Answers Bible Curriculum 2nd Edition Unit 3 Lesson 25
In this lesson, we examine the entire Genesis flood account for details about the timing of the flood events themselves and about the specific people and creatures which perished in the flood. Did the flood finish in forty days and forty nights? Is the Bible ambiguous about which people and animals survived on the earth? And what do these details indicate about the genre of the account, the global or local nature of the flood, and the sobriety we ought to have toward the judgment of God?
Our main text for this lesson is Genesis 6:1-9:19.
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well welcome back everybody to Sunday school getting started yeah I know you need some extra effort this morning because of daylight savings time but I’m looking forward to our lesson today we’re continuing our study of the seven C’s of history and in particular the third event the third C and that is the flood catastrophe last week we looked at the world situation before the flood and we saw why God sent the flood it was due to the wickedness of man on the earth that was so great in ever-increasing all of it offending God’s perfect character not just his holiness but also his goodness we also saw why God spared Noah God spared Noah because Noah was righteous and from where did know his righteousness come not from his works we looked at this last week didn’t come from keeping God’s commands it came the same way that righteousness comes for us and that is by faith it was by faith in God and in God’s promised salvation that Noah was righteous his works were a result of faith that’s why he was obedient to all God’s demands and from where to know his faith come from all we talked about there from where did the state come we’re talking about that last week too and that is it was a gift of God God chose to show favor to know it granted him faith because he’s saved he was saved just as we are saved and that is by grace through faith now let’s move on to today’s materials because the flood is such an important and instructive event in our history we’re focusing on different aspects of the flood over the next several lessons and today’s lesson it’s going to be a unique look at the flood here’s a look at what we’re doing today we’re going to read through the entire flood account in one city from Genesis 6 to Genesis 9 now obviously that’s a lot of text and a lot of information why are we doing that what are we looking to accomplish well basically we’re looking to answer to questions last week we focused on two questions and this week we’re focusing on two questions the questions for today are what is first the question is what is the timeline for the progression of the flood events do we get a disturbance and then second question of what exactly was destroyed in the flood oh and connected with that what was safe what was spared answering these questions will help us get a better grip on whether what we read in God’s Word ought to be taken as myth hyperbole or sobering historical narrative depending on how we see the timing of the text laid out and the details about what was destroyed and what was spared it’s gonna affect how we understand this passage as a whole and that’ll be useful not only in an apologetic sense but also for taking in the message of this passage now we’re gonna explore it the final part of our class today a number of application questions that relate to what does this mean for us how does it how should it impact our lives what are some ways and I’ve drawn actually many of these application questions from the Answers in Genesis workbooks that go along with this course so if you have those workbooks you’ll notice that many of the questions are similar to what we’re gonna be talking about later well let’s ask God’s blessing now for this time of instruction pray with me our great God we thank you we thank you for today we thank you that you’ve given us your word and you’ve given us this record this isn’t very important part of our history Lord important part of the world things that happen in the world for us to know God I pray that you would bless this time that we would understand your word and that we would see the significance of it for our lives today and I pray that we would come to revere you have a holy fear based on what we what we read and hear today and God I pray that that would ultimately results in our joy as we know you more as we submit to you and as we grow in love for you I pray that you would be so pleased to accomplish that in today’s lesson in Jesus name Amen well we start by simply hearing the entire flood account so please open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 6 and we’re gonna read Genesis 6 starting from verse 1 going to Genesis 9 verse 19 as I said as we read I want you to be paying attention to two ideas so read through think about the timing of the flood and the scope of the flood destruction might think of drawing some notes down on a piece of paper if you have that handy or if you have a writing implement but if you don’t don’t worry that’s okay just make mental notes as we go through and I’ll read the text in such a way where I emphasize where significant details appear in the text now reading through this entire passage is gonna take about 15 minutes or so so stay focused but I think it’ll be really beneficial for us to hear the whole account at once so Genesis 6:1 down to verse 19 in chapter let’s hear God’s proclamation of the flood event now it came about when men began to multiply in the face of the land and daughters were born to them that the sons of God saw the daughters of men were