapters and we read  . . . .

So, Noah was 500 years old when he started having kids.

Many say that this was also when God spoke to Noah and told him to build the ark.

So, if that holds true, Noah had 100 years to build this ark, the whole time warning others of the impending danger.

100 years to preach the same thing Jesus and the Apostles preached .  . .

And . . .

And . . .

I know what we all are saying, "I've repented", "I believe the gospel."

Really?

How is your walk since you repented?

Are you closer to God than you were then?

Are you closer to God than you were yesterday?

Do you still believe Jesus is coming again?

Are you READY and WATCHING?

Are you living a Holy Life, Acceptable to Him?

In the words of the Apostle Paul . . .

Have you received the blessed Comforter?

Has your heart been "strangely warmed" as John Wesley put it?

Has there been a change of heart?

Have you got in and stayed in the ark, or are you wandering back and forth, in and out?