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Noah Found Favor in the Lord. Word: Genesis 6:1-7:24 Key: Genesis 6:8 “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” Part 1. Human’s wickedness and God’s grievance. We have seen the story how Human race fell into sin and the process they developed into disconnection from God the Creator. After Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command, the sinful desire grew worse in human’s nature. So Cain killed his brother Abel and was drove away out of his town. Lamech, a descendant of Cain, murdered the man for just wounding him. He did not feel a little remorse of consciousness, and enjoy singing a song with his wives. The more human were born, the greater they do wickedness. Today message deals with the grievance of God and the end of this world. However, there is one man who walked with him and be saved. I Pray that all of us gain a blessing lesson for our life through the message. Look at chapter 6, verse 1, 2. “When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they choose.” The sons of God were the offspring of Seth given to Adam family on behalf of Abel. They had been divided from the world and holy worshiped God. They inherited a sense of spiritual values from family and faithful community. The sons of God, as light and salt, played an important part to protect spirituality from the world. They resided in mortal body but lived by immortal spirit. Little by little, however, the religious value system had become cracked. The reason why their faith dims was beautiful daughters of men. Those girls were so attractive that they could not take eyes off. The more they spend time on looking those faces and shapes, the less the time gets spent on holy worshiping God. They picked any girls up and marry. These marriages with disharmony partners have ruined their religious life, and even more worsened problems. There no longer remains men who called the name of God. Look at verse 3. “Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal, his days will be a hundred and twenty years.” Men did not love God any longer. They cherished beautiful wife more than God. They did not remember the sweet intimacy with God. Instead, they get indulged in more and more hedonic ecstasy with those women. They no longer relate with God and talk to. They ignore their Creator, their Eternal Father and their only Lord. The outcome of connection with mortal flesh and disconnection from immortal one was Nephilim. They gained a reputation as heroes in those rebellious days. They were handsome, tall and well-muscled. Very violent, they were good at fighting and killing whoever they met. The land which God made beautiful, good-looking and lovely became tainted with men’s blood out of cruel violence, murder and lust. People do not reflect their Lord any more. They ruined whole God’s creatures and devastated the land of the Lord. Look at verse 6. “The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.” God was in great agony because of his works; man in the image of God himself. God created man as a spiritual being like himself. They were created to be in pursuit of the Glory of God. They were born to love each other and serve who in needs. But after Adam disobeyed, everything changed. They were free to think, free to choose, and free to do evil. They thought evil and imagined evil. Evil, evil, evil occurs from morning to night. Human race broke harshly God’s heart (Mssg. 6:5-7). Every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The world came to be out of control. He could not stand how great human were doing wickedness. He was not able to find even small good things out of them. Everything men do was stinking to God’s nostril. Hence, he made a very difficult decision. Look at verse 7. “So the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth-men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air-for I am grieved that I have made them.” God decided to wipe all creatures. God of justice decided to judge human’s iniquity finally. But Look at verse 8. Let’s read together this very important verse. “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” Noah was only one who pleased God. God delighted in seeing Noah walking with him. He always listened to God’s voice. He followed the way of righteousness. Even though all the men digressed from the heart of God, Noah preserved spiritual life and soul from evil. He delighted in intimacy with God. He tasted sweet relationship with the Lord. He was different from those day’s people. God acknowledged him. So he spoke to Noah personally. Look at 13. “So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.” God informed Noah of upcoming God’s judgment. He came to know what anyone did not. It is secret only Noah had. Look at verse 14. “So make yourself an ark of cypress wood.” God told him how to be saved from the judgment. The ark of cypress wood is the instrument which would deliver Noah in the days of judgment. God commands to make it himself. The ark Noah must establish will be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high which is separated by three decks. The door and window will be put on upside of the ark. It does not seem to be shapes of regular ships. That’s because the ark was specially designed to be in use when floodwater come to the earth. Usual ships will wreck and sink; in contrast the ark which God devised will surely keep Noah safe in that total destruction. By the way, is not the ark too big to use Noah for himself? Its bulk comes up to the size of a soccer stadium. It’s because God wants assigned him a very significant task