beautiful they took wives for themselves whomever they chose then you always said my spirit shall not strive with man forever because he also his flesh nevertheless his days shall be 120 years the Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also afterward when the sons of God came into the daughters event and they bore children to them those were the mighty men who were of old men of renown then you always saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually Yahweh was sorry that he had made man on the earth and he was grieved in his heart he always said I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky for I am sorry that I had made them but Noah found favor in the eyes of God way these are the records of the generations of Noah Noah was a righteous man blameless in his time Noah walked with God it became the father of three sons Shem ham and Japheth now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God and the earth was filled with violence God looked on the earth and behold it was corrupt for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth then God said to Noah the end of all flesh has come before me for the earth is filled with violence because of them behold I’m about to destroy them with the earth make for yourself an ark of gopher wood you shall make the ark with rooms and you shall cover it inside and out with pitch this is how you shall make it the length of the ark 300 cubits its breadth 50 cubits and its height 30 cubits you shall make a window for the ark and finish it to a cubit from the top and set the door of the ark in the side of it you shall make it with lower second and third decks behold I even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth to destroy all flesh which is in which is the breath of life from under heaven everything that is on the earth shall perish but I will establish my covenant with you and you shall enter the ark you and your sons and your wife and your sons wives with you and of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every kind into the ark to keep them alive with you they shall be male and female of the birds after their kind of the animals after their kind of every creeping thing at the ground after its kind two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive as for you take for yourself some of all food which is edible and gather it to yourself and it shall be for food for you and for them thus Noah did according to all that God had commanded him so he did then you always said to noah entered the ark you and all your household for you alone i’ve seen to be righteous before me in this time you shall take with you of every clean animal by sevens a male and his female now the animals that are not clean it couldn’t – my male and his female also the birds of the sky by sevens male and female to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth for after seven more days i will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights and i will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made Noah did according to all that Yahweh commanded him had commanded him now Noah was 600 years old when the flood of water came upon the earth then Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons wives with him entered the ark because of the waters of the flood of clean animals and animals that were not that are not clean and birds and everything that creeps on the ground there went into the ark to Noah by twos male and female as God had commanded Noah it came about after the seven days that the water 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 same day or on the same day all the Fountains of the great deep burst open and the floodgates of the sky were opened the rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights on the very same day Noah and Shem and ham and Japheth the sons of Noah and Noah’s life and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark they in every beast after its kind and all the cattle after their kind and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind and every bird after its kind all sorts of birds so they went into the ark to Noah by twos of all flesh in which was the breath of life there was an entered male and female of all flesh entered as God had commanded him and Yahweh closed it behind him then the flood came upon the earth for forty days and the water increased and lifted up the ark so that it rose above the earth the water prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth and the ark floated on the surface of the water the water prevailed more and more upon the earth so that all the high mountains everywhere under the heavens were covered the water prevailed 15 cubits higher and the mountains were covered all flesh that moved on the earth perished birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth and all mankind of all that was on the dry land all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life died thus he blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the land from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky and they were blotted out from the earth and only Noah was left together with those who are with him in the ark the water prevailed upon the earth 150 days now chapter 8 verse 1 but God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark and God caused a wind to pass over the earth and the water subsided also the Fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky were closed and the rain from the sky was restrained and the water receded steadily from the earth and at the end of 150 days the water decreased in the seventh month on the seventeenth day of the