John 1:1-18
There are many cheerful lights on at this time of year – they relieve the gloom. Jesus us described as the light of the world.
The world needs light.
It needs physical light. People need spiritual light, we do not understand spiritual truth. We do not think we are ignorant, we think we have knowledge and understanding but many basic things elude us, family breakdown and war abound as does terrorism and we cannot solve any of them. This is darkness – fear and misery. Just over 100 years ago missionaries went to Africa and called it Darkest Africa, it was full of superstition. In Darkest England and the way out by William Booth of the Salvation Army, Booth says that the way out of poverty was salvation, not soup or soap.
God is light.
God dwells in unapproachable light. Light stands for wisdom and understanding. Ephesus was a city of ignorance and superstition. People lived in darkness. When saved they lived in light and turned away from ignorance.
There was a witness to the true light – verse 6
John the Baptist told people about the light, he called attention to the Son of God and told people to believe in him.
There is only one true light – verses 8 and 9
People have been enlightened by some religious leaders but Jesus is the only true light. He personified God – see John 8, he said he was the light of the world. Jesus brought kindness and love into the world, he showed us how we can come to God, the only way is by faith in him.
The light was rejected – verses 10 to 11
He came to his own people and he was rejected. He controlled nature, he healed people, he raised people from the dead, he preached to people and defeated the work of Satan. People had been looking for him, when he came they did not recognize him. Jews still look for a messiah but he has come. The light came and they switched it off.
The light was received by some – verses 12 and 13.
Some believed and were changed. We came into the world by being born. We come into God’s family by being born again, by receiving the Lord Jesus and his teaching by faith. He rescues people by calling them out of darkness. If we have believed we have peace with God and grow in faith like a baby does.
The light is wonderful – verse 14.
He was full of grace and truth. John saw the glory of God in the Lord Jesus. When people needed help he helped them, when sick he healed them, when hungry he fed them, when ignorant he taught them. This was the glory of God who cared for them. Do we have cares and needs? we should go to him or are we so proud and ‘wise’ that we turn away from him and reject him or have we found light today and turn to him?
Sunday 30 December 2007
Different reactions to the Lord Jesus
Matthew 2:1-18
We would expect unqualified rejoicing when the Lord Jesus came into the world, but like today there are very mixed reactions. Believers greet him with joy, others have lost the message and meaning of Christmas.
One group here was pleased, one was disturbed and displeased by what happened. We enjoy this as a happy time to get together with family.
Those who rejoiced.
a) Joseph and Mary were filled with wonder – the end of 0 months waiting. They may have asked ‘why us?’ We believers can see it is God with us. The Christmas story should provoke joy as we enjoy peace with God.
b) The shepherds rejoiced at being at being the first witnesses called to Bethlehem and confirmed by the chorus of angels. The world was going to be a better place as hope came into it.
c) The magi were thrilled as well, they were the cream of the learned world, they still searched or more when they saw the star, they were overjoyed and they bowed down to worship the baby they knew was worthy of worship. They knew much but yearned to know more. They knew the new born son was special. This was relevant and meaningful to them as they sought him.
It did not bring joy to everyone.
a) When the magi reached Jerusalem Herod was disturbed as was everyone in Jerusalem. They were not full of joy. Herod was a capable ruler – he enlarged the temple and improved public works. But he was full of cunning and cruelty. He put to death his mother, wife, children and heir. He was suspicious of anyone and everyone. When the new king was announced he immediately attempted to destroy the new born king. When he knew he was thwarted he have merciless orders to kill all the baby boys under the age of two, but it was too late, he had fled to Egypt. The elders did not rejoice because they thought that Jesus was a threat. He was no threat to Herod. He grew up as a model citizen. If Herod has known what a blessing Jesus would be, he would not have sought to destroy him. People have many weird misconceptions of Jesus. They see him as a good example or a religious guru or a revolutionary or a kill joy. Why do people have these wrong ideas? They do not listen to Biblical teaching or read it for themselves. They end up jumping to the wrong conclusions like Herod. People’s minds are often closed. Jesus is the light of the world but if you keep the curtains drawn the light is kept out.
b) Ignorance – he thought he was only a political leader. He was actually a shepherd to guide people as they were like lost sheep. Sheep need a shepherd as they need guidance or they get into deep trouble or danger. The Lord Jesus had crowds of people following him, they were the sheep without a shepherd weighed down with guilt and trouble. We are all like sheep who have wandered from God. Herod had gone astray, he had fits of unrestrained anger and brutality, he gave into base instincts and lacked self control. None of us are perfect, we all sin in our lives, only the Lord Jesus has the cure for our hearts. Jesus says ‘I am the good shepherd.’ He lays down his life for them. Herod thought Jesus came to politicize people but he had come to bring peace to people. When we believe in the Lord Jesus we have returned to the shepherd of our souls and we now know his comforting as in Psalm 23 – the Lord is MY shepherd.
c) Herod was too proud to see his need of his Saviour. He did not want a rival but he was a bad man who was guilty before God. He tried to excuse his behaviour and did not want to change his ways. We cannot make ourselves good, we cannot save ourselves. We need a Saviour who can save us from our sins. A ship wrecked sailor is pleased to see the lifeboat, the crashed motorist is glad to see the AA man, the condemned man on death row is glad to be reprieved. Each person knows that they have a need for outside help.
Conclusion.
People find it hard to accept that they need to this Lord Jesus who rebukes wasted lives. We need to accept him into our lives and homes this Christmas. He will bring with hope and peace and joy this Christmas. If we don’t we will not know the way we should live and how we get to heaven.
Jonathan Aitken was disgraced, divorced, bankrupted and imprisoned. He found joy in forgiveness in the Lord Jesus and with it great joy and peace in the Lord Jesus. This is our greatest need.
Our greatest achievement as men is not that men stood on the moon but that God stood on the Earth. If we call on the Lord Jesus in repentance we shall know his peace this Christmas.
We would expect unqualified rejoicing when the Lord Jesus came into the world, but like today there are very mixed reactions. Believers greet him with joy, others have lost the message and meaning of Christmas.
One group here was pleased, one was disturbed and displeased by what happened. We enjoy this as a happy time to get together with family.
Those who rejoiced.
a) Joseph and Mary were filled with wonder – the end of 0 months waiting. They may have asked ‘why us?’ We believers can see it is God with us. The Christmas story should provoke joy as we enjoy peace with God.
b) The shepherds rejoiced at being at being the first witnesses called to Bethlehem and confirmed by the chorus of angels. The world was going to be a better place as hope came into it.
c) The magi were thrilled as well, they were the cream of the learned world, they still searched or more when they saw the star, they were overjoyed and they bowed down to worship the baby they knew was worthy of worship. They knew much but yearned to know more. They knew the new born son was special. This was relevant and meaningful to them as they sought him.
It did not bring joy to everyone.
a) When the magi reached Jerusalem Herod was disturbed as was everyone in Jerusalem. They were not full of joy. Herod was a capable ruler – he enlarged the temple and improved public works. But he was full of cunning and cruelty. He put to death his mother, wife, children and heir. He was suspicious of anyone and everyone. When the new king was announced he immediately attempted to destroy the new born king. When he knew he was thwarted he have merciless orders to kill all the baby boys under the age of two, but it was too late, he had fled to Egypt. The elders did not rejoice because they thought that Jesus was a threat. He was no threat to Herod. He grew up as a model citizen. If Herod has known what a blessing Jesus would be, he would not have sought to destroy him. People have many weird misconceptions of Jesus. They see him as a good example or a religious guru or a revolutionary or a kill joy. Why do people have these wrong ideas? They do not listen to Biblical teaching or read it for themselves. They end up jumping to the wrong conclusions like Herod. People’s minds are often closed. Jesus is the light of the world but if you keep the curtains drawn the light is kept out.
b) Ignorance – he thought he was only a political leader. He was actually a shepherd to guide people as they were like lost sheep. Sheep need a shepherd as they need guidance or they get into deep trouble or danger. The Lord Jesus had crowds of people following him, they were the sheep without a shepherd weighed down with guilt and trouble. We are all like sheep who have wandered from God. Herod had gone astray, he had fits of unrestrained anger and brutality, he gave into base instincts and lacked self control. None of us are perfect, we all sin in our lives, only the Lord Jesus has the cure for our hearts. Jesus says ‘I am the good shepherd.’ He lays down his life for them. Herod thought Jesus came to politicize people but he had come to bring peace to people. When we believe in the Lord Jesus we have returned to the shepherd of our souls and we now know his comforting as in Psalm 23 – the Lord is MY shepherd.
c) Herod was too proud to see his need of his Saviour. He did not want a rival but he was a bad man who was guilty before God. He tried to excuse his behaviour and did not want to change his ways. We cannot make ourselves good, we cannot save ourselves. We need a Saviour who can save us from our sins. A ship wrecked sailor is pleased to see the lifeboat, the crashed motorist is glad to see the AA man, the condemned man on death row is glad to be reprieved. Each person knows that they have a need for outside help.
Conclusion.
People find it hard to accept that they need to this Lord Jesus who rebukes wasted lives. We need to accept him into our lives and homes this Christmas. He will bring with hope and peace and joy this Christmas. If we don’t we will not know the way we should live and how we get to heaven.
Jonathan Aitken was disgraced, divorced, bankrupted and imprisoned. He found joy in forgiveness in the Lord Jesus and with it great joy and peace in the Lord Jesus. This is our greatest need.
Our greatest achievement as men is not that men stood on the moon but that God stood on the Earth. If we call on the Lord Jesus in repentance we shall know his peace this Christmas.
