NOAH’S FAITH IS VISIBLE IN THE BUILDING OF THE ARK

PART I

In the form for the administration of Holy Baptism the Lord is called the God of Noah and Moses. These two persons and their history out of the Old-Testament are mentioned to show the unity between the Old and new-Testament. Holy Baptism is of the New-Testament, but we find the same symbols and signs under the Old-Testament. They are two different times of the same Covenant of Grace. We know the difference; under the Old-Testament the church was still waiting for the Mediator to come, but in the New-Testament He has come and fulfilled everything, and therefore the sacraments became unbloody. Now in the form of Baptism Noah and Moses are mentioned; two attributes of God related to their lives are recorded; first, God’s righteousness in punishing sinners and after that God’s mercy shown to His people. The first world was destroyed by the water of God’s wrath, because of their many sins, but Noah was saved out of grace. The oppressors of Israel find a terrible death in the Red Sea in their struggle against the Lord, but God’s people may pass through the same sea by God’s protecting hand. Outside of the ark, God’s terrible judgement is seen and inside the ark God’s mercy is felt. Against the enemies of Israel the Lord maintains His righteousness, while Israel may share in God’s infinite mercy.

Noah and Israel can never plead on something, which is in themselves, as it is grace from the beginning to the end. The Lord is the beginning, the continuation and the end of that work. Inside or outside is the question for all of us; that means eternal weal or eternal woe.

This time we will ask your attention for another hero of faith: Noah. Of him is written in Hebr. 11:7 and with God’s help we will speak of him.

NOAH’S FAITH IS VISIBLE IN THE BUILDING OF THE ARK

1) by faith Noah prepares the ark

2) by faith Noah condemns the world

3) by faith Noah becomes an heir of righteousness

1) BY FAITH NOAH PREPARES THE ARK

Noah was born in a very dark time. The father of Noah is Lamech. He is not the wicked man that is mentioned in Gen. 4; that man boasted in his song: “Hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.” What terrible language! By grace, the father of Noah was totally different. When his child was born, he said when he gave him a name: “This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord cursed.” What a difference in language between these two men; this is grace only.

The situation on the first world became darker and more fearful; man, who was created after God’s image, had lost it by breaking the Covenant of works. Now there is no true knowledge, righteousness and holiness anymore in the natural man; all the higher needs of the soul are choked, the higher descent denied, out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies; in one word, wickedness multiplied. 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. Gradually that first world began to be a hell. It became nearly impossible for the Church to live in such an environment. And then we read, that it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth. This is in human language expressed, that the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the first world. It was no surprise for the Lord, as He knows His works from eternity, also the wickedness of man.

If the Lord made known His thoughts about this second world, would it be better? I cannot believe it, because what is going on in our days is awful too! All these things happen till the end of the second world, as the Lord has made known, how the situation of the world would be. For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark. Then, as also in these days there will be no idea that the end is near.

And still, as it will be to the end of the world, however dark it will be, there was a remnant that could not live with the world. The Lord Himself had made a separation. So we read of Noah, that he found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Friends, this cannot be missed for us, either. Are you still unconverted? Then we may say, that it still is possible to be saved, because your life is not yet cut off. I hope that you will not continue to the end without God, as the first world did, because all except Noah and his family drowned in the flood. The sinner, who is made alive, receives from the Lord faith. That happened also in the life of Noah, otherwise there could not be written of him: “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house.”

When we see this superficially, we will probably think: Is such a strong faith necessary to build the ark? If the Lord would have spoken in such a clear way, I would have done the same, because he acted in fear, as it is written in our text. Be careful what you say, because the same warning is coming to you, too. The Lord calls to us through His Word: “As it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment.” The sword of death hangs as an imminent danger above us, but we don’t take this in account. Why? because we are as that man in the house of interpreter in Bunyan’s book, “Pilgrim’s Progress’, who all the time looked down. He was so busy with his work that he did not see that golden crown above him. This is by nature our image. The world means everything for us, that is real, but the spiritual things are not real to us at all. We hope to live for a long time and don’t think of that rich fool who was called in that same night by the Lord. If, by Divine grace, we may believe God’s Word, then we would begin immediately to supplicate the Lord for His grace. When the Lord does not look in mercy upon us, then we don’t see the danger and we live quietly on. Now I must be careful because there are many people who can misuse this word! Many people who live under the pure preaching of God’s Word have impressions, are grieved, know that they are sinners. Does this mean that the Lord has begun His work in us? It is possible, but the temporal believer has the same things and will be ashamed at the gate of heaven. Bunyan says: there is a path from the gate of heaven to eternal damnation. Many people make a ground of their tears, etc. Tears cannot be missed in the life of the church, but if this is all, it will be too short to appear before the Lord. It is so necessary to come in the ark. There we are safe!