month the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat the water decreased steadily until the tenth month in the tenth month on the first day of the month the top to the mountains became visible then it came about at the end of 40 days that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made and he sent out a raven and it flew here and there until the water was dried up from the earth then he sent out a dove from him to see if the water was abated from the face of the land but the Dove found no resting place of the sole of her foot so she returned to him into the ark for the water was on the surface of all here then he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark to himself so he waited yet another seven days and again he sent out the dog from the Ark the Dove came to him toward evening and behold in her beak as a freshly picked olive leaf so Noah knew that the water was abated from the earth then he waited yet another seven days and sent out the Dove but she did not return to him again now it came about in the six hundred and first year in the first month on the first of the month the water was dried up from the earth then Noah removed the covering of the Ark and looked and behold the surface of the ground was dried up in the second month on the 27th day of the month the earth was dry then God spoke to Noah saying go out of the ark you and your wife and your sons and your sons lies with you bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth that they may breed abundantly on the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth so Noah went out his sons and his wife and his sons wives with him every beast every creeping thing in every bird everything that moves on the earth went out by their families from the ark then Noah built an altar to Yahweh and took of every clean animal of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar he always smelled the soothing aroma and you always said to himself I will never again curse the ground on account of manna for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth and I will never again destroy every living thing as I have done while the earth remains seedtime and harvest and cold and heat and summer and winter and day and night shall not cease and God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth the fear of you and the terror of you we’ll be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky with everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea into your hand they are given every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you I give all to you as I gave the green plant only you shall not eat flesh with its life that is its blood surely I will require your lifeblood from every beast I will require it and from every man from every man’s brother I will require the life of man whoever sheds man’s blood by man his blood shall be shed for in the image of God he made man as for you be fruitful and multiply populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him saying now behold I myself to establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that is with you the birds the cattle and every beast of the earth with you of all that comes out of the ark even every beast of the earth I establish my covenant with you and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth God said this is the sign of the covenant which I’m making between me and you and every living creature that is with you for all successive generations I set my bow in the cloud and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between me and the earth it shall come about when I bring a cloud over the earth that the bow will be seen in the cloud and I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh when the bow is in the cloud then I will look upon it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on here God said to Noah this is the sign of the covenant which I’ve established between me and all flesh that is on the earth now the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were shem and ham and Japheth and ham was the father of canaan these three were the sons of noah and from these the whole earth was populated and that’s what will stop it’s good to read a long section of scripture together to read an entire accounts like like we have just done we won’t be doing that again in the upcoming lessons but I hope that was edifying to you but let’s see if we can go back to those two questions that we framed in the beginning what about the timing did you notice time indicators in the text shouldn’t have from these we can build a specific timeline of the flood and we’re gonna do that now I’ll put most irrelevant most relevant time details on the screen for you but do note first of all a time detail that appears in Genesis 6:3 they’re first appears a warning of the coming judgment from God when he says man’s days will be 120 years now some take this to be some kind of reference to man’s new lifespan that as a result of judgment God says now man is not gonna live so long I’m gonna bring his age down to 120 years but I don’t think this is the best interpretation cuz if we just go to the Genesis 11 genealogy we’ll see that post flood many people do live way more than hundred twenty years but as we keep going through time we also learned that many people live way less than hundred twenty years by the time we reach Moses’s day Moses is able to say this in his Psalm Psalm 90 10 a song written by Moses Moses says Psalm 90 verse 10 as for the days of our life they contain seventy years or if due to strength 80 years yet their pride is but labor and sorrow for soon it is gone that we fly away