“And without faith it is impossible
to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and
that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built
an ark to save his family. By his faith
he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by
faith.”[Hebrews 11:6-7, NIV]
Noah’s building of the ark displayed faith as a response to God’s
instructions. God spoke and Noah’s
obedience was remarkable, displaying one of the main characteristics of faith. Even though rain had never fallen on the
earth, Noah believed and trusted God. He
built the ark in the face of mockery and opposition. The absurdity of building a huge ship far
from the sea in preparation for a worldwide flood did not daunt Noah. His trust in God informed and undergirded
him. The coming deluge was not a laughing matter; it was certainty. So it is
with the second coming of Christ. So it
is with the preaching of the Word of God.
The world may mock, the church may disbelieve, but the Christ will come
and all will acknowledge that He is Lord and the messengers of God will be vindicated. By his faith, Noah accomplished three things:
First, his faith brought salvation to his family. God warned Noah about the coming judgment and he believed and obeyed God. Noah was the talk of the whole region. Every time someone asked Noah what he was
building and why, Noah told them. God
used him to help others know of the impending judgment, even though they chose
not to believe. Noah’s wife and sons supported
and believed in him. His
daughter-in-laws joined the family by choice and accepted Noah’s destiny. Noah’s wife and children were blessed to have
a godly husband and father who could teach them and guide them into the truth. Surely there were times the family did not
understand Noah, but they never disrespected him or mocked God’s call upon his
life. Blessed is the wife who has a
Christian husband and who will support and follow him in service to God. Blessed is the child who has a Christian
father and who respects the faith of his father. Noah’s children made a conscience decision to
accept the faith of their father Noah; and therefore took wives who were
willing to forsake the world and accept their father’s faith. These young women married into Noah’s family
despite the stigma of the family being a God-fearing family. God saved Noah and his family, but everyone
else was forever separated from God because they did not believe God’s warning
about the coming judgment.
Men, if you
will live a godly life like Noah, your family will be blessed. Your wife deserves to have a godly man. Your children need a godly father. Your walk with God makes you a better husband
and father. Women, if you will live a godly life, your family will be
blessed. There is an epidemic of
ungodliness among Christian women. The
feminist movement in America has done great harm in suggesting to women that
they should not submit to their husband.
Women, submission is a beautiful thing and if you cannot submit to your
husband, you will never submit to God. Children, like Noah’s sons, if you will
be a godly child, you and your family will be blessed. In fact, honoring your parents assures you of
a long life.
Second, God vindicated
his faith.
The world mocked and ridiculed Noah’s faith and belief in God’s warning
of judgment. As the rain started falling,
the most cynical heart surely gave pause for never before had water fallen from
the sky! Then, an unprecedented deluge
began as water gushed upward from the ground and the water bubble around the
earth ruptured and rain fell from the sky.
Suddenly water was streaming up out of the ground and drenching rain fell
from the sky. At that moment, the wicked
unbelievers knew Noah was right. He did
not have to fight to defend God’s plan, he only had to be obedient. God fights his own battles. The Bible says, “Except God build the house,
they labor in vain that build it.” We
can use that same phrase to get another point across; “Except God fight the
battle, they struggle in vain that fight it.”
God does not need mere humans to fight His battle! When the ungodly raise their hand against
God’s anointed, they raise their hand against God! God will vindicate the faith of His chosen
vessels. It is a dangerous thing to mock
God’s man, for God vindicates the faith of his faithful servants. You see, I do not have to fight against
flesh; I simply have to be obedient to God and the vision He has given me. You and I must build the ark God assigned to our
hands, and if we are faithful in doing so, God will vindicate our faith.
Third, God counted Noah’s faith as
righteousness. Noah’s faith was a judgment on others. It is not that the Christian is
self-righteous, censorious, or a faultfinder.
It just so happens that the Christian, simply by living Christ, is
passing judgment on other people. One of
the finest men who ever lived in Athens was Aristides, who was called “the
just.” Even so, the town voted to banish
him. One man who was asked why he voted
to ban Aristides answered: “Because I am tired of hearing Aristides called the
just.” There is a danger in goodness,
for in the light of goodness evil stands condemned. Noah, by faith, became beneficiary of the righteousness.
Noah had faith in the promised Seed, the
Savior whom God was someday going to send to earth. The only way you can be
counted righteous is by faith in the promised Seed, the Savior of the world,
Jesus Christ. Noah believed in Jesus
even before He was born in Bethlehem. Genesis
15:6 says, “Abraham believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for
righteousness.”
Prayer: Lord, I know that without faith, I cannot please you. I know that without faith I will never be
acceptable to you. Without faith, I
stand alone facing all the trials, temptations, sufferings, accidents,
diseases, and even death – alone. I know
that without faith, you will not approve, bless, or reward me. I know that you will not approve my sinful
and carnal living, nor my doubting heart.
God, I know that you only honor righteous living and a believing
heart. Help me to truly live righteous
and to truly believes enough diligently to seek you and to grow in faith. Amen.