We cannot make this journey on a “maybe”, we must have a better foundation. This has been heard by Noah, when the Lord spoke to him: “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet,” so it was future. Often we doubt what the Lord makes known, but Noah believes: by faith, which is a gift of God for Noah. This is no fruit of the field of his heart, but a fruit of free sovereign grace. As a fruit of this work of God there is written of him:”For thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation.” To believe is not a deed of our free will, which we don’t have, but only of grace. The Lord gave him grace and passes millions of others. When he received a little knowledge of this it became such a wonder for him, because he felt himself not better than the others. No, he loathed himself, because of original and actual sin. What a wonder that the Lord looked upon him while others were better and more fit for it than he himself. Not that he lived in the world or in public sin, that was a burden to see and to hear for him, but by the light of the Spirit he saw himself as the chiefest among the sinners. When the Lord reveals what we are, in beginning, but especially in the further way of discovery, then we must complain about ourselves. We never knew it was so bad! The curses of God’s Word are for me, I must die and I cannot die, no place of refuge for the coming flood of God’s wrath. Of Noah it is written: “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house.” The Lord gave Noah a special revelation, by a dream or in a vision, to see the future: only 120 years and the world would be destroyed by a great flood. What is the effect of this Divine message? Noah was moved with fear! There is a great difference between slavish and filial fear. Slavish fear is most about the following judgement, without having the Lord in view; it is distrust, too, as we can find in the life of God’s child so often; this is not to the honor of God, and it does not make our neighbor jealous. Noah was moved with fear. Many say that the true religion is only intimidation; the psychiatrists often complain about this. In general, we can say that they don’t understand this, that they have no answer for it, because they miss the experiential knowledge, they miss the knowledge of the only true God. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

Instead of pointing to the Lord, where we can find rest in our greatest distress, they point to the world and its pleasures, which will bring more unrest in our life, and an eternal unrest when we die without regeneration. Where do we find the most unhappy, fearful and superstitious people, in or outside of the church? I think in the world with all its divorces and violence. Are church people better? No, not in themselves, but the Lord gives in the keeping of His commandments, also externally, his temporal favor. God’s law is still a brake in the life of many. Look at the houses, the cars and the people with all their amulets and mascots to protect them. This is slavish fear, which we condemn; with Noah it is different: He is moved with filial fear. Many have a wrong thought about God’s people, that they are always happy. Are they never happy? Certainly in the exercise of faith, they know moments of great joy, which they express in a different way than the world.

The Lord created the day, but also the night: So it is in the life of a child of God; they are not always happy, then you cannot become jealous of it; when the Lord speaks or reveals his judgements, they fear with great fear, as Amos says: “The lion has roared, who will not fear? the Lord God has spoken, who can but prophesy?” So Noah believed that message of God; this will happen and he must justify the Lord in his punishment. What a wonder for him, that the Lord made a difference out of free grace, because he was also worthy to be cast away! He was not only concerned about himself, but also about the future of his wife and children. Noah was spared by the Lord, but also his family shared in the external benefits. Not all of them feared the Lord; among them is also an unholy Ham. What a blessing it is to have a Godfearing father or mother, boys and girls. Or there is one among the grandparents that feels the needs of the descendants. I know examples that a child wanted to commit a sin, far away from home, but there was a mother wrestling at the throne of grace, that the Lord might keep that son away from sin even when she didn’t know where he was. While his friends had not power against satan’s seduction at all, the Lord kept that boy and satan cound not even touch him. Nor for prayer, but upon prayer the Lord does great miracles, also in our days. Fathers and mothers, are you prophets, priests and kings in your families? More and more the task of prophet seems to be forgotten. When do we speak with our children about these things, concerning eternity and the keeping of God’s law? There is so much to do in our daily life that we lack time for this. Are you king in your family? There must be order in the country, but also among us! When this is missed, we can see the result of it in our society. We are working out our own destruction in this way. May the Lord open the eyes of our leaders and our people. How foolishly we act, when we give that false freedom. We need the same in our congregations, in our schools and in our families! Are we also priest in our family? What a blessing when we may be an intercessor for our children and relatives. That is God’s work only, otherwise we don’t feel the needs at all. Then we are a father or a mother, but care only for ourselves, as we love ourselves. There is a natural love, which is also a blessing, and that will also seek the welfare of our children, but by faith it becomes different. Parents who lose a child in an accident see many more dangers than people who did not experience this.

When, by Divine grace, we have seen that we must die and cannot die, then the need of our beloved ones is also felt. May the Lord give many people, also among us as Noah, who walked with God: he found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And his family shared herein. If there had been ten righteous in Sodom, it would have been saved. They are such a great blessing for a nation and congregation, but also for the families. Now we don’t end in men, but this is God’s work; when the Lord gives love in our heart, then we will return this to the Lord and our neighbor. So only the Lord receives the honor. Is it not the desire of true parents that God’s work may be seen in all their children, to the glory of God’s Name?

But on the other side, when we neglect our calling it will testify against us. But an unconverted person cannot fulfill the requirements of the Lord. God’s people cannot either in themselves; we may ask the Lord for His help and leading. Those who really need Him will not be ashamed. No, it is not the Lord’s fault, but we have left Him wilfully and the consequence of sin is the threefold death. Still the ark is not closed. It is still the time of grace. That we, under the administration of the Holy Spirit, may see the dangers wherein we are, and that the Lord may become our refuge, as Noah experienced.

Norwich

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