so 120 years doesn’t sit very well as a description of man’s new lifespan believed along with Answers in Genesis and others the best way to understand this statement is that it is a final display of God’s patience before the flood judgment even with the unthinkable commingling of the sons of God and the daughters of man which is an interpretation issue we can’t unpack fully today but as I mentioned before I do believe this refers to the some kind of demonic possession and commingling of fallen angels with human women but even after this heinous breach of the appropriate spheres of the spiritual and the human God does not send immediate judgment he says yet 120 years so God’s patience was not at an end but it was the beginning of the end of God’s patience the flood is coming and likely this statement from God since it’s recorded for us in the scriptures was given by God to Noah and as a reaction to that statement and with what continues in the text this is probably when Noah began building the ark because right after God says this he gives the instructions to Noah about the flood and tells him to build an ark which means that Noah’s probably building the ark for about a hundred years building the ark acting as a preacher of righteousness and thereby condemning the world his Hebrew says he was building this lifeboat for a long time because God yet was patient that’s the first time DT I want to point out to you but the flood itself we learn begins at a very specific time day zero the beginning of the flood according to Genesis 7 verse 11 is Noah’s six hundredth year of life on the second month on the seventeenth day of the month it’s on this very day that the flood begins it begins with rain from the sky and the opening of all the Fountains of the deep so don’t forget this when it comes to the flood it wasn’t simply rain from above it was also water from below on this first day this what we’re gonna call day 0 fitted for the terms of having things up Noah and his family and the animals entered or finished entering the ark and God shut the door of the ark behind him this is where the flood began outside no isn’t that one of the most sobering statements in the Bible that God shut the door the door of salvation was previously open and the saved entered into it but the day came when the door needed to be shut and it wasn’t Noah who shut it it was God so the flood begins on this first day according to Genesis 717 it then rains on the earth for forty days God says it’s gonna rain for 40 days and 40 nights but then notice in Genesis 7 24 it says that the waters continued to rise for a hundred and fifty days so it wasn’t raining the whole time the waters continued to rise even after the rain stopped then Jonas then noticed Genesis 8 verse 3 Genesis 8 3 says at the end of one hundred and fifty days what happens the waters begin to recede and in the very next verse Genesis 8 for we hear that on the 17th day of the seventh month of what would be 150 days since the flood began the art comes to rest on the mountains of Ararat we should understand that phrase mountains of Ararat mean that mountain range not as a particular mountain not the one necessarily that we call Ararat today but the mountains of Ararat so on the one hundred and fiftieth day man we have two events taking place the waters begin to recede and the ark comes to rest on error which by the way suggests that the topography of the world had changed as a result of the flood for the ark to be able to rest on the mountain even when all the mountains were previously covered it’s probably because some mountains were created or formed through the flood that didn’t exist before or didn’t exist the way that they would after the flood so the waters begin to decrease and they continue to decrease and Genesis 8 5 says on the first day of the tenth month or what would be 74 days later day 224 since the start the mountains become visible then Genesis 8 verses 6 to 7 you hear that 40 days go by and then Noah opens the window of the Ark and sends out the raven and the dots justbe day 264 then we have a number of details that follow a little interlude about the sending out of the doves and it’s coming back and this is indicating the gradual drying process of the earth the gradual lessening of water of the earth then the Genesis 813 we hear that in the 600 first year of Noah in the first month on the first day of the month the water was dried from the earth now this is 90 days after our last specific date in Genesis 8 5 and the mountains became visible or what would be day 314 since the start of the flood by day 314 the surface of the earth is dry and Noah opens the covering or probably the door of the Ark but Noah doesn’t leave the ark it’s only in Genesis 8:14 on the second in the second month of the 600 first year on the 27th day of the month that Moses says our writer Moses says the earth was dry and then God tells Noah to leave the ark with all his family and all the animals so it appears to be a difference there the surface of the earth was dry previously but the whole earth is dry by day 371 and that would that would be 57 days later since he noted that the surface of the earth was dry and that’s the end of the flood so just looking at this all together Noah and the animals of the ark experienced the flood for 371 days more than an entire year that’s how long the flood lasted now consider the implications of this 371 days of the flood this must have been a great Cataclysm right I mean we sometimes think of the ark as being you know 40 days 40 nights that’s the thing that the children’s books have all emphasized to us right 40 days and 40 nights