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David Macdonald - July 21, 2019 episode artwork

Jul 21, 2019 39 min

David Macdonald - July 21, 2019

from Our Sunday Messages Hosted by NBC Podium

But God… Remembered Noah! Judging……… •Often hear “why are you judging me?” •We all judge or evaluate things: •Our jobs •Meals & Food •Restaurants •Entertainment •Athletes, singers, dancers… figure skaters – by judges •Courts and law enforcement •Ultimate Judge – Genesis 18:25 – “the Judge of all the earth” God Judges……… •Horace Gray •God’s judgment based on His justice •Only One qualified to judge •He alone is just •He alone is perfect •He alone is God Rom 3:23-26 NASB 1. God is Patient but He Judges (Gen 1-3, 5-7) Genesis 6:1-7 NASB *emphasis mine The Certainty of Judgment Jesus linked Flood judgment with Final judgment: Matt 24:37-39 NASB Days of Noah: •Population increasing (vs. 1) • Increasing sexual depravity (vs. 2-4) •Increased wickedness (vs. 5) •Increasing violence – vs. 11 1. God is Patient but He Judges (Gen 1-3, 5-7) What should we do during this time of patience? Romans 2:3-6 NASB •Repentance removes judgment •Refusal to repent stores up wrath *emphasis mine 2. God Judges but He Differentiates (Gen 6:8,11-14) But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Genesis 6:8 NKJV •But……. •Grace = favour or was pleasant •Implies others did not find favour •The eyes of the Lord: •Hebrews 4:13. •Proverbs 5:21 •1 Samuel 16:7c ….. •God sent judgment, but he spared Noah & family •God judges individuals 3. God Differentiates but He Doesn’t Exempt (Gen 7:1, 20-24) •Genesis 7:1-24 NASB •Witnessed judgment first hand •Likely saw friends, neighbours, family perish •God’s judgment should affect us, sober us, mobilize us 4. God Doesn’t Exempt but He Remembers (Gen 8:1) Genesis 8:1 NASB •Not because He forgot them •Began acting on their behalf •This is not a story of death, but the story of new life – a new beginning •Beginning with 8 people in a floating wooden box •Genesis 1-7 – creation, fall, flood •Genesis 8 onward – life after the flood – pointing to a Saviour that would deliver us from facing judgment •Human lineage would lead to Jesus Christ through Noah’s son Shem *emphasis mine So what about you?? Genesis 8:1 NASB •God had a plan for Noah •If you are a believer, He has a plan for you as well: Philippians 1:6 NASB •Have you trusted the Saviour? Or will you face Him as judge? •A final judgment is coming – not water, but fire – 2 Peter 3 •You don’t have to face judgment – in fact the Lord Jesus Christ did it for you •Here’s the great news: John 5:24 NASB *emphasis mine

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David Macdonald - July 21, 2019

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Good morning. Carole. Carole. Carole.

Thank you. Thank you. Go easy. I've never played guitar in a swing pool before.

I sure feel like it now. It's hot up here. Now, I know what I'm speaking on. It's going to come up on that wall at some point, isn't it?

Way back. At the first slide. All right. Let's look at the Lord in prayer.

Father, thank you this morning for your great love. Those of us who know the Lord Jesus. We proclaim is in that last song finally free. We are free from sin.

We are free from death as we heard in our previous meeting. And Lord, the day is coming when we will be finally free and forever see the Lord Jesus Christ face to face. I pray for everybody who is here. Lord, that that is their testimony, that they know Him.

And if not, Lord, today, maybe the day that they could put their trust in Him and be safe forever. Father, thank you for this day. I know it's very hot. I just pray that you'd help with each of us with just patience and being attentive and just pray for your guidance in Jesus' name.

Amen. Now, I am going to try to respect the fact that it is sweltering in here and it's actually more sweltering if you're up here than down there. But that's the way it is. Now, I've been thinking about this passage and I've been doing a little series on kind of like Jesus died, but God raised Him from the dead.

You were lost in your trespasses and sins or dead in your trespasses and sins even worse than lost, but God because of his great mercy and his great love with which he loved us. And so I thought I'd go back and I'd look at where's the first place in all the Bible where God is mentioned. And it's back in the book of Genesis, back in the story of Noah. And I'm going to do a marathon today and I'm going to cover off Genesis chapter 6, 7, and 8.

So you know I'm hitting the high points. And you know me and my desire to get into geology and fossils and all that stuff and creation and stuff. I'm not going to go there today. I'll tell you right up front.

I'm not going there. So that's for another time and maybe we'll arrange a field trip to Joggins or something like that. We'll do that. But I was walking downtown as they were painting sidewalks recently and I thought, oh my God, what is going to bring judgment down in this city?

This is so much a celebration of sin and you're going to judge the city. And then you know what, I got my car and I cooled off and I thought, you know what, why haven't you judged me for my sin? I'm no different. My sin is just as wretched as any other sin.

And God did judge that. And we'll talk about that a little later on. But the judgment of God is a difficult thing to speak on. But do you ever talk to somebody and you're sharing the gospel with them and they say to you, as soon as you get to the topic of sin, why are you judging me?

