Faith Like Noah’s
8-30-2015
Gen 6:15-22
This is how you are to
make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its
height 30 cubits. 16 Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above,
and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third
decks. 17 For behold, I will bring a
flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of
life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will
establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your
sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of
all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive
with you. They shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds according to their
kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of
the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to
keep them alive. 21 Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and
store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them." 22 Noah did
this; he did all that God commanded him.
In 1955 a Russian
aviator saw an ark on Mt. Ararat in Turkey. An expedition was conducted and
found & photographed an ark. The Government was later overthrown &
photographs/reports were lost. Was this a fabrication?
· The Ark is mentioned in recorded
histories of barbarians.
· WWII pilots saw it. It is easily seen from a plane. Gen 6:15-16
450’ long, 75’ wide,
45’ high, there was none longer until 4200 years later: 1858 Great Eastern.
· It was like a flat bottom barge not
designed to sail only float. There were no oars, sails, or a rudder.
o Modern boat designers: say it is virtually
impossible to capsize.
· There were 3 decks w/18” vent under
roof overhang providing fresh air & light.
1.5 million Cubic Feet
(600 livestock boxcars) 14,000 tons
· Less than 60% of ark was for creatures,
the rest was for provisions.
o only a supernatural revelation would
give insight into knowing the best structure & what capacity was needed.
§ animals “came” by a special act of God.
Gen 6:19-20, 2:19
· It is physically possible & evidence
of it existed!
Scoffers could do
these simple calculations but do not want their doubts answered.
· They would Not believe even if God
revealed undisputable proof of an Ark.
o 1856 a boy & 3 atheist
scientists found it. 1 confessed the truth on his deathbed.
· The intellectual “specifics” are usually
a dodge to avoid the real issue.
o The barrier to belief not technicalities/info
but a rebellious heart.
· If the Flood is true then we must
answer to Holy God who judges sinners like me.
It is a choice to pridefully
resist or humbly believe in an unseen God by faith & walk in obedience to
Him. Heb 11:1
· Noah did not have physical evidence
for a coming flood yet built the ark.
o It might never have rained on earth
yet. Gen 2:6
· Our faith is essentially the same as
Noah’s.
o Faith in flood/ark is based not on physical
evidence but on God’s Word.
§ Science/evidence is always secondary
to Word.
· Faith: All of earth's future
inhabitants huddled under a single roof of a monstrous rectangular box built on
a sea-less land where it had possibly had never been rained on before.
o We are not told to build an ark, but
to place faith in Jesus to be saved.
Deliverance both then
& now is based on God’s covenant of grace.
Gen 1:28, 3:15, 6:17-18
· Here the 1st usage of covenant assumes
a covenant relationship already exists.
o God is making explicit what has already
been implicit with Adam.
· God sovereignly, unilaterally obligates
Himself to save Noah’s family.
o God binds Himself by a promise; this
is not a two party mutual agreement...Bilateral.
o The Covenant can not be dependent on
our works or it is certain to fail & we would lose all the benefits.
· God’s covenants to Noah & us are
established by His grace.
o Noah was given promise of a future without
demands on Noah to do anything to validate or void the promise.
· Likewise God promises we can be delivered
from judgment & given a future.
o It is not based on us doing anything
but on finished work of Christ alone. Jn 5:24, Rom 4:5, 5:9, 2 Cor 1:20
Additional notes:
“kind” is the
designation for the families of animals (around 700 in total) from which “species”
develop.
18,000 Species of mammals, birds, reptiles,
amphibians today.
18,000 Generous amount of extinct
species
36,000 Possible species in Noah’s day
X 2 Male and female of each species
75,000 Maximum creatures on ark with an average size
of sheep.
· Ark could easily hold 125,000 sheep.
*That means less than 60%
of the ark’s total available living space is the maximum amount occupied by
living creatures.
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