The Curiosity of angels
Luke 1:26-56 and 1 Peter 10-22
You cannot avoid the presence and power of angels when you read the Christmas story and how God communicates with people through them.
Are we curious? Do we enjoy the challenge of learning new things and information? Do we love going to libraries and finding things out? Children are very curious about the world – especially about presents at Christmas, what is in the parcels. It is wonderful to be curious about the world, about this life and especially about eternity, the world to come. Angels long to look into something, they do not have perfect knowledge. An increasing number of people do not go to church but they are curious about angels.
Angels are creatures that are spirit beings. They appear in human form and they have names that reflect their form. They are very active in the world. They are numerous – see Hebrews 12:1, they are in joyful assembly. They have different ranks. Michael and Gabriel are archangels. Gabriel appears in Luke. Hebrews 1:14 tells us that they serve believers. They are Heaven’s errand boys who carry messages for God and they intervene in human affairs. In the Old Testament the people often had messages via angels.
At the incarnation their role changes, they predicted Jesus’ birth, announced his arrival, comforted and attended him at his agony in Gethsemane. Angels minister to those who will inherit salvation. They are at the flight of the soul at death and they will be at the final judgment. God has they angels at his command.
When we look at the world around us, its wickedness and sin, it is a comfort to know they are protecting us if we are believers. They will bring us home to glory when we die.
Prophets and angels did not understand everything about Christ’s coming and our salvation. Prophets looked into it intently. Peter wrote about how wonderful their salvation was in the face of great opposition and difficulty.
Peter was thinking about the prophets such as Isaiah who predicted the virgin birth. He would have been mystified by this. The prophets such Isaiah, Malachi and Daniel lived years apart and could not understand how it all dovetailed together. Daniel knew it was all sealed up to the end time. Some predicted where he would be born, his suffering, his triumphal entry to Jerusalem, his suffering and his glory. He would be a prophet, priest and king. The central message of the Bible is he died for our sins according to the prophets. The men on the road to Emmaus were told what the prophets said were all linked and fulfilled in Christ. God has progressively revealed how he works in the world and about the Christ. The people in the New Testament saw their fulfillment – amazing, wonderful things. This is our good hope for the world.
Why did angels have an interest? They foretold his coming. Gabriel appeared to Daniel, Zechariah and Mary. They do not have a complete knowledge, they learn like we do as it is spoken. They are holy beings with great authority and power. They long to know these things – they bend over and peer into these things deeply and intently and long to learn of these things like when you drop your watch into a swimming pool and loom for it.
a) What are they concerned to see? The mystery of the incarnation for a start – how could God be contracted into a man, manifested in the flesh and living among men? There is no evidence this has happened on another planet or anywhere else in the world. God commands his angels to worship him for his great work. Jesus is no ordinary prophet or guru. He is unique among men. Angels marvelled at the son of God who came into the world and how he died for the sins of his people to save them from a lost eternity.
b) They marvelled at salvation – there are no saved angels. There are evil and holy angels. No offer of salvation was ever made to fallen angels. The angels marvelled at how God saved fallen men. They must have been appalled at the state of the world and how men were heading for hell. They must have wondered at how God could have planned to restore this broken relationship. This way of salvation was revealed to them – Christ was going to die, the innocent for the guilty, the just dying for the unjust. God would justify the guilty on the basis of the suffering of the Lord Jesus. Angels ministered at every part of Christ work. When men repent – Luke l5:l0 – angels rejoice in the presence of the Lord. They understand something of the joy of God when men repent. Have angels rejoiced over your salvation? Yes, if we have repent of our sins and confess our need of him. Has this turning point come? It did for the prodigal son who lived in defiance of God, he repented of his foolishness and the angels rejoiced when they saw it.
Summing up
a) Do we also yearn look into these things? Is nature fascinating , we continue to learn much about nature, we can see this on TV. It is not just our relationship with nature but our relationship with God our eternal future. We should be concerned about how we stand before God. Angels have never fallen into sin, like believers they are safe and happy. We are not unless we have repented of our sins in the name of the Lord Jesus. Angels do not know what we know. Hebrews 2:3 – how shall we escape if we ignore this salvation? We shall not. Angels must be astonished that there are people who are not concerned and interested about these things.
b) The angels act out of love for God, they serve the living. We cam become his servants this Christmas and have the best reward – eternal life. We have the message of the prophets, gospels and apostles. Be like the angels, look into these things and know the blessing of God in Christ Jesus.
You cannot avoid the presence and power of angels when you read the Christmas story and how God communicates with people through them.
Are we curious? Do we enjoy the challenge of learning new things and information? Do we love going to libraries and finding things out? Children are very curious about the world – especially about presents at Christmas, what is in the parcels. It is wonderful to be curious about the world, about this life and especially about eternity, the world to come. Angels long to look into something, they do not have perfect knowledge. An increasing number of people do not go to church but they are curious about angels.
Angels are creatures that are spirit beings. They appear in human form and they have names that reflect their form. They are very active in the world. They are numerous – see Hebrews 12:1, they are in joyful assembly. They have different ranks. Michael and Gabriel are archangels. Gabriel appears in Luke. Hebrews 1:14 tells us that they serve believers. They are Heaven’s errand boys who carry messages for God and they intervene in human affairs. In the Old Testament the people often had messages via angels.
At the incarnation their role changes, they predicted Jesus’ birth, announced his arrival, comforted and attended him at his agony in Gethsemane. Angels minister to those who will inherit salvation. They are at the flight of the soul at death and they will be at the final judgment. God has they angels at his command.
When we look at the world around us, its wickedness and sin, it is a comfort to know they are protecting us if we are believers. They will bring us home to glory when we die.
Prophets and angels did not understand everything about Christ’s coming and our salvation. Prophets looked into it intently. Peter wrote about how wonderful their salvation was in the face of great opposition and difficulty.
Peter was thinking about the prophets such as Isaiah who predicted the virgin birth. He would have been mystified by this. The prophets such Isaiah, Malachi and Daniel lived years apart and could not understand how it all dovetailed together. Daniel knew it was all sealed up to the end time. Some predicted where he would be born, his suffering, his triumphal entry to Jerusalem, his suffering and his glory. He would be a prophet, priest and king. The central message of the Bible is he died for our sins according to the prophets. The men on the road to Emmaus were told what the prophets said were all linked and fulfilled in Christ. God has progressively revealed how he works in the world and about the Christ. The people in the New Testament saw their fulfillment – amazing, wonderful things. This is our good hope for the world.
Why did angels have an interest? They foretold his coming. Gabriel appeared to Daniel, Zechariah and Mary. They do not have a complete knowledge, they learn like we do as it is spoken. They are holy beings with great authority and power. They long to know these things – they bend over and peer into these things deeply and intently and long to learn of these things like when you drop your watch into a swimming pool and loom for it.
a) What are they concerned to see? The mystery of the incarnation for a start – how could God be contracted into a man, manifested in the flesh and living among men? There is no evidence this has happened on another planet or anywhere else in the world. God commands his angels to worship him for his great work. Jesus is no ordinary prophet or guru. He is unique among men. Angels marvelled at the son of God who came into the world and how he died for the sins of his people to save them from a lost eternity.
b) They marvelled at salvation – there are no saved angels. There are evil and holy angels. No offer of salvation was ever made to fallen angels. The angels marvelled at how God saved fallen men. They must have been appalled at the state of the world and how men were heading for hell. They must have wondered at how God could have planned to restore this broken relationship. This way of salvation was revealed to them – Christ was going to die, the innocent for the guilty, the just dying for the unjust. God would justify the guilty on the basis of the suffering of the Lord Jesus. Angels ministered at every part of Christ work. When men repent – Luke l5:l0 – angels rejoice in the presence of the Lord. They understand something of the joy of God when men repent. Have angels rejoiced over your salvation? Yes, if we have repent of our sins and confess our need of him. Has this turning point come? It did for the prodigal son who lived in defiance of God, he repented of his foolishness and the angels rejoiced when they saw it.
Summing up
a) Do we also yearn look into these things? Is nature fascinating , we continue to learn much about nature, we can see this on TV. It is not just our relationship with nature but our relationship with God our eternal future. We should be concerned about how we stand before God. Angels have never fallen into sin, like believers they are safe and happy. We are not unless we have repented of our sins in the name of the Lord Jesus. Angels do not know what we know. Hebrews 2:3 – how shall we escape if we ignore this salvation? We shall not. Angels must be astonished that there are people who are not concerned and interested about these things.
b) The angels act out of love for God, they serve the living. We cam become his servants this Christmas and have the best reward – eternal life. We have the message of the prophets, gospels and apostles. Be like the angels, look into these things and know the blessing of God in Christ Jesus.
CHRIST VINDICATED
2Corinthians 4:6 to 5:10 and 1 Peter 4:1-6
The letter was written in the context of difficulties and that these will increase. We sense that difficulties will get worse for us today as we defend the truth of God. We all have a tendency to feel sorry for ourselves when trouble comes and everything seems to go wrong. The cure is to recall the suffering of our Saviour and think of the joy when he returns. Peter is very realistic, he tells them to look to Christ and others who have suffered for the sake of Christ. David Brainerd knew physical hardship and spiritual disappointments yet he knew God was close and was encouraged by this.
