In the movie I am Legend, the protagonist found out that everyone else was infected by a virus. He is the only one living normally. He also found out his blood could save the others.
If you found yourself to be the only one willing to obey God, what will you do?
In God’s creation, God save man to the last. Everything was created for God’s pleasure especially man. In a family without child, something is amiss. This is the same with God. He wanted something that is created according to his image.
Walk with God
Gen 6:9 挪亚的後代记在下面。挪亚是个义人，在当时的世代是个完全人。挪亚与神同行。
Gen 6:9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.
Enoch is 7 generation away from Adam. He walked with God and God took him up. He didn’t experience death. He is the great grand uncle of Noah. Enoch’s son, Methuselah is the grandfather of Noah. Methuselah’s name means the flood would come once he died.
Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, Japheth.
2Ti 3:1-2 你该知道，末世必有危险的日子来到。 (2) 因为那时人要专顾自己、贪爱钱财、自夸、狂傲、谤 、违背父母、忘恩负义、心不圣洁、
2Ti 3:1-2 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. (2) For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
At that time people will love themselves. Just as today, the people then were evil. We see all kinds of evils today – same sex union, rape, pre-marital sex, murder, riot, etc.
The people were evil and violent but Noah was righteousness and blameless in the eyes of God. Noah had no Bible, there was no preacher and no books to read. He had a simple faith in God.
At what age did Noah’s forefathers get married? As early as 65 and as late as 187.
Gen 5:28-29,32 拉麦活到一百八十二岁，生了一个儿子， (29) 给他起名叫挪亚，说：「这个儿子必为我们的操作和手中的劳苦安慰我们；这操作劳苦是因为耶和华咒诅地。」(32) 挪亚五百岁生了闪、含、雅弗。
Gen 5:28-29,32 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son (29) and called his name Noah, saying, "Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands." (32) After Noah was 500 years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Noah had his children when he was 500 years old. He was working hard for his parents. Noah was a filial son. Noah got married so late because the world was corrupted, he didn’t want to simply take a wife. A man who waits on the Lord will not be shamed. Do we dare to wait on the Lord for everything in our life?
Noah didn’t care whether he would have a wife or not. He believed in God. Marriage is in the hands of God. Noah placed God in the first place.
God gave Noah a wife and 3 children so that after the flood, there would be people left.
In Gen 4:17vv we saw Cain’s descendents were talented people. In Gen 5, we saw the descendents of Seth. There was nothing of note. This is a lineage of righteous people.
A blameless person is someone who other people could not find fault in him.
Noah is a person with the following characteristics.
- Trust God
- Blameless life
- Fear God
- Preacher (he only led 7 people to follow God)
- Intimate with God
The people didn’t listen to Enoch and they didn’t listen to Noah.
How much time do we spend intimate time with God in a day, a week or a month? If we were more intimate with God in the past, what happened? If we are intimate with God now, will we keep this up in the future?
Noah spent many years building the ark. He didn’t want to build a magnificent building for the others to remember him. Noah put aside all his personal interest. He had close fellowship with God and that helped him to stay on course.
Beware the Judgement of God
In Noah’s time, God destroyed the world with the evil people with flood (i.e. with water.) In the tsunami a few years ago, thousands died. That was in a day. The flood in Noah’s days covered the whole earth and it covered the highest mountain of the earth. Noah believed it would happen. But the other people didn’t believe. They still ate, drank and be merry. They had never seen any rain. The Bible never mentioned rain before the flood.
Today, when we tell others that God will one day use a great fire will consume the earth, some will not believe because they have never seen it. Only when and if we believe can we preach this message.
The many Christians in the world are like the Noahs of today. We need to tell the others that the wicked will be destroyed.
Gen 6:14-18 你要用歌斐木造一只方舟，分一间一间的造，里外抹上松香。 (15) 方舟的造法乃是这样：要长三百肘，宽五十肘，高三十肘。 (16) 方舟上边要留透光处，高一肘。方舟的门要开在旁边。方舟要分上、中、下三层。 (17) 看哪，我要使洪水泛滥在地上，毁灭天下；凡地上有血肉、有气息的活物，无一不死。 (18) 我却要与你立约；你同你的妻，与儿子儿妇，都要进入方舟。
If Noah merely preached and warned the people and neglected to follow God’s instructions to build the ark, he and his family would perish when the flood came. The ark is a symbol of Christ and the church.
Only one pair of unclean animals entered the ark while the clean animals came in seven pairs. This is a small world. Could the animals live together in harmony?
Imagine our church as the ark now, there are people with different personalities and background. Could they stay together?
Noah’s family and the many animals stayed in the ark for 1 year. Even though the ark is as big as a 3-storey soccer field, it must have been still difficult for the animals to stay together. If they leave the ark, they die.
Jesus gave his commandments for his church to love one another.
There are Christians who started to build haven and store up supplies in anticipation of the end of the world. We should focus on preparing the church as a united and mature body. We want to prepare the church as the bride as mentioned in Eph 5.
Noah used more than 100 years to build the ark. Jesus used more than 2000 years to prepare his church. And the preparation is still ongoing.
When will Jesus come again? When the temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem? When the sin is fulfilled? The key is whether the church / ark are ready.
The flood came seven days after Noah and his family and the animals went into the ark. Calamities will come when Jesus comes again. But the purpose of Jesus coming again is to save those who are redeemed.
Follow God’s Instructions
Gen 6:22 挪亚就这样行。凡神所吩咐的，他都照样行了。
Gen 6:22 Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.
The flood came when Noah was 600. He had his children at 500. There was a span of about 100 years.
The ark was so big it was impossible for Noah and the wife to build on their own. His children must have helped. From here we learn that no individual can build the ark.
Noah had been giving warning about the flood for hundreds of years. The building of the ark took anything from 60 to 100 years. The people didn’t believe him and ridiculed him.
Mat 7:24-27 「所以，凡听见我这话就去行的，好比一个聪明人，把房子盖在磐石上； (25) 雨淋，水冲，风吹，撞著那房子，房子总不倒塌，因为根基立在磐石上。 (26) 凡听见我这话不去行的，好比一个无知的人，把房子盖在沙土上； (27) 雨淋，水冲，风吹，撞著那房子，房子就倒塌了，并且倒塌得很大。」
Mat 7:24-27 "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. (25) And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. (26) And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. (27) And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."
At the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave this warning. Only those who believe and obey would be safe.
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