but the Bible says it was more than that as we’ve just seen no it was 371 days a flood lasting more than a year this was a long-lasting globe covering flood and it would have to be right it took time to cover the earth it took time to recede from the earth and it took time for the earth to dry this was indeed a great flood but during all this time God preserved those who were on the ark by the way are you appreciating how meticulous Moses is with the time details of this account I mean look we’ve got years months and specific days all noted not just me no certain number of days went by but the actual day of the year this is why I said before should go through Genesis as you go through the Torah it’s remarkable how the Spirit of God was so concerned about time God wanted the people visual to understand their times and a time of what came before now all of this does show us something very important these details that we see the text and really throughout Genesis and the Torah they all indicate what kind of genre we are dealing with what is the genre of Genesis 6 to 9 just based off of this it would have to be historical narrative this is all the marks of historical narrative you have a clear sequence of events you have specific time details in the text and even have that little statement in the middle Genesis 6 this is the record of the generations of Noah this is historical narrative this is written as history and we’ll come back to the idea a little bit later now what perished in the flood we seemed a timeline of events in the flood but as we read through did you notice any descriptions that might help us answer the question of what perished and what survived well yeah I mean you’re practically probably saying uh Dave it’s all over the text it’s almost obnoxiously all over the text now I’m not excusing the scripture being obnoxious I’m just saying that maybe that’s the way we would understand it because it’s so repetitive and not just list a number of these references 40 Genesis 6:5 says God speaking I will blot out man from man to animals to creeping things to birds of the sky Genesis 6:13 the admin of all flesh has come upon come before me justice 6:17 God says he was bringing the flood to destroy all flesh and which is the breath of life from under heaven and in the same verse he says everything that is on the earth shall perish the next two verses Genesis 6 18 and 19 only Noah and his family and the pairs of each animal on the ark were preserved they were to be accepted and then Genesis 7 5 God says again I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing I have made Genesis 721 all flesh that moves perished including the birds the cattle the beasts the swarming things and all mankind 722 all it was on dry land all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of alights died 723 God blotted out every living thing upon the face of the land including man animals and creeping things in the burden Scott only Noah was left together with those who are with him in the ark and then a few more 9 chapter 9 verse 11 all flesh shall never be cut off again by the water of the flood God promises neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth 9 verse 15 never again shall water destroy all flesh and then 9 19 it says from Noah’s sons the whole earth was populated I think the spirit of God’s name is pretty clear hasn’t who and what survived the flood only Noah his family and the animals he took with him on the ark and of course the sea creatures so then what perished in the flood everything else everything and everyone else if you are not a sea creature if you are not on the ark and you die all men women and children on the earth besides Noah and his family were killed by the flood and this is exactly what the New Testament says 1st Peter 3:20 Peter says 8 persons survive the flood by getting on the ark just 8 and first Peter 2:5 earlier in Peters letter he says God did not spare at the ancient world but he judged all except the eight people were on the ark in the writer of Hebrews says similarly Hebrews 11:7 Noah condemned the world and built an ark that only saved his household now there are some implications from that to we’ll talk more about this next week but hopefully you’re already appreciating one fact if you say that the flood was local and it just affected one particular region of the earth or that other animals or people besides Noah and what was with him survived this event you do not get those ideas from the biblical text the Bible does not lead you at all in that direction rather the emphasis of Moses as he writes his account is that everything outside the ark died again and again he emphasizes that fact that helps us realize what kind of flood we’re dealing with now I don’t want to suggest the apologetic about this that is just be thinking about defending the fact of the flood the nature the flood and then repeating with no emotion yes every person that existed on the earth at that time perished in the flood that’s true do you appreciate the gravity of that fact what that means I mean think about picture it fathers husbands sons wives mothers grandmothers infants teenagers aspiring artists musicians metal workers businessmen criminals leaders soldiers entertainers teachers people of every kind of vocation and hobby people made in the image of God all who had hopes and fears dreams lives and livelihoods people who may be technologically were different than us but who otherwise were pretty much the same just like you and I they all suddenly perished in the flood why because they made themselves enemies of God and they refused to repent of their sin they loved sin