1. LIVING FOR THR WILL OF GOD – verse 1.
Peter presents a challenge as Christ has suffered arm yourself, it is a military metaphor, the cross had to come before the glory, see John 10. Jesus chose the cross and armed himself with the knowledge of the coming glory. Richard Wurmbrandt knew this comfort of being a partner with Jesus in his suffering while he was in prison for 14 years. Martyrs viewed death as an entrance to glory. Sin should be life behind, it is disobedience to God’s will. Wisdom lies in obeying God’s will, it is like a rock we can build on. Foolishness lies in disobeying God’s will and is like building on the sand. There is no more blessed life than obeying God’s will. People believe they can go their own way, Christians believe their way is God’s way. Peter’s argument is, since Christ gave Himself to deliver us from the sin which would destroy us, why go back to live in it? God’s will is good will. Life is God’s loan to man, and time man’s rent.
2. LEAVING THE PAST BEHIND – verse 3.
The world tells people to look back. Peter tells them that enough time has already been wasted. There is no way of making up for the past. Never, ever go back that way. Many Christians struggle with assurance despite being converted and walking with the Lord, but we need to remember that God keeps us and we can rest in Him. This passage is a vivid description of the tragic and devastating life pattern of the unconverted, which ends inevitably in judgment. This behaviour shows complete lack of concern for the consequences of actions. We may avoid the excess, but we live in a world where entertainment is shot through with violence and sexual innuendo, we need to be so watchful. Sin can leave its scars on ours and other people’s lives. We should not boast of our past, we should regret it and move on and leave it behind us. In Peter’s day people glorified immoral behaviour as our society does. Jesus enjoyed the good things of life but never to excess.
In Peter’s day people lived reckless lives and disregarded the consequences of their lives. People gravitated downwards as people do in our society especially in our university campuses where shameless behaviour goes on. We should leave this behind. Peter says to the people that they have spent enough time doing that. You believers have ‘tasted that the Lord is good’ what possible reason could they have for reverting to their old ways? We need to watch our lives that are laced with materialism.
3. EXPERIENCING VIDICTIVENESS – verse 4
They were being ridiculed for not joining in with the excesses. Pliny complained of the behaviour of Christians who refused to join in. They said: you are missing a lot of parties and you die just like everybody else. So, eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. People blasphemed them, they heaped abuse upon them because they would not plunge into the same flood of dissipation – like a sewer of sin. This is a common experience of believers. However, sometimes people begin to respect us for our changed priorities. Unsaved people do not think it strange when people wreck their bodies, destroy their homes and ruin their lives by running form one sin to another. But let a drunkard become sober, or an immoral person pure and the family think he has lost his mind – see Mark 3:20. If our life changes then people think we are out of our minds they did of Jesus. When our family sees we put our hope in Jesus they will do the same to us. When we run the wrong way from the crowd they will laugh at us. The route that non-Christians choose may seem right, it may seem fun but it leads to eternal loss. We will get a crown.
4. EXPECTING VINDICATION – verse 5
Others judge us now. We should remember a day is coming when God will judge. No one escapes accountability to God. Those who are spiritually alive through trusting in the merits of Christ’s cross have nothing to fear at this judgment, for the judge appointed by God is Jesus Christ – 1 Corinthians 4:5. Living for Christ brings its own reward, but we’ll have to wait a while to see it completely. We are to so live that we encourage others to live this life too. Those who despise and mock believers will suffer the most awful judgment on the last day. To submit to the will of God will lead us to be vindicated.
The letter was written in the context of difficulties and that these will increase. We sense that difficulties will get worse for us today as we defend the truth of God. We all have a tendency to feel sorry for ourselves when trouble comes and everything seems to go wrong. The cure is to recall the suffering of our Saviour and think of the joy when he returns. Peter is very realistic, he tells them to look to Christ and others who have suffered for the sake of Christ. David Brainerd knew physical hardship and spiritual disappointments yet he knew God was close and was encouraged by this.
1. LIVING FOR THR WILL OF GOD – verse 1.
Peter presents a challenge as Christ has suffered arm yourself, it is a military metaphor, the cross had to come before the glory, see John 10. Jesus chose the cross and armed himself with the knowledge of the coming glory. Richard Wurmbrandt knew this comfort of being a partner with Jesus in his suffering while he was in prison for 14 years. Martyrs viewed death as an entrance to glory. Sin should be life behind, it is disobedience to God’s will. Wisdom lies in obeying God’s will, it is like a rock we can build on. Foolishness lies in disobeying God’s will and is like building on the sand. There is no more blessed life than obeying God’s will. People believe they can go their own way, Christians believe their way is God’s way. Peter’s argument is, since Christ gave Himself to deliver us from the sin which would destroy us, why go back to live in it? God’s will is good will. Life is God’s loan to man, and time man’s rent.
2. LEAVING THE PAST BEHIND – verse 3.
The world tells people to look back. Peter tells them that enough time has already been wasted. There is no way of making up for the past. Never, ever go back that way. Many Christians struggle with assurance despite being converted and walking with the Lord, but we need to remember that God keeps us and we can rest in Him. This passage is a vivid description of the tragic and devastating life pattern of the unconverted, which ends inevitably in judgment. This behaviour shows complete lack of concern for the consequences of actions. We may avoid the excess, but we live in a world where entertainment is shot through with violence and sexual innuendo, we need to be so watchful. Sin can leave its scars on ours and other people’s lives. We should not boast of our past, we should regret it and move on and leave it behind us. In Peter’s day people glorified immoral behaviour as our society does. Jesus enjoyed the good things of life but never to excess.
In Peter’s day people lived reckless lives and disregarded the consequences of their lives. People gravitated downwards as people do in our society especially in our university campuses where shameless behaviour goes on. We should leave this behind. Peter says to the people that they have spent enough time doing that. You believers have ‘tasted that the Lord is good’ what possible reason could they have for reverting to their old ways? We need to watch our lives that are laced with materialism.
3. EXPERIENCING VIDICTIVENESS – verse 4
They were being ridiculed for not joining in with the excesses. Pliny complained of the behaviour of Christians who refused to join in. They said: you are missing a lot of parties and you die just like everybody else. So, eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. People blasphemed them, they heaped abuse upon them because they would not plunge into the same flood of dissipation – like a sewer of sin. This is a common experience of believers. However, sometimes people begin to respect us for our changed priorities. Unsaved people do not think it strange when people wreck their bodies, destroy their homes and ruin their lives by running form one sin to another. But let a drunkard become sober, or an immoral person pure and the family think he has lost his mind – see Mark 3:20. If our life changes then people think we are out of our minds they did of Jesus. When our family sees we put our hope in Jesus they will do the same to us. When we run the wrong way from the crowd they will laugh at us. The route that non-Christians choose may seem right, it may seem fun but it leads to eternal loss. We will get a crown.
4. EXPECTING VINDICATION – verse 5
Others judge us now. We should remember a day is coming when God will judge. No one escapes accountability to God. Those who are spiritually alive through trusting in the merits of Christ’s cross have nothing to fear at this judgment, for the judge appointed by God is Jesus Christ – 1 Corinthians 4:5. Living for Christ brings its own reward, but we’ll have to wait a while to see it completely. We are to so live that we encourage others to live this life too. Those who despise and mock believers will suffer the most awful judgment on the last day. To submit to the will of God will lead us to be vindicated.
Sunday 16 December 2007
New principles for a new world
Genesis 9:1-17
The ark grounded on the hills of Ararat. It is the exact day of the year when Jesus rose from the dead. It may yet be discovered, but our faith does not rest on sight. The whole world had changed. Now the flood is over, Noah and his family must start again. The world has changed, volcanoes have erupted, dead plants and animals are floating on the water or concealed in the mud. 99.75% of fossils are marine creatures, only 0.0375% are vertebrates which are mostly fish. Most mammals are represented by single bones, nearly all are buried out of sight.
Flood stories are found all around the world. 70% talk of survivors in a boat, 70% of a privileged family, 60% say that it was due to the actions of sinful men. 70% of the stories say that the boat was lodged on a mountain. Many say that birds were sent out. All confirm Noah’s account.
A NEW COMMISSION – PROCREATION
Noah has been in a secure environment. The world has changed, the were new landmarks etc. He faced an uncertain future as we often do. He had many unknowns in this new life.
a) God blessed Noah
God was going to be with him. Noah needed many things – the cooperation of his family, protection etc. We need God’s blessing – home, clothes, food etc. As God’s people we have the Bible, our sin’s forgiven and he comes to our aid. We have joy because we have a heavenly father. The Lord’s people have a multitude of divine blessings – pardon, adoption and greater still to come. Unbelievers have none of this. They do not know God. Geoff Thomas tells of the gospel of the Beatles – they rejected Christianity and tried drink, drugs, ‘spirituality’ etc. They formed Apple, an organisation that promoted the idea that man was ultimately good. The Apple shop closed because of staff pilfering, the Beatles split up at the height of their popularity, all of them divorced, one died of smoking, one became an alcoholic and another was shot dead. Was this ‘apple’ – perfection?, not at all. We need God’s blessing on us today, his peace, his joy, his hope. Nothing can take this away.
b) God commissioned them – verses 1 and 7
This meant spreading out and having children. Adam was head of the human race at the start, Noah is head of the reconstituted race after the flood. In all the trials and difficulties of life, God, to mitigate the effects of sin gives us intimate, fulfilling relationships. Christians in particular should rejoice in every child God adds to their family. The Bible says children are a blessing from the Lord. Today many people do not want children, they see children as a hindrance to their lives. Children cause us to become less selfish. Should we not all have very large families? We all limit God’s blessings – we limit the food we eat and our sleep etc. We limit our families as well so we can cope financially, emotionally and space wise. Are we playing God when we do this? No, we take medicine etc to keep well. Believers should have the number they can care for properly and bring them up to believe in the Lord. We should love and value them as God’s gifts. God commissioned Noah to pass on the knowledge of the old world and what happened in the ark, it was passed onto Moses who wrote it all down. The oral record passed on round the world. We must pass the knowledge on to succeeding generations.