for the future humanity. Look at verse 18. “But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark-you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.” Consecutively look at verse 19. “You are to bring into the ark two of al living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.” God is supposed to deliver not only Noah, but also his whole family. Furthermore, he is to put Noah in charge of whole kind of the creatures. The ark is as huge as those animals can get on. Look at verse 22. “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” It seems so hard for man to build such a big ark, but Noah did everything God told. It looks nonsense that the old constructs the huge ship on the mountain. People might have made fool of Noah and laughed at. However, he grasped the personal promise God made with himself. He kept up in pursuit of mere the glory of God in any circumstances. He had nothing but covenant he personally given. That is only hope he bear through the entire of life. He believes that God is the one who fulfills his own provision. He does not lie or change mind. Therefore he can trust in God and hope in the promise. Peter said about perseverance, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to come to repentance. (2Peter 3:8-9)” I pray that all of us seize firmly the promise which God gave to us personally. It seemed to take long, but in according to words it must come definitely, ultimately and gloriously. Part 2. Noah’s salvation out of Flood Judgment. Look at chapter 7 and verse 1. “The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.” Eventually it comes the days of Judgment. It seemed to take a long time, but come on the earth finally. It is not late or fast but optimal. For now, Noah has built the ark sincerely. After he built the ark completely, God said in personal voice. At that time, Noah is ready to obey God’s urgent command. Everything is prepared. Look at verse 7, 8 and 9. “And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the food. Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah.” Noah, his whole family and Pairs of all animals takes on the ark of salvation. This is separated from the people who are indulged in marrying and drinking. They do not notice what would happen after seven days. They do not know that days will be their last moment on the earth. Look at verse 10, 11 and 12. “And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth. In the six hundredth years of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month- on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.” Consecutively look at verse 21, 22, and 23. “Every living thing that moved on the earth perished-birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth.” It is hard to imagine what happened exactly. It is hard to think how the catastrophe formidable and dreadful. Film 해운대 described local floodwater disaster vividly, but Noah’s flood happened on a global scale. None can survive, because this calamity was set up for all dead. Then, let us read another important verse 23b together. “Only Noah was left and those with him in the ark.” Who is left? Mighty Nephilms or beautiful ladies were? Absolutely Not! Bible verifies who was left. That is Noah. He is left last because he rides in the ark. His whole family and animals in that ark did so. On the decks of it, there is no discrimination from the salvation. Whoever rides in the ark, then earns salvation. But no matter how he or she is powerful, attractive or rich, they are destined to die outside. There is no way to be saved but the ark. It is because this is the ship God designed for only one’s salvation; that is Noah. It is clearly the greatest blessing Noah possessed. Anyone who walks with God can gain the blessing like Noah. Then what is to our life? It is Jesus the Christ. John 3:16, 17 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believe in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Like the Noah’s case, God gave us the ark of salvation; Jesus the Christ. He is an only way to be delivered out of upcoming judgment. Whoever rides in him, they are to be saved. Peter the Apostle proved the truth in Rome 8:1. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” But outside of him, they are not able to avoid from the impending wrath of God. Jesus the Christ is a priceless blessing which we cannot buy. He is the gift which we cannot win by ourselves. Therefore we should give thanks to God. All of us will be absolutely saved from the upcoming disaster. It is the greatest thank giving topic in my life. I spent meaningless time when I was freshmen. It seemed like no such meaning of life. I squandered every effort and energy on drinking and playing games. I was lured into lust. I became sick with lustful desire. It bounded me up to the power of powerless. It was proved that such a way of life was not that I hope for. However, I do not have the answer how to fill with my eternal empty space in the soul of mine. I was so afraid of some days I should be perished forever. However, in 2002, how thankfully, I definitely met Jesus the Christ who hung on the cross. He represented himself into my sight of darkness. Facedown and tore, I repented whole sins I did and I accepted him my only Savior. How sweet experience was! I pray that I will be left like Noah forever. That’s because I am in Jesus the Christ. I am not outside. I am inside. So I am not afraid any longer. Thanks God. I pray that all of us will be left. All the more, all of us found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Let us pray. |
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