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THE BOOK OF GENESIS #8
NOAH FOUND GRACETHE RESULTS OF GOD’S GRACE
DATE:
TEXT: Genesis 6:1-13 (read vs.8-12) see esp. v.8 ; II Peter 2:5
INTRODUCTION:
If you were to make a list of all the great fathers of the Faith
Who would it be?
Men like Abraham, Moses and David
You might include Solomon, who wrote many of the Proverbs
You find many of these folks in Hebrews Chapter 11
There would surely be many others who would make the list of the great names of the Bible
However, most would not include the man who is the object of our text:
The man by the name of Noah
When we think of Noah, people always remember his work on the ark
They see that, as his greatest achievement
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Noah Finds Grace – Genesis 6:1-13
Many would question his successfulness because of some of the failures that occurred later in his life
People remember when Noah got drunk, Genesis 9:20, 21
They also remember the business with his grandson Canaan and Canaan’s father Ham, Genesis 9:22-27
But, think about this, Noah’s greatest success was in the fact that he saw every member of his family saved
What greater accomplishment in life could there possibly be?
And, did you ever stop to think of the great obstacles that he had to cross to do this?
(They are some of the same hurdles that we face today)
He raised his family during a time:
→ of extreme Wickedness - v.5
→ of extreme Violence - v.11
→ when God and His ways were being ignored – v.12
→ of the impending judgment of God – v.17
Noah raised his family during an exceedingly difficult time
Yet, in spite of all this, Noah’s life has identify him as successful
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Noah Finds Grace – Genesis 6:1-13
I am interested in this because I want to be a successful
Not in the worldly sense
I am sure that every one of us wants to be successful as well
The Truths the Bible reveals about this man can and will help us with this desire
They can make it a reality There is something here for all of us
These achievements that mark Noah’s life as successful should also be true about every believer in God’s family
Therefore, what these verses teach us can help us be successful in our lives
So, let’s allow the Lord to speak to our hearts today as we identify
“The Results of God’s Grace”
~~~PRAYER~~~
The first thing that marks the Grace of God in Noah’s life is:
I. NOAH “WALKED” WITH GOD – vs. 8, 9 (end)
“and Noah walked with God”
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Noah Finds Grace – Genesis 6:1-13
A. Noah was a ‘Converted’ Man –
Two words show us where Noah stood with the Lord:
The word “Grace” found in v. 8 and the word “Just” found in v.9
1. “Grace” is defined as “the unmerited love and favor of God toward sinners”
Grace shows us our sins and provides us with the Faith to turn to God for salvation
2. The word “Just” refers to our Standing before God
To be “just” means to be right with God, to be right in His sight
This is the Result of responding to God’s Grace by Exercising Faith in His Word and in His provision for sin
The statement “The just shall live by faith” is found3 times in the NT –
Romans 1:17 – “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith” Galatians 3:11- “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith”
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Noah Finds Grace – Genesis 6:1-13
Hebrews 10:38 – “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him”
Grace is the Message of the Gospel
Ephesians 2:8, 9 - “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”
It is the Grace of God that shows us our Condition before Him as sinners
Romans 3:10, 23 – “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
It is Grace that points us to the Remedy for our sins -
The Lord Jesus Christ
Titus 2:11 – “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,”
Grace makes the cross and the empty tomb real
Romans 10:9, 10 – “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved”
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Noah Finds Grace – Genesis 6:1-13 “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” It is Grace that allows us to believe by Faith
And when that Faith is placed in Christ alone
The sinner is saved and justified before God
Turn to I Corinthians 6:9-11!
The greatest gift you can give to your family is for them to know that you are saved by Grace and headed to Heaven
That will mean more to them than Your Money, Your Houses or Your Lands
That is a legacy that can never be tarnished or taken away from them!
Noah was a ‘Converted’ Man
B. Noah was a ‘Consecrated’ Man –
The Bible says that Noah was “perfect”
This word means “upright”
This carries the idea that not only did Noah Claim a relationship with the Lord
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Noah Finds Grace – Genesis 6:1-13
But he ‘Lived’ that relationship with the Lord as well
It’s one thing to talk about being saved and loving the Lord
It is quite another thing to actually live out that claim every day
Let me just remind you that those around you are watching you!
It may not be right to judge one another
But you will still be tried and convicted in the hearts of those who see the kind of life you really live
I Peter 1:16 – “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy”
I Peter 2:9 – “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light:”
Do not let “What you do, speak so loud that they cannot hear what you say”!
Noah was a ‘Converted’ Man
Noah was a ‘Consecrated’ Man
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Noah Finds Grace – Genesis 6:1-13
C. Noah Was A ‘Consistent’ Man –
The end of v.9 says that Noah “walked with God”
The idea here is of a Consistent walk with the Lord
He wasn’t Hot and Cold, Up and Down and In and Out
He just walked with the Lord day by day
I’m sure there were days when Noah “felt” better about Life than he did on other days
But when it was all averaged out, he just walked Consistently with God
There is no Greater Testimony than a Patient, Consistent walk before the Lord
Just being steady in a world of Constant Change says more about you than a thousand verbal testimonies!
Besides, a Consistent walk before the Lord is a walk others want to emulate!
If you are saved by grace, living a clean life and are Consistent in your walk with God,
You have accomplished something great with your life already!