A NEW PROVISION
Humans are given permission to eat animals. Before the flood animals and men lived in harmony. After the flood God gave animals the fear of men. Animals are given to men to meet our needs. We must not abuse them. It is a strange world where seals are saved and unborn babies destroyed and where sacred cows are fed alongside starving people. Vegetarianism is not commanded by Jesus. He ate meat. 1 Timothy 4:3-5.
A NEW PROHIBITION – verse 4
God says don’t drink blood. God says because there are all sorts of parasites and diseases in meat. This is for our good. God says don’t drink blood. Pagans drink blood to get the life force from it. All diseases are carried through the body by the blood. HIV can be passed on this way. He gave us fire and we can cook our food. We don’t have to eat uncooked food. Others think that this pointed ahead to the sacrificial system – Leviticus 17:10. The blood makes the atonement, it is drained and covered in earth. Blood = life = atonement, this is the connection. Life can be given as a substitute for another. Blood is symbolic of life. Blood is the pulse of life. Trapp says ‘blood, the organ of life, is holy to God, the author of life’. It speaks of God given life in the Old Testament and in the Jerusalem Council it is reiterated. The safest interpretation is to say that the prohibition still holds against blood being drunk but does not forbid transfusions. The Watchtower go far beyond what is written. Jehovah’s witnesses are not right – this prohibition does not cover transfusing human blood into our veins.
A NEW PROTECTION – verses 5 and 6
A life for a life is the golden rule because life is so precious. People are made in the image of God. The old world was so violent and life was so cheap that it is significant that one of the first things God confirmed to Noah was the sanctity of human life. We have here human accountability. God set this – a proper view of human life. We are rational beings with a mind, with a sense of right and wrong. God values human so highly that he orders its protection by human governments. This is not personal vengeance but lawful government and authority. Government does not develop morality but it expresses in its laws and powers the morality that is in its people, what most of us want. It needs the input of what God has revealed. Here God lays down the principle of what needs protecting so people fear to take a human life. If they do not make these laws they will have violence on the streets as we do today, abortion on demand, euthanasia etc. There is a drift away from the values set here in Genesis. When our legislators move away from these principles our society suffers.
a) Animals that take human life are to be put down – verse 5 and Exodus 21:28
b) Humans that deliberately take life are to face capital punishment. God delegates to human authority the right to take life in certain circumstances.
5. APPLICATION
a) God blessed Noah – it was in and for Noah. Many people had a deep and intense longing that God would bless them – such as Jacob, David etc. When we seek God’s blessing with all of our hearts we shall know God’s blessing. We must put God first. We cannot know God’s blessing if we do not put him first. If we do we will know his provision and blessing.
b) We must be aware of his blessing. We have woollen jumpers, leather shoes, silk ties. We have pets etc. We benefit from God’s enrichment of our world, so we can rejoice in him - see l Timothy 6, he provides us with everything for our enjoyment and well being. People have many good things but remain unhappy and depressed – they are not well inside and need inner healing. God fills our hearts with strength and hope when we put our hope in him, the Lord Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life, we can know life as it should be. Romans 8:32, he gave his son and all things.
The ark grounded on the hills of Ararat. It is the exact day of the year when Jesus rose from the dead. It may yet be discovered, but our faith does not rest on sight. The whole world had changed. Now the flood is over, Noah and his family must start again. The world has changed, volcanoes have erupted, dead plants and animals are floating on the water or concealed in the mud. 99.75% of fossils are marine creatures, only 0.0375% are vertebrates which are mostly fish. Most mammals are represented by single bones, nearly all are buried out of sight.
Flood stories are found all around the world. 70% talk of survivors in a boat, 70% of a privileged family, 60% say that it was due to the actions of sinful men. 70% of the stories say that the boat was lodged on a mountain. Many say that birds were sent out. All confirm Noah’s account.
A NEW COMMISSION – PROCREATION
Noah has been in a secure environment. The world has changed, the were new landmarks etc. He faced an uncertain future as we often do. He had many unknowns in this new life.
a) God blessed Noah
God was going to be with him. Noah needed many things – the cooperation of his family, protection etc. We need God’s blessing – home, clothes, food etc. As God’s people we have the Bible, our sin’s forgiven and he comes to our aid. We have joy because we have a heavenly father. The Lord’s people have a multitude of divine blessings – pardon, adoption and greater still to come. Unbelievers have none of this. They do not know God. Geoff Thomas tells of the gospel of the Beatles – they rejected Christianity and tried drink, drugs, ‘spirituality’ etc. They formed Apple, an organisation that promoted the idea that man was ultimately good. The Apple shop closed because of staff pilfering, the Beatles split up at the height of their popularity, all of them divorced, one died of smoking, one became an alcoholic and another was shot dead. Was this ‘apple’ – perfection?, not at all. We need God’s blessing on us today, his peace, his joy, his hope. Nothing can take this away.
b) God commissioned them – verses 1 and 7
This meant spreading out and having children. Adam was head of the human race at the start, Noah is head of the reconstituted race after the flood. In all the trials and difficulties of life, God, to mitigate the effects of sin gives us intimate, fulfilling relationships. Christians in particular should rejoice in every child God adds to their family. The Bible says children are a blessing from the Lord. Today many people do not want children, they see children as a hindrance to their lives. Children cause us to become less selfish. Should we not all have very large families? We all limit God’s blessings – we limit the food we eat and our sleep etc. We limit our families as well so we can cope financially, emotionally and space wise. Are we playing God when we do this? No, we take medicine etc to keep well. Believers should have the number they can care for properly and bring them up to believe in the Lord. We should love and value them as God’s gifts. God commissioned Noah to pass on the knowledge of the old world and what happened in the ark, it was passed onto Moses who wrote it all down. The oral record passed on round the world. We must pass the knowledge on to succeeding generations.
A NEW PROVISION
Humans are given permission to eat animals. Before the flood animals and men lived in harmony. After the flood God gave animals the fear of men. Animals are given to men to meet our needs. We must not abuse them. It is a strange world where seals are saved and unborn babies destroyed and where sacred cows are fed alongside starving people. Vegetarianism is not commanded by Jesus. He ate meat. 1 Timothy 4:3-5.
A NEW PROHIBITION – verse 4
God says don’t drink blood. God says because there are all sorts of parasites and diseases in meat. This is for our good. God says don’t drink blood. Pagans drink blood to get the life force from it. All diseases are carried through the body by the blood. HIV can be passed on this way. He gave us fire and we can cook our food. We don’t have to eat uncooked food. Others think that this pointed ahead to the sacrificial system – Leviticus 17:10. The blood makes the atonement, it is drained and covered in earth. Blood = life = atonement, this is the connection. Life can be given as a substitute for another. Blood is symbolic of life. Blood is the pulse of life. Trapp says ‘blood, the organ of life, is holy to God, the author of life’. It speaks of God given life in the Old Testament and in the Jerusalem Council it is reiterated. The safest interpretation is to say that the prohibition still holds against blood being drunk but does not forbid transfusions. The Watchtower go far beyond what is written. Jehovah’s witnesses are not right – this prohibition does not cover transfusing human blood into our veins.
A NEW PROTECTION – verses 5 and 6
A life for a life is the golden rule because life is so precious. People are made in the image of God. The old world was so violent and life was so cheap that it is significant that one of the first things God confirmed to Noah was the sanctity of human life. We have here human accountability. God set this – a proper view of human life. We are rational beings with a mind, with a sense of right and wrong. God values human so highly that he orders its protection by human governments. This is not personal vengeance but lawful government and authority. Government does not develop morality but it expresses in its laws and powers the morality that is in its people, what most of us want. It needs the input of what God has revealed. Here God lays down the principle of what needs protecting so people fear to take a human life. If they do not make these laws they will have violence on the streets as we do today, abortion on demand, euthanasia etc. There is a drift away from the values set here in Genesis. When our legislators move away from these principles our society suffers.
a) Animals that take human life are to be put down – verse 5 and Exodus 21:28
b) Humans that deliberately take life are to face capital punishment. God delegates to human authority the right to take life in certain circumstances.
5. APPLICATION
a) God blessed Noah – it was in and for Noah. Many people had a deep and intense longing that God would bless them – such as Jacob, David etc. When we seek God’s blessing with all of our hearts we shall know God’s blessing. We must put God first. We cannot know God’s blessing if we do not put him first. If we do we will know his provision and blessing.
b) We must be aware of his blessing. We have woollen jumpers, leather shoes, silk ties. We have pets etc. We benefit from God’s enrichment of our world, so we can rejoice in him - see l Timothy 6, he provides us with everything for our enjoyment and well being. People have many good things but remain unhappy and depressed – they are not well inside and need inner healing. God fills our hearts with strength and hope when we put our hope in him, the Lord Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life, we can know life as it should be. Romans 8:32, he gave his son and all things.
Sunday 9 December 2007
Christ's suffering vindicated
2 Peter 3:ll – l8, Romans l0:8 - l5 l Peter 3:l7 - 22
Christ’s sufferings were relevant to the people Peter was writing to. Christ’s unjust suffering resulted in witness and vindication through his resurrection and ascension, like Noah. Noah bore witness to a hostile world, he had to put up with ridicule. Peter told his readers to endure and witness by baptism. The detail is very complex. This is a hard passage to interpret and apply. Luther said he wasn’t sure what it meant. ‘we may not be able to determine with absolute certainty who these spirits in prison are, and when, and where, and how, and for what purpose, Christ went and preached to them, but whatever opinion we adopt as most probable, no Christian doctrine or duty is affected by it.