they loved themselves and they paid no regard to their Creator were such people were they ready for the flood of course they weren’t they needed more time they needed more time to get ready more time to repent but there was no more time the day of judgment had come those who had already gotten into God’s lifeboat received but for everyone else it was too late are we that different come then as we said last week there is another Judgment Day coming not by water but by the coming of the Son of Man and by fire are you ready for that day are the people you know people you love people you see think about are they ready for that day have they embraced God’s only way of salvation and have you consider what Jesus says in Matthew 24:37 after 24 37 Jesus is describing his future return to judge the world and this is what he says 20 Matthew 24 verse 37 to 39 for the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah for as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the Ark and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away so will the coming of the Son of man be let’s finish our time today by looking at it see more application questions here’s something to do with what we just said but also some different directions I have four questions here first how would you use the text of this passage that we looked at today to respond to someone who thinks this account represents a myth an allegory or exaggeration what would you say hopefully see that just going to the text itself dispels such notions you can and you should in such a situation show the person that the passage itself is a way to historically detailed for this to be a myth for this to just be an allegory or an exaggeration notice did not present this as a myth we look at all the time details in the text look at the specificity of the dates in the text look at the specificity in the construction of the ark he says make it this many qubits and put this many decks in it and put a window here it’s just specific this doesn’t fit with the idea of oh you know that’s just admit they’re Israelites new isn’t yes I know it’s all figurative you know it’s just like creations all figurative I can’t be that doesn’t fit with the text itself and you know many people who dismiss the flood as a myth or something that was purposefully hyperbolic or symbolic they’ve never actually paid attention to what’s in the account this is why when people disregard scripture average objections about scripture one of the best things to do and this is just a general principle one of the best things to do is take them to the scripture say oh that’s an interesting idea have you have you read the passage and now it’s an interesting thought you have about that but can I show you what it says this is true even when people claim that there are contradictions of Bible oh you know Bibles full of contradictions can’t really believe the Bible oh really what are some of those contradictions a lot of times they’re not even able to answer that question but when they are they say oh you know it says he would rise three days from the dead or he would be a certain amount of time three days and three nights in the grave but he was only there about a day and a half so look there text contradicts itself say oh well let’s actually look at those statements or some other contradiction aping it oh well why don’t actually look at the text because when you do that it very easily unfolds that there is no real contradiction in the text and take people to the text you can show them look actually no it does fit together and so it isn’t the flood this has to be history it is presented as history we can’t take it another way a second question what can we learn about God’s character by comparing salvation of the ark and salvation in Christ this is an interesting question you may have heard number of different people talk about how Christ is our arc and the arc is a useful metaphor for the gospel now I do advise caution when it comes to making the ark or even Noah types of Jesus say oh no this is a foreshadowing of Jesus or the the the Ark is a type of Jesus if we say that we might start over interpreting the details of Genesis to force them to reveal to us things about Christ or the gospel say oh you know this is really talking about Jesus and so this detail is important this detail is important and we might twist the text or overlook other details so I advise caution when it comes to seeing and identifying types but that being said there are consistent principles between the Ark and Jesus regarding God’s character and regarding God’s salvation what are some of those parallels or those principles yes these yeah yeah those are both good points we see God’s grace God’s ability and desire to rescue just consistent in the the flood account and the gospel but also that there will be a time of reckoning just as you said God is holy and must judge sin what else what else is a parallel yeah I can explain that a little bit more yeah that’s a that’s a great point great explanation God preserved all those who are in the ark perfectly not like a bunch of people got in the Ark and then somebody fell overboard it’s like I’m sorry we couldn’t save that person and that’s just like what Jesus says when it comes to the gospel when it comes to salvation in him all that the father gives to me will come to me and I’ll by no means cast them out and all that the father gives to me I will not lose one of them there is security in God’s salvation it is sure and he does preserve his people perfectly and we see that in the Ark and we see that in Christ that’s good something else yes yeah okay yeah I think that’s