The Question is, are you walking Consistently with God? 8
Noah Finds Grace – Genesis 6:1-13
NOAH “WALKED” WITH GOD
II. NOAH “WITNESSED” TO OTHERS – II Peter 2:5
“For if God … spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;”
The Bible calls Noah a “preacher of righteousness”
This means that while he was building the ark,
He was Telling a lost world that the end was coming
He was telling them about a way of escape
Notice how Noah Witnessed
A. Noah Witnessed Through His ‘Conduct’ –
Look at what the Bible says about the people around Noah in that society
Genesis 6:5, 12 – “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 God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted His way upon the earth”
Now, look again at what the Bible says about Noah in Genesis 6:9
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Noah Finds Grace – Genesis 6:1-13
“These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God”
He was so different from the people around him that his very life was a Living, Breathing Witness to every lost soul that saw him
Noah stuck out like a sore thumb!
People talk about “lifestyle evangelism”, and that’s fine
IF, your lifestyle is so radically different from the world around you
This is what the Lord expects from His children
Turn to Matthew 5:13-16
This radical lifestyle Jesus lived is what He desires for each of His children
Matthew 16:24 – “Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me”
I John 2:6 – “He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked”
Noah Witnessed Through His ‘Conduct’
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Noah Finds Grace – Genesis 6:1-13
B. Noah Witnessed Through His ‘Conversation’ –
While Noah lived right and worked for the Lord
He also took the time to open his mouth to tell others about what the Lord was about to do
Remember II Peter 2:5 tells us the Noah was -
a “Preacher of Righteousness”
We are to Live the right kind of life,
But we need to be in the business of Sharing our Faith with a lost and dying world
Acts 1:8 – “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” Matthew 28:19, 20 – “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”
When your children, and others, see you care enough about the lost to tell them about salvation through Jesus Christ,
It teaches a lesson that will not be easily forgotten!
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Noah Finds Grace – Genesis 6:1-13
Noah Witnessed Through His ‘Conduct’
Noah Witnessed Through His ‘Conversation’
C. Noah Witnessed Through His ‘Commitment’ –
For 120 years, Noah worked and preached – v.3
And after all that effort, the only converts he had were the members of his own family
Surely he became discouraged and frustrated,
But he stayed the course and maintained his commitment to the Lord
What a wonderful testimony!
One of the greatest proofs of the power of your testimony is your Consistent Commitment to live for God in spite of what others around you are doing
Can I say, there will be times when it will not be easy, fun or popular to be found serving the Lord
However, it is the people who stick with their Commitment to the Lord through all the varied times of life that win the respect and the admiration of those around them who are watching
Don’t give up, there’s a pay day at the end of the way
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Noah Finds Grace – Genesis 6:1-13
Galatians 6:9 – “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not”
Besides, a steady Commitment silences your critics
I Peter 2:15 – “For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:”
NOAH “WALKED” WITH GOD
NOAH “WITNESSED” TO OTHERS
III. NOAH “WON” HIS FAMILY – 7:1, 7
Proverbs 11:30 – “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise” (Psa. 1)
Noah was a successful father because he Walked with God and because he Witnessed to Others
But, his greatest achievement was this: he Won his Family!
Notice what we can learn about getting our families to God
A. He Won Their ‘Respect’ –
Notice 6:18 and 7:7
You will also notice that when God spoke He only spoke to Noah, 6:13 & 7:1
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Noah Finds Grace – Genesis 6:1-13
Yet, then it was time to enter the ark, his wife, his sons and their wives followed him in - Why?
I think the answer is this:
They believed in what he believed in because they believed in him!
His family knew that Noah’s walk with the Lord was the Real Deal and they respected him for the man he was!
Contrast this to the response Lot got from his family –
II Peter 2:7 – “And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:”
Genesis 19:14 – “And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law” Look at v.8 and vs. 30-38
Lot’s family had NO respect
Why was Noah respected?
He Won Their ‘Respect’
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Noah Finds Grace – Genesis 6:1-13
B. He Won Their ‘Response’ - 7:7
“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”
They followed Noah into the ark!
Then, when the rains fell and the rest of the world perished, they were saved
I would submit to you that the greatest accomplishment in the life of this great man was the fact that he was able to see his children saved
This eclipsed everything else he did in his life
When all is said and done, will your children follow your faith?
I know that their decision is purely between them and the Lord
But, I also know that they may base what they do on what they see in your life!
Determine in your heart today that you will do everything in your power to see your family get in the ark with you!
→ You may not leave your family a single dime of inheritance
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Noah Finds Grace – Genesis 6:1-13
→ You may not leave them an inch of property
But, if you pass down your faith to those who come behind you, you have left them the richest legacy of all!
CONCLUSION
Noah was a successful father because of his achievements
He Walked With God
He Witnessed To Others
He Won His Family
I think that marks his Life as a success, don’t you?
As you look at Noah and then look at yourself,
I want you to ask youself a couple of questions 1. Are you Saved and in a relationship with the Lord?
2. Are you living a Consecrated, Consistent life before those who are watching you?
3. Are you Sharing what you have with others? 4. Is your family in the ark?
If your answer to any of these is NO then you need to come to this altar and bring them to the Lord
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Noah Finds Grace – Genesis 6:1-13
Do you see things in your life that need to be changed?
If you need to bring these or any other things to God, now is the time - Won’t you come?
Noah Lived a Life based on the Grace Of God
Noah Lived a Life based on Faith In God
My prayer is that you can say the same
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Noah Finds Grace – Genesis 6:1-13
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Noah Finds Grace – Genesis 6:1-13
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Noah Finds Grace – Genesis 6:1-13
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