HOW DO WE FACE DIFFICULT PASSAGES?
a) Know we are in good company. 1 Peter 1:10, 2 Peter 3:14-16 The prophets searched eagerly and tried to understand. 2 Peter 3:ll – l8, Paul wrote things that Peter found hard to understand. His letters were often distorted.
b) We cannot have a satisfactory solution for all. The tough parts of the Bible remind us we cannot fathom the mind of God, that we are ignorant and fallible. We do not need to know everything.
c) Problem passages are not the basis for novelty. We must not use isolated passages for new teaching. We need matters supported by other passages. This can lead to bizarre doctrines if we do not follow this rule.
d) Difficult texts need broad historical acceptance. 2 Peter 2:20. The church developed over 2000 years. It is the result of godly learning and study. We must learn from this and ensure that teachings conform to all of God’s word.
e) We should not be overly assertive about conclusions. We must accept it when other believers do not accept what we say. We must never make isolated reading a test of orthodoxy.
f) It is foolish to be obsessed with the gnats of the texts and thus miss the camel. Some like solving problems and miss the main lessons. We are called to understand the great, basic, foundational teachings.
g) See if there are any parallel or similar passages. Do they give the key to the difficult passages.
h) Know the issues, the options and choose what be fits the context, the argument of the book and biblical theology.
CHRIST DIED AND SUFFERED.
The letter is about dealing with difficult times. Jesus the greatest, most loving, caring, truthful, holy man that ever lived suffered unjustly. He was vindicated and sat at God’s right hand. So we will be vindicated if we live as God says out of love for him and our brothers and sisters and we suffer for him. How did he suffer?
a) It was a horrible death, it was dreadful and brutal, he suffered in his soul.
b) It was sacrificial, it was for our sins.
c) It was unrepeatable, it was once for all time.
d) It was substitutionary, once for all the righteous substituted for the unrighteous. He died to take our punishment.
e) It was reconciling. It made the enemies of God the family of God and allowed us to experience God’s love. It was an unparalleled and purposeful suffering of one who was innocent.
CHRIST PREACHED AND WITNESSED Matthew 4:23
He preached in the Jews’ synagogues. He preached throughout his life. Peter takes this up. Who did he preach to? Who were these spirits in prison? There are a number of possibilities – let’s examine them in turn:
a) Christ descended into the abode of the dead where their spirits were imprisoned. There is a problem: why this group of unbelievers? They had 120 years of preaching from Noah. This idea is not acceptable.
b) Christ proclaimed His victory to the spirits, who cohabited with women in Noah’s day. This is supposedly supported from Genesis 6 and Jude 6. This is a very tentative interpretation of these passages. It is out of context – what is it to do with suffering?
c) Christ preached, at his death, in his human soul, in a place called ‘Limbus Patrum’. This is Roman Catholic teaching on purgatory, where else does Scripture support this teaching? It is downright dangerous, you can be prayed out of Hell.
d) Christ preached at Pentecost by his Spirit, he spoke to men bound by sin. Augustine, Edward Clowney and Norman Hopkins (this preacher) hold to this view. In the Spirit Jesus preached through Noah to the disobedient people of Noah’s day, they are now ‘on remand’ awaiting the judgement day. This fits the context of the passage. There were many ‘Christophenes’ – appearances of the pre-incarnate Christ – in the Old Testament. Many people refused to listen to Noah and they perished. Only 8 persons were saved – a tiny minority as believers were in Peter’s day. Today we are as today. We are to be witnesses as Noah was. Christ speaks through us.
e) Christ preached by His Spirit through Noah to the people of his day. This is the view of Augustine. This view assures us of the greatness of Christ. It is better to obey him and suffer than to disobey and be cast into the inescapable prison. This tells us it is no disadvantage to be a small rejected minority.
CHRIST ROSE FROM THE DEAD
Jesus rose to bring salvation. No one took Noah seriously. Noah and the ark explain the great salvation Christ brings. The water brought judgement, Noah’s family was saved through water which destroyed those not in the ark. The water only ‘saved’ them because they were already in the ark. Baptism by itself cannot literally save anyone. Baptism is pledging allegiance to Christ. It is crucially important. By a pledge he means the promise believers make to stay in the fellowship of the church all their lives. In Peter’s day people seem to have made a pledge before they were baptised. Peter may be referring to this. It was a sign. The act of baptism is seen in Islamic countries as a sign of becoming a Christian, it can bring persecution down on believers. As we obey like this we attain deeper peace with God. We can know dark times but we can know this peace as we obey him.
CHRIST ASCENDED – verse 22
The right hand is the place of honour and authority. Jesus stands at God the Father’s right hand. Believers and everyone else are lined up under him. We worship the victor. Jesus is the victor. Noah survived, Jesus ascended and was vindicated as we shall be. Christians need to remember both the humiliation and the exaltation of Christ. Under girding everything we do and suffer is the suffering and resurrection of Christ. We have all we need from Christ if we are believers if we trust him.
Christ’s sufferings were relevant to the people Peter was writing to. Christ’s unjust suffering resulted in witness and vindication through his resurrection and ascension, like Noah. Noah bore witness to a hostile world, he had to put up with ridicule. Peter told his readers to endure and witness by baptism. The detail is very complex. This is a hard passage to interpret and apply. Luther said he wasn’t sure what it meant. ‘we may not be able to determine with absolute certainty who these spirits in prison are, and when, and where, and how, and for what purpose, Christ went and preached to them, but whatever opinion we adopt as most probable, no Christian doctrine or duty is affected by it.
HOW DO WE FACE DIFFICULT PASSAGES?
a) Know we are in good company. 1 Peter 1:10, 2 Peter 3:14-16 The prophets searched eagerly and tried to understand. 2 Peter 3:ll – l8, Paul wrote things that Peter found hard to understand. His letters were often distorted.
b) We cannot have a satisfactory solution for all. The tough parts of the Bible remind us we cannot fathom the mind of God, that we are ignorant and fallible. We do not need to know everything.
c) Problem passages are not the basis for novelty. We must not use isolated passages for new teaching. We need matters supported by other passages. This can lead to bizarre doctrines if we do not follow this rule.
d) Difficult texts need broad historical acceptance. 2 Peter 2:20. The church developed over 2000 years. It is the result of godly learning and study. We must learn from this and ensure that teachings conform to all of God’s word.
e) We should not be overly assertive about conclusions. We must accept it when other believers do not accept what we say. We must never make isolated reading a test of orthodoxy.
f) It is foolish to be obsessed with the gnats of the texts and thus miss the camel. Some like solving problems and miss the main lessons. We are called to understand the great, basic, foundational teachings.
g) See if there are any parallel or similar passages. Do they give the key to the difficult passages.
h) Know the issues, the options and choose what be fits the context, the argument of the book and biblical theology.
CHRIST DIED AND SUFFERED.
The letter is about dealing with difficult times. Jesus the greatest, most loving, caring, truthful, holy man that ever lived suffered unjustly. He was vindicated and sat at God’s right hand. So we will be vindicated if we live as God says out of love for him and our brothers and sisters and we suffer for him. How did he suffer?
a) It was a horrible death, it was dreadful and brutal, he suffered in his soul.
b) It was sacrificial, it was for our sins.
c) It was unrepeatable, it was once for all time.
d) It was substitutionary, once for all the righteous substituted for the unrighteous. He died to take our punishment.
e) It was reconciling. It made the enemies of God the family of God and allowed us to experience God’s love. It was an unparalleled and purposeful suffering of one who was innocent.
CHRIST PREACHED AND WITNESSED Matthew 4:23
He preached in the Jews’ synagogues. He preached throughout his life. Peter takes this up. Who did he preach to? Who were these spirits in prison? There are a number of possibilities – let’s examine them in turn:
a) Christ descended into the abode of the dead where their spirits were imprisoned. There is a problem: why this group of unbelievers? They had 120 years of preaching from Noah. This idea is not acceptable.
b) Christ proclaimed His victory to the spirits, who cohabited with women in Noah’s day. This is supposedly supported from Genesis 6 and Jude 6. This is a very tentative interpretation of these passages. It is out of context – what is it to do with suffering?
c) Christ preached, at his death, in his human soul, in a place called ‘Limbus Patrum’. This is Roman Catholic teaching on purgatory, where else does Scripture support this teaching? It is downright dangerous, you can be prayed out of Hell.
d) Christ preached at Pentecost by his Spirit, he spoke to men bound by sin. Augustine, Edward Clowney and Norman Hopkins (this preacher) hold to this view. In the Spirit Jesus preached through Noah to the disobedient people of Noah’s day, they are now ‘on remand’ awaiting the judgement day. This fits the context of the passage. There were many ‘Christophenes’ – appearances of the pre-incarnate Christ – in the Old Testament. Many people refused to listen to Noah and they perished. Only 8 persons were saved – a tiny minority as believers were in Peter’s day. Today we are as today. We are to be witnesses as Noah was. Christ speaks through us.
e) Christ preached by His Spirit through Noah to the people of his day. This is the view of Augustine. This view assures us of the greatness of Christ. It is better to obey him and suffer than to disobey and be cast into the inescapable prison. This tells us it is no disadvantage to be a small rejected minority.