another great point of the great parallel for someone to get on the ark they had to believe the Lord which means they had to repent of their sin it had to give up the the lifestyle that characterized the rest of the world and the heart that loved sin that was part of Noah’s message as a preacher of righteousness and it’s the same in the gospel salvation is available to you in Christ just as it was it available in the Ark but you must similarly actually believe God and you must similarly turn turn away from your old life of sin turn it turn aside the rule of your heart from yourself to God so yeah that is another consistent principle I’ll mention a few others and we’ve mentioned God is holy misjudging and God is gracious and he provides a way of salvation but notice also that God’s way of salvation is exclusive there is no other way other than the one a way given by God it was true in the flood we noticed no one was saved outside of those in the ark I’m sure people tried to save themselves people tried to swim people try to grab on to debris or maybe there were some other boats at the time but they couldn’t handle the judgment they couldn’t handle the waters from above and the waters from below knows interesting him and I were talking the other day and if you’ve ever been in a day of heavy rain it’s kind of crazy just one day and it’s like ah things are flooded and like we can’t even handle all this lot but this was 40 days of heavy rain and water from below and probably tectonic and seismic and volcanic activity I’m sorry I don’t care if you’re a good swimmer if you’ve got a nice boat you’re not going to be able to get through that there’s only one way and it’s the way that God provided so it is in Christ what does Jesus say about himself I am the way the truth the life no one comes to the Father but through me and no it’s become more popular to say oh you know as long as you’re sincere God will understand it’s it’s kind of like you believe in the same God that’s not what the scriptures say the Apostles themselves say in the book of Acts there is no other name under heaven by which men can be safe other than in the name of Jesus Christ of course that’s not a name that we simply invoke you have to know the person of Jesus Christ but it’s making the point there’s only one way of salvation this is a consistent principle between the flood account and the gospel and this goes along with the Steve’s point another facet that sticks out to me is the time to embrace God’s salvation eventually comes to an end eventually God closed the door of the Ark just as God will and Assent closed the door for each one of us God will call each of us to an account if we’ve not yet come to know God will be like that woman that Jesus speaks about in Revelation the woman Jezebel the prophetess false teacher God says I gave her time to repent and she wasn’t willing so now I’m gonna throw her into a bed of sickness I’m gonna judge her and God will do that for each one of us he will call us to an account either when we die or when he comes but he will come to us and say explain yourselves tell me about what you did in your life tell me about your response to me why did you not embrace my salvation why did you repudiate me why did you love yourself why did you not give up your sins explain yourself and of course no one will be able to offer a defense in that day and so he will be justly condemned so we see another consistent parallel between the flood and the judgment to come the time of salvation eventually came to an end the time to embrace God’s salvation of course that that has a direct application to us which is embrace salvation now while you can now is the day of salvation as the New Testament writers emphasize now is the day that God’s calling you obey the Lord’s call and this goes into our next question third question here how should we approach God knowing that he is holy and will judge mankind for his sinfulness for its sinfulness they answer this really responds to where you are before God if you belong to God you’re walking with God you’re obedient to God not perfectly but your direction is to follow God if you have a true faith before the Lord then hearing about this hearing about God’s holiness and what he did in the flood it ought to provoke in us a reverence and in awe of God a holy fear of God but also joy why joy because this powerful this holy God this wrathful God is not our enemy anymore he’s our Father he’s our King he’s our a husband the power that he could have used to execute judgment on us he instead uses to save us to uphold us to sanctify us and to provide us with a reward with him in heaven God only does good for us now God always does good but sometimes if we’re not in God then it would that we won’t experience necessarily that good but for us who do know the Lord who are in Christ even the flood points to our joy because we say this God is our God he’s not against us he’s for us but if you don’t belong to God you’re not in Christ but if you claim to be in Christ and you’re living in sin that is your you know there’s something in your life that you ought to repent of but you’re excusing it ignoring it don’t want to deal with it just want to enjoy your sin then this account of the flood and this unveiling of God’s holiness and a judgment it ought to fill you with fear and trembling it ought to humble you before God because what does Hebrews call him our God is a consuming fire now technically we don’t see fire in the flood account we see water but it’s the same idea this is a God that you cannot mess with you must take this God see really seriously he is a God of overwhelming judgment if