CHRIST ROSE FROM THE DEAD
Jesus rose to bring salvation. No one took Noah seriously. Noah and the ark explain the great salvation Christ brings. The water brought judgement, Noah’s family was saved through water which destroyed those not in the ark. The water only ‘saved’ them because they were already in the ark. Baptism by itself cannot literally save anyone. Baptism is pledging allegiance to Christ. It is crucially important. By a pledge he means the promise believers make to stay in the fellowship of the church all their lives. In Peter’s day people seem to have made a pledge before they were baptised. Peter may be referring to this. It was a sign. The act of baptism is seen in Islamic countries as a sign of becoming a Christian, it can bring persecution down on believers. As we obey like this we attain deeper peace with God. We can know dark times but we can know this peace as we obey him.
CHRIST ASCENDED – verse 22
The right hand is the place of honour and authority. Jesus stands at God the Father’s right hand. Believers and everyone else are lined up under him. We worship the victor. Jesus is the victor. Noah survived, Jesus ascended and was vindicated as we shall be. Christians need to remember both the humiliation and the exaltation of Christ. Under girding everything we do and suffer is the suffering and resurrection of Christ. We have all we need from Christ if we are believers if we trust him.
But God remembered Noah
It could not have been easy to be shut up inside the ark. Did Noah get anxious as the months went by? Do trials make you fret? The two most important things in our lives are that God remembers us and we must remember God constantly. The sea can be a very lonely place, drifting with no land in sight. The rain had stopped and Noah had heard nothing from God for months. He was shut up inside the ark with his menagerie.
THE LORD REMEMBERED NOAH
a) He kept his promise. Remembered is a charming way of saying God thought constantly about them. God is a covenant keeping God. God is a promise keeper. All through the Bible God makes and keeps promises - see Genesis 19:29. Genesis 30:22 – he made promises to the patriarchs. God is faithful and he will never let us down. We often fear being let down or being forgotten. Little children prod their parents to keep promises. God does need reminders. See Psalm 42:9 to 10. We can think he has forgotten us or he is not working quickly enough, but he will never take his love or fail to keep his promises. We may seem drifting on the sea of life. God will act on our behalf in His time. Nehemiah wanted God to remember him. Wang Ming-Dao, the Chinese pastor was imprisoned for over twenty years and he only came out when he was 80, he lived to see God’s blessings on the work he had done in his prime.
b) He sent a wind, Psalm 78:26. Psalm 135 tells us God is in control of the wind and rain. Men cannot control the climate, only God can. God ended the flooding, he turned off the rain and the underground flow. God will work in due time, he may work slowly but he will bring his will to pass in his chosen ways. He rescued Israel through the Red Sea by sending a wind to dry up th sea. God responds to our to our helplessness in ways we can scarcely imagine. The word for wind is the same as it is for Spirit. He can change minds and attitudes. God responds to our helplessness.
c) He gave Noah signs. Noah has to wait even after the ark has grounded. The raven and dove indicate the nature of Noah’s intelligence. The raven feeds on carrion and animals. The raven showed there was death. It was a useful dustman, it ate rotten flesh. It was considered unclean. The dove showed there was life when it brought the olive leaf (they survive underwater). When it did not return it showed there was food to eat. The dove was a little evangelist bringing the good news. It is an emblem of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, by taking the form of a dove is the harbinger of good news, of a new creation. God still gives tokens of his grace today. He has ways of reassuring is that he remembers our distress, and is still working all things for good. The Spirit descended on Jesus at his baptism in the form of a dove. The birds were like signs to Noah. He wanted signs to show him what to do. God sends us signs to assure us he is with us. He can rebuke us through sermons or through reading his word, through a fellow believer or circumstances. These all reassure is about the way we should go. Some times our faith is weak and we wonder if he is with us – rest assured he is if we believe in him.
d) He spoke to Noah. It was probably the first time God had spoken to Noah audibly since this ordeal began. Noah had developed a pattern of obeying the Lord for 121 years, and he wasn’t about to change it. The Christian life is a pattern of obedience, a structured life, a life of obedience, a pattern of life. God had given Noah a job to do, his feelings did not matter. Do not doubt in the darkness what God has shown you in the light. Wait on the Lord and while you wait, obey what you know. Sometimes we have to venture without being 100% certain.
NOAH REMEMBERED GOD
God remembered Noah and Noah remembered God. Those that remember God, shall certainly be remembered by Him. Noah did not go into a new like Adam did, it was a world where death was in evidence. Noah needed to get his priorities right.
a) He built an altar thankfully. This was the first mention of an altar. An altar is a place of slaughter. He built an altar to the Lord. It spoke of propitiation, gratitude and dedication. Clean animals were fit for eating and sacrifice to God. He slaughtered 1/7 of the clean animals. Sometimes animals were shared – part eaten and part burned. A burnt offering was totally consumed, and it was symbolic of total devotion, total dedication to the Lord. Noah recognized that he owed everything to the Lord. Jesus healed ten lepers. Leprosy is a terribly isolating disease. Yet only one came back to say thankyou to Jesus. We can be so blessed and we forget to say thankyou to God and acknowledge how wonderful God is. Noah went through a solemn ceremony in the midst of disaster. Ecclesiastes 12:1. If we remember God in our youth, we are less likely to forget him when we are old. Jeremiah 51:50. Remember who you are and whose you are. We need to seek his blessing while we can, when we are young and also when we are in the midst of trouble. It should be our motto for life – I will remember the Lord in all of my life.
b) He worshipped acceptably. God was pleased with what Noah did – verses 20 to 22. It was genuine and appropriate. God promised a consistent rotation of the earth and annual cycles. Noah didn’t understand how it worked, all he knew was that order was imposed on creation by the power and intelligence of God. Such a God was worthy of worship and awe. There is evidence here that in part, the flood was caused by an interruption in the rotation of the earth.
We can draw near to God because of the sacrifice that Jesus made.
THE LORD REMEMBERED NOAH
a) He kept his promise. Remembered is a charming way of saying God thought constantly about them. God is a covenant keeping God. God is a promise keeper. All through the Bible God makes and keeps promises - see Genesis 19:29. Genesis 30:22 – he made promises to the patriarchs. God is faithful and he will never let us down. We often fear being let down or being forgotten. Little children prod their parents to keep promises. God does need reminders. See Psalm 42:9 to 10. We can think he has forgotten us or he is not working quickly enough, but he will never take his love or fail to keep his promises. We may seem drifting on the sea of life. God will act on our behalf in His time. Nehemiah wanted God to remember him. Wang Ming-Dao, the Chinese pastor was imprisoned for over twenty years and he only came out when he was 80, he lived to see God’s blessings on the work he had done in his prime.
b) He sent a wind, Psalm 78:26. Psalm 135 tells us God is in control of the wind and rain. Men cannot control the climate, only God can. God ended the flooding, he turned off the rain and the underground flow. God will work in due time, he may work slowly but he will bring his will to pass in his chosen ways. He rescued Israel through the Red Sea by sending a wind to dry up th sea. God responds to our to our helplessness in ways we can scarcely imagine. The word for wind is the same as it is for Spirit. He can change minds and attitudes. God responds to our helplessness.
c) He gave Noah signs. Noah has to wait even after the ark has grounded. The raven and dove indicate the nature of Noah’s intelligence. The raven feeds on carrion and animals. The raven showed there was death. It was a useful dustman, it ate rotten flesh. It was considered unclean. The dove showed there was life when it brought the olive leaf (they survive underwater). When it did not return it showed there was food to eat. The dove was a little evangelist bringing the good news. It is an emblem of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, by taking the form of a dove is the harbinger of good news, of a new creation. God still gives tokens of his grace today. He has ways of reassuring is that he remembers our distress, and is still working all things for good. The Spirit descended on Jesus at his baptism in the form of a dove. The birds were like signs to Noah. He wanted signs to show him what to do. God sends us signs to assure us he is with us. He can rebuke us through sermons or through reading his word, through a fellow believer or circumstances. These all reassure is about the way we should go. Some times our faith is weak and we wonder if he is with us – rest assured he is if we believe in him.
d) He spoke to Noah. It was probably the first time God had spoken to Noah audibly since this ordeal began. Noah had developed a pattern of obeying the Lord for 121 years, and he wasn’t about to change it. The Christian life is a pattern of obedience, a structured life, a life of obedience, a pattern of life. God had given Noah a job to do, his feelings did not matter. Do not doubt in the darkness what God has shown you in the light. Wait on the Lord and while you wait, obey what you know. Sometimes we have to venture without being 100% certain.
NOAH REMEMBERED GOD
God remembered Noah and Noah remembered God. Those that remember God, shall certainly be remembered by Him. Noah did not go into a new like Adam did, it was a world where death was in evidence. Noah needed to get his priorities right.
a) He built an altar thankfully. This was the first mention of an altar. An altar is a place of slaughter. He built an altar to the Lord. It spoke of propitiation, gratitude and dedication. Clean animals were fit for eating and sacrifice to God. He slaughtered 1/7 of the clean animals. Sometimes animals were shared – part eaten and part burned. A burnt offering was totally consumed, and it was symbolic of total devotion, total dedication to the Lord. Noah recognized that he owed everything to the Lord. Jesus healed ten lepers. Leprosy is a terribly isolating disease. Yet only one came back to say thankyou to Jesus. We can be so blessed and we forget to say thankyou to God and acknowledge how wonderful God is. Noah went through a solemn ceremony in the midst of disaster. Ecclesiastes 12:1. If we remember God in our youth, we are less likely to forget him when we are old. Jeremiah 51:50. Remember who you are and whose you are. We need to seek his blessing while we can, when we are young and also when we are in the midst of trouble. It should be our motto for life – I will remember the Lord in all of my life.
b) He worshipped acceptably. God was pleased with what Noah did – verses 20 to 22. It was genuine and appropriate. God promised a consistent rotation of the earth and annual cycles. Noah didn’t understand how it worked, all he knew was that order was imposed on creation by the power and intelligence of God. Such a God was worthy of worship and awe. There is evidence here that in part, the flood was caused by an interruption in the rotation of the earth.
We can draw near to God because of the sacrifice that Jesus made.
Sunday 2 December 2007
When you suffer share your hope
The theme of this passage is the difficulties facing Christians in the Roman World of Peter’s time. Even though I and you have not suffered greatly for our faith, we all have faced the fear of witnessing to people about the Lord. For Christians of the past to suffer was not unusual. For the first 300 years no legal protection was available. Today in Iraq and the Islamic world, China and India, life for Christians is very difficult. For 200 million Christians, their lives are in serious difficulties, 500 million more face opposition. Where there is a great deal of opposition and hardship, very often people are converted. Why should this be? We all face the fear of witnessing.
A POSSIBLE OUTCOME WHEN WE DO GOOD.
All Christians are eager to do good. Few would normally harm a believer who does good. These believers are gracious and kind. This is a general principle, Proverbs 16:7. It does have exceptions but is a general maxim. An upright life is a peaceful life.
A SECOND OUTCOME WHEN WE DO GOOD.
A zeal for goodness isn’t a guarantee against persecution. When our life is above reproach we will still have critics. Jesus experienced this, he suffered hostility to the point of death.
WE OUGHT TO REMEMBER WE ARE BLESSED. Matthew 5:10
A life pleasing to God will receive an eternal reward. To be blessed is be privileged or honoured. Peter reminds us, don’t fear those who can only kill the body but fear him who can kill body and soul in hell/.
4. WE OUGHT NOT TO LET OPPOSITION ALARM US–Isaiah 8:12
God plus one is a majority – always. Hebrews 13:5-6. Isaiah spoke to a frightened people, Israel, who faced a vastly greater super power, Assyria. Isaiah said do not fear the mighty army before you. They had no allies. Isaiah was proved right. When we feel surrounded and afraid and do not seem to have a way to escape, we have God on our side. Nothing can separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Polycarp, Luther and others stood alone against tyranny knowing God was on their side. Opposition need not be personal, it can be on TV, the press etc.
WE OUGHT TO REVERENCE GOD ABOVE ALL Isaiah 8:12-3
Set apart = sanctify = hallowed. These are all the same word in Greek. It should be determined in our hearts. Fear Christ as God above anyone who threatens to harm us. If we belong to God we can entrust our future to him. He will return and crush all opposition.
WE OUGHT TO BE READY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS
‘Answer’ is the Greek, is where we get the English ‘apology’, this apologia, a legal defence in a court room. A lawyer presents facts in a court room. It implies a thoughtful, logical presentation of the facts.
a) Answer readily. The church has people who have gifts to reason and confirm the face, for example, C S Lewis, Josh McDowell etc. We use the term ‘apologist’ to describe people like John Blanchard. He exposes the folly of an unbelieving life. A believer should be ready to explain about why they hope in God and their faith. It is not just the more able presenters. We may speak informally to people we meet. Peter had become frightened in the court yard when challenged by a little girl, he remembered he had not been ready to answer and he answered with oaths and curses.
b) Answer those who ask. If people ask it implies they have noticed something, prompted by our own testimony, or issues in the news. We may have hope and joy, even when we are mistreated. They may ask ‘why are you different?’ we cannot have Christ living within us without some of him leaking out. We feel afraid of saying the wrong thing, of not getting it right or not having the right answers. We ought to not be afraid of admitting we need look things up. But the Lord will help us. We may need to prepare to do it. The gospel message is simple. Try the 3 Rs: RUIN – mankind has a bad heart. REDEMPTION – God sent his son into the world to save sinners. REGENERATION – we live a new life. People’s objections are often simply a diversion. We need to think carefully about how we approach others. Our answer may have to do with the trustworthiness of the New Testament; or the self-authenticating teaching of Jesus; or the evidence of Christ’s resurrection and the fact of changed lives, or what a wonderful difference the Lord Jesus has made to our lives, but be ready.
c) Answer wisely. Show gentleness and respect in our approach. Colossians 4:5-6 We must be winsome if would win some. We must be careful how we speak, we can win the argument but lose the person. We can never bully people into the kingdom. We must respect people so they will respect the message. We need to silently pray for the person as we speak. People may know we are a Christian, hear we are a Christian or see we are and they ask us.
WE NEED TO KEEP A GOOD CONSCIENCE.
A clear conscience is essential for effective witness. A conscience is not an infallible guide, it needs to be exposed to God’s word in order to be kept sharp. We need to live beyond reproach. We need to live carefully at all times and pray that we can overcome our sin.
8. PETER SAYS ACCEPT GOD’S WILL
If our life belongs to Christ, nothing can take God’s love away from you. It may be that we do what is right and it gets us into difficulties as people turn against us. If we experience opposition because of our faith, it is evidence that we belong to him and we will go to Heaven to be with him. Christ will be will be glorified if we live this way.
A POSSIBLE OUTCOME WHEN WE DO GOOD.
All Christians are eager to do good. Few would normally harm a believer who does good. These believers are gracious and kind. This is a general principle, Proverbs 16:7. It does have exceptions but is a general maxim. An upright life is a peaceful life.
A SECOND OUTCOME WHEN WE DO GOOD.
A zeal for goodness isn’t a guarantee against persecution. When our life is above reproach we will still have critics. Jesus experienced this, he suffered hostility to the point of death.
WE OUGHT TO REMEMBER WE ARE BLESSED. Matthew 5:10
A life pleasing to God will receive an eternal reward. To be blessed is be privileged or honoured. Peter reminds us, don’t fear those who can only kill the body but fear him who can kill body and soul in hell/.
4. WE OUGHT NOT TO LET OPPOSITION ALARM US–Isaiah 8:12
God plus one is a majority – always. Hebrews 13:5-6. Isaiah spoke to a frightened people, Israel, who faced a vastly greater super power, Assyria. Isaiah said do not fear the mighty army before you. They had no allies. Isaiah was proved right. When we feel surrounded and afraid and do not seem to have a way to escape, we have God on our side. Nothing can separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Polycarp, Luther and others stood alone against tyranny knowing God was on their side. Opposition need not be personal, it can be on TV, the press etc.
WE OUGHT TO REVERENCE GOD ABOVE ALL Isaiah 8:12-3
Set apart = sanctify = hallowed. These are all the same word in Greek. It should be determined in our hearts. Fear Christ as God above anyone who threatens to harm us. If we belong to God we can entrust our future to him. He will return and crush all opposition.
WE OUGHT TO BE READY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS
‘Answer’ is the Greek, is where we get the English ‘apology’, this apologia, a legal defence in a court room. A lawyer presents facts in a court room. It implies a thoughtful, logical presentation of the facts.
a) Answer readily. The church has people who have gifts to reason and confirm the face, for example, C S Lewis, Josh McDowell etc. We use the term ‘apologist’ to describe people like John Blanchard. He exposes the folly of an unbelieving life. A believer should be ready to explain about why they hope in God and their faith. It is not just the more able presenters. We may speak informally to people we meet. Peter had become frightened in the court yard when challenged by a little girl, he remembered he had not been ready to answer and he answered with oaths and curses.
b) Answer those who ask. If people ask it implies they have noticed something, prompted by our own testimony, or issues in the news. We may have hope and joy, even when we are mistreated. They may ask ‘why are you different?’ we cannot have Christ living within us without some of him leaking out. We feel afraid of saying the wrong thing, of not getting it right or not having the right answers. We ought to not be afraid of admitting we need look things up. But the Lord will help us. We may need to prepare to do it. The gospel message is simple. Try the 3 Rs: RUIN – mankind has a bad heart. REDEMPTION – God sent his son into the world to save sinners. REGENERATION – we live a new life. People’s objections are often simply a diversion. We need to think carefully about how we approach others. Our answer may have to do with the trustworthiness of the New Testament; or the self-authenticating teaching of Jesus; or the evidence of Christ’s resurrection and the fact of changed lives, or what a wonderful difference the Lord Jesus has made to our lives, but be ready.
c) Answer wisely. Show gentleness and respect in our approach. Colossians 4:5-6 We must be winsome if would win some. We must be careful how we speak, we can win the argument but lose the person. We can never bully people into the kingdom. We must respect people so they will respect the message. We need to silently pray for the person as we speak. People may know we are a Christian, hear we are a Christian or see we are and they ask us.
WE NEED TO KEEP A GOOD CONSCIENCE.
A clear conscience is essential for effective witness. A conscience is not an infallible guide, it needs to be exposed to God’s word in order to be kept sharp. We need to live beyond reproach. We need to live carefully at all times and pray that we can overcome our sin.
8. PETER SAYS ACCEPT GOD’S WILL
If our life belongs to Christ, nothing can take God’s love away from you. It may be that we do what is right and it gets us into difficulties as people turn against us. If we experience opposition because of our faith, it is evidence that we belong to him and we will go to Heaven to be with him. Christ will be will be glorified if we live this way.