he just breathes on you you’d be obliterated and yet and our pride and in our folly we say I know I’m not gonna worry about God I’m just gonna do my own thing got us some judgment yet now I’m able to do this sin no one found out about it I haven’t gotten in big trouble having experienced a lot of consequences yeah I’ll be fine don’t be so foolish do you know who you’re dealing with this is the God who sent the flood this is the God who is grieved in his heart when he sees wickedness because he’s that good this is a God who hates sin and hates those who do it he’s been patient with you but his patience will run out will you bank on that patience and risk the judgment risk being thrown into hell risk Jesus even telling you hey you know what you went to church you called yourself a Christian you did all these supposedly good works but I never knew you you didn’t love me you liked the acceptance you liked the culture you liked the community in the church but you never you never were mine and brothers and sisters this account points us to not trifle with God whether we know how more we don’t know him we must realize that our relationship with God is serious ultimately resulting in our joy if we know him but if we don’t know him it ought to results in our repentance all true results are humbling ourselves before God beating our breasts as the tax collector in the New Testaments saying God please be merciful to me I am a sinner I have loved myself in my own way and I have not wanted to do what you wanted me to do I’ve not loved you I’ve loved all the things in the world about you I deserve your judgment but please pardon me make Jesus my Savior let him be my substitute may his work on the cross apply to me said I might be saved one other questions and then if we have a little bit of time yeah I don’t know if I have more time if you have other questions about what we’re talking about today definitely email me or just thoughts you had on the lesson no response that’s the best I can one other question now we see Noah as an example of faith and obedience in the face of many unknowns but what about you what unknowns are you facing in your life and how can you walk in obedience to God through those unknowns and what can you expect from God as you do that now this idea is tied up in the account as well I don’t know your specific situations I don’t know how you are being tested in faith or trials you’re undergoing what sins you are struggling with and fighting to overcome but the accounts of Noah and the flood should sober us and encourage us Noah Spence as far as the text seems to indicate he spent 120 years building an ark for a flood that no one else said was coming they didn’t believe him Noah preached and he pleaded with these same people and they didn’t they didn’t accept our own faithfulness we’ll evolved that kind of testing and that kind of waiting waiting for God’s promises to come to pass as we fight against the pressure of the world and the pressure of the flesh and of the pressure of the evil one one of the things we see in this account is that God keeps his promises both the judge but also to save and vindicate this is the theme we’re gonna see again and again in the scriptures Old Testament and New Testament God is faithful and he will vindicate your faith so whatever it is that you have to walk with before the Lord this morning say god this is hard god I feel the pressure I don’t know God if they following you is is the right way if I can if I’ll make it if I choose to be obedient the text tells us God will vindicate you you will see his vindication either on earth as he so often graciously does or when you see him you know say well done good and faithful slaves you endured you waited you waited on me in righteousness now you will see that I saw and I will reward so be encouraged whatever it is that you’re dealing with it ring for the Lord say god I am weak but Lord I will believe you help me God help me God aside as I trust you in this preserve me provide coz I will wait for your vindication that’s all for this week we’re out of time next week where we’re going to return to the flood and we’ll deal more with an issue that we have races which is this historical flood was it global or could it have been a local devastation for sure everything died then maybe that was just in a small area we’ll see what the Bible has to say regarding whether the flood was really global or not whether it’s clear on that issue next time let’s close in prayer our Lord God we thank you that you are not against us for those knew you are not against us anymore you’re not our enemy you’re our friend and much more than that God you are Savior you are our life our light our love but we are a weak we are so lacking in faith I want to thank you for the example of Noah and the many other examples of faith in this scripture it’s not about them God it’s about you there is a power in faith itself but there is power in you as the object of things god I pray that you would help those who are listening today Lord even as I sought to exhort into Mohnish them and even myself God I know I need this admonish me lord help us not trifle with you but help us to believe you help us to be obedient to you in our thoughts words and deeds God manifests that we hold to your promises and nothing in this world is worth holding on to except you to you God we will cling everything else will fade that you will remain and your promises will prove true Lord encouraging people today given the greater love and vision of you as they continue to fellowship and worship together in Jesus name Amen alright everyone thank you I’ll see you next week