The Ark in the flood
Genesis 6:11 to 7: 16
Many people know of the Flood, the Ark is a popular toy, but how did it happen and what are the spiritual lessons? Disasters capture the public imagination, blockbuster films are made like Titanic, Armageddon etc. There have been terrible tragedies all through history. 14 million died in a famine in China. There has been Pompeii, Krakatoa etc. we live in a world where there has been disasters. However, nothing compares to this. What is described in Genesis 6 to 9 is the greatest natural disaster in history.
1. WHY DID THE FLOOD COME? – verse 13
God declared something. He was horrified at what the world had become. God was going to cleanse the world, this is the language of a surgeon cleansing diseased flesh.
2. WHAT WAS THE ARK LIKE? - verse 14
It was just an enormous container. The word Ark is used twice, here and of the container Moses was put in. It was not a boat that needed power or that could be steered.
a) There is a patent design given – verse 15. It was long and narrow and stable. Studies show that it was incredibly stable and was difficult to capsize, it had 100,000 square feet of floor space. It was not until 1868 that a boat as big as this was built – the Great Eastern.
b) There is a promise given – verse 17. A solemn promise. Noah would be a new beginning, a second Adam.
c) There is a precise passenger’s roster – verse 19. It could hold 125,000 animals the size of a sheep. Large animals could be young or immature ones. People laugh at this, how could dinosaurs fit in. There are 18,000 species today, say 36,000 then allowing for extinctions. That is 72,000 creatures. Sheep are a good median size. Different breeds are often the results of intense inbreeding, like crossing dogs.
d) How could they all get on together on board? How do you catch wild animals? Animals migrate and sense danger. God can make animals obey his will, we do not know how. But animals do act in a particular way – like migration.
e) There is an explicit cargo list – verse 21 , eight people could have fed and watered 16,000 creatures. Many animals bodies shut down in winter, they hibernate due to fear sir get reduce the intake of food and water. Waste products could have accumulated beneath the animals. There are answers to how Noah dealt with the animals.
3. WHO WENT INTO THE ARK? – see Chapter 7.
Noah listened to God and obeyed him.
a) All who believed God. Christians are those who listen to God and obey him. Romans 10:17. Noah is a wonderful example of a believer. He trusted the invisible God more than what he saw, many people do not believe what God has said about the past and the future believe. People do not come to God for safety. Noah had the faith to swim against the stream. Our society is anti-Christian, it is against the Christian faith, it takes strength to swim against the tide.
b) Eight of Noah’s family close family – the number of the redeemed is going to be immeasurable, but only a minority at any one time. Christians may be a minority but they belong to the greatest kingdom on Earth.
4. HOW GREAT WAS THE FLOOD?
7: 11-12. It was universal, some say it was localised to the middle east. There are many ancient flood stories. Geologically, there is much evidence.
a) There was a release of the underground water. Possibly volcanic eruptions released water. The ocean floors moved up.
b) The other source of the water was ‘the windows of heaven’, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights continuously. The volcanic eruptions helped to cause this.
c) Where is the water now? In Psalm 104:4 we have a possible answer. The earth’s surface changed. If it were level, the world would be covered by water to a depth of 1.7 miles.
d) What is the evidence? On the tops of Everest are fossil layers. Mountains, landscape, fossil graveyards, coal seams, there is abundant global geological evidence for it. The Grand Canyon could have been formed in the floods. Animals entombed in ice, coal layers formed by compressed plants swept away by the flood. There are reasoned scientific evidences that confirm the Genesis account, that it is a sober account. Jesus and the Apostles testify to their belief in it.
5. HOW DOES THE BIBLE USE THIS EVENT TO TEACH?
Was it an extraordinary extravaganza of terror? No, we need to learn lessons from the man and the flood.
a) The Ark in the flood is a preview of the ultimate judgement when God sends Jesus as judge at the end of human history. Any humanitarian disaster should make us think one day we will all be judged. People tend to forget death is inevitable – Hebrews 9:27, this world decays – 2 Peter 3:7; judgement is coming to all – 2 Corinthians 5:10 and Matthew 25:3l-3, Acts l7:30. We like to see people receive justice and for people to be judged. The flood tells us God will act a judge on all people who have lived in the world. On the Titanic people thought they were on an unsinkable ship, they lived happy, carefree lives. The designers did not put enough life boats on and an iceberg did for them. Do we have a lifeboat.
b) The Ark in the flood is a figure of Christ. 1 Peter 3:20 speaks of Christ like an ark. Christ provides for our salvation. He is the only safety in judgement. We are secure in Him. We must come before it’s too late. We should be safe in Christ, our anchor will hold in the storms of life, in the moment of death and in the day of judgement. The only was we can be sure of getting to Heaven is to cling to the Lord Jesus, to enter his safe ark. God must deal with sin, he did it during the flood, he will do it on the day of judgement. Noah was safe in the ark. We can be safe in the Lord Jesus.
Many people know of the Flood, the Ark is a popular toy, but how did it happen and what are the spiritual lessons? Disasters capture the public imagination, blockbuster films are made like Titanic, Armageddon etc. There have been terrible tragedies all through history. 14 million died in a famine in China. There has been Pompeii, Krakatoa etc. we live in a world where there has been disasters. However, nothing compares to this. What is described in Genesis 6 to 9 is the greatest natural disaster in history.
1. WHY DID THE FLOOD COME? – verse 13
God declared something. He was horrified at what the world had become. God was going to cleanse the world, this is the language of a surgeon cleansing diseased flesh.
2. WHAT WAS THE ARK LIKE? - verse 14
It was just an enormous container. The word Ark is used twice, here and of the container Moses was put in. It was not a boat that needed power or that could be steered.
a) There is a patent design given – verse 15. It was long and narrow and stable. Studies show that it was incredibly stable and was difficult to capsize, it had 100,000 square feet of floor space. It was not until 1868 that a boat as big as this was built – the Great Eastern.
b) There is a promise given – verse 17. A solemn promise. Noah would be a new beginning, a second Adam.
c) There is a precise passenger’s roster – verse 19. It could hold 125,000 animals the size of a sheep. Large animals could be young or immature ones. People laugh at this, how could dinosaurs fit in. There are 18,000 species today, say 36,000 then allowing for extinctions. That is 72,000 creatures. Sheep are a good median size. Different breeds are often the results of intense inbreeding, like crossing dogs.
d) How could they all get on together on board? How do you catch wild animals? Animals migrate and sense danger. God can make animals obey his will, we do not know how. But animals do act in a particular way – like migration.
e) There is an explicit cargo list – verse 21 , eight people could have fed and watered 16,000 creatures. Many animals bodies shut down in winter, they hibernate due to fear sir get reduce the intake of food and water. Waste products could have accumulated beneath the animals. There are answers to how Noah dealt with the animals.
3. WHO WENT INTO THE ARK? – see Chapter 7.
Noah listened to God and obeyed him.
a) All who believed God. Christians are those who listen to God and obey him. Romans 10:17. Noah is a wonderful example of a believer. He trusted the invisible God more than what he saw, many people do not believe what God has said about the past and the future believe. People do not come to God for safety. Noah had the faith to swim against the stream. Our society is anti-Christian, it is against the Christian faith, it takes strength to swim against the tide.
b) Eight of Noah’s family close family – the number of the redeemed is going to be immeasurable, but only a minority at any one time. Christians may be a minority but they belong to the greatest kingdom on Earth.
4. HOW GREAT WAS THE FLOOD?
7: 11-12. It was universal, some say it was localised to the middle east. There are many ancient flood stories. Geologically, there is much evidence.
a) There was a release of the underground water. Possibly volcanic eruptions released water. The ocean floors moved up.
b) The other source of the water was ‘the windows of heaven’, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights continuously. The volcanic eruptions helped to cause this.
c) Where is the water now? In Psalm 104:4 we have a possible answer. The earth’s surface changed. If it were level, the world would be covered by water to a depth of 1.7 miles.
d) What is the evidence? On the tops of Everest are fossil layers. Mountains, landscape, fossil graveyards, coal seams, there is abundant global geological evidence for it. The Grand Canyon could have been formed in the floods. Animals entombed in ice, coal layers formed by compressed plants swept away by the flood. There are reasoned scientific evidences that confirm the Genesis account, that it is a sober account. Jesus and the Apostles testify to their belief in it.
5. HOW DOES THE BIBLE USE THIS EVENT TO TEACH?
Was it an extraordinary extravaganza of terror? No, we need to learn lessons from the man and the flood.
a) The Ark in the flood is a preview of the ultimate judgement when God sends Jesus as judge at the end of human history. Any humanitarian disaster should make us think one day we will all be judged. People tend to forget death is inevitable – Hebrews 9:27, this world decays – 2 Peter 3:7; judgement is coming to all – 2 Corinthians 5:10 and Matthew 25:3l-3, Acts l7:30. We like to see people receive justice and for people to be judged. The flood tells us God will act a judge on all people who have lived in the world. On the Titanic people thought they were on an unsinkable ship, they lived happy, carefree lives. The designers did not put enough life boats on and an iceberg did for them. Do we have a lifeboat.
b) The Ark in the flood is a figure of Christ. 1 Peter 3:20 speaks of Christ like an ark. Christ provides for our salvation. He is the only safety in judgement. We are secure in Him. We must come before it’s too late. We should be safe in Christ, our anchor will hold in the storms of life, in the moment of death and in the day of judgement. The only was we can be sure of getting to Heaven is to cling to the Lord Jesus, to enter his safe ark. God must deal with sin, he did it during the flood, he will do it on the day of judgement. Noah was safe in the ark. We can be safe in the Lord Jesus.
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