John, you've never heard that, have you? Why are you judging me? Well, you know what, I hate to tell that person, but you judge too. We all judge.

We judge like whether we like somebody or not. We judge food. We judge restaurants. I'm on Yelp.

I'm on Google and I'm on TripAdvisor. And you can go in and see my review. Some of them are really honest and some of them are really honest. I like it.

But some of the ones that I don't like and you read it and think, you know, I would never stay again in this flea bag joint the beds where filthy and there was stains all over the chairs. So that was the place in Bangor, the super- But then I'll go on Mother's Pizza and Halifax, I've never had a bad meal here. So I'm judging. When I do that stuff.

We all judge athletes and singers and dancers are judged in competition. Even figure skaters are judged if it's called a sport. But people sit in a line and they judge. They're called judges.

Well, there's a 3.1 from the Russian judge. Well, I can't understand everybody else. I'll give a 9.9 or whatever you're supposed to get. But they judge.

Everybody judges in some way, shape or form. Law enforcement officers, courtrooms, they judge. They judge my driving. They judge crimes in the city and in this country.

But, you know, there is a final evaluation in life by a perfect and an impartial judge. One who cannot be bribed, one who cannot. He's got all the facts that he knows and he judges. Abraham called God.

I'm supposed to advance this, not just hold it, I guess. Abraham called God the judge of all the earth. He said, shall not the judge of all the earth do right. I mean, at first I had never come across it before.

Well, I probably didn't read over it. And I remember being an agony the night my grandfather died just thinking, he's gone. I can't believe it. Like, why God?

Why? And I came across that verse that night. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right. What a comfort it was to my soul.

But he is called the judge of all the earth. There was a judge in the US and he became a judge on the Supreme Court. His name was Horace Gray. Just an interesting story I ran across.

Horace Gray had a man in front of him who was guilty. He knew he was guilty. Everybody knew he was guilty. But he got off on a technicality.

This is back in the late 1800s. Horace Gray said to him at the end of the trial, he said, I know that you are guilty. And you know it too. And I want you to remember that one day you will stand before a better and wiser judge.

And there you will be dealt with according to justice and not according to law. I thought, what great quote that is. There are people who may think that they can go through this world and everybody gives them a pass. But the judge of all the earth does not give a pass on sin and offense against him.

And we're going to read about that in a minute. In Romans chapter 3 verse 23 to 26, how about this, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Being justified as a gift by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly as a propreciation or satisfying sacrifice in his blood through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness because in the forbearance of God he passed over the sins previously committed.

For demonstration I say of his righteousness at the present time so that he would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. God is just. God is the one who was qualified to judge. He alone is just.

There is nobody else could stand up. There's not one single judge to sit on the bench and say, I am just. I'm perfect. I'm 100% perfect so I have the right to judge you.

You know, when I'm talking to somebody whether it's on the street or at work or wherever it may be. And they say, why are you always judging me? Well, you know what? I'm not qualified to judge you.

But there is one who is qualified to judge you. He alone is just. He alone is perfect. You see, if God does not judge, then he's not just.

If he's not just, he's not perfect. If he's not perfect, then he's not God. And that's what that verse is pretty much telling you. He alone, in Revelation chapter 20 verse 12, it speaks of a great white-thrown judgment where everyone will stand before God to give a final account.

And he will have all the facts. It's just the books are open. God knows everything. He has all the facts.

He has every right to judge. He alone. Now, a funny little story here. I always enjoy baseball stories, especially from days of old.

So one time, Babe Ruth was at bat. And the judge called him out on strikes. The judge, the umpire. The umpire called him out on strikes.

And the crowd went nuts. And they booed, boo, boo, boo. And he thought, ah, here's my opportunity. He turns to the umpire and he said, you call that a strike?

He said, there's 40,000 people in here who differ with you. And he said, yeah, there are. There's 40,000 opinions. But guess what?

Only my opinion counts. So, you know, in the end, when you stand before God, and he opens the books, and he has all the facts. Ultimately, his judgment is going to be the only one that counts. So let's look at the story of Noah.

And first of all, when I say that, you're thinking, oh my goodness, this is going to be a tough message on a hot day. It is. Just to assure you it will be. In Noah chapter 6, you know, I think I slept for like 30 seconds last night.

In Genesis chapter 6, you can follow along behind me if you wish. It says, now it came about when men began to multiply in the face of the earth, the land, and daughters were born to them. And the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. Then the Lord said, my spirit shall not strive with man forever because he is also flesh.

Nevertheless, his days shall be 120 years. Then Ephalim were on the earth in those days, or giants, it says in other versions. And afterwards, when the sons of God came to the daughters of men and they bore children to them, those were mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Then the Lord saw the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart were only evil continually.

And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and he was grieved in his heart. The Lord said, I will blot out man who I have created from the face of the land, from man to the face of the earth, to creeping things, and to birds of the sky, for I am sorry that I have made them. Now, as I read that, you think, wow, this is a difficult and frightening prospect. But you see, when I read this, I think God is so slow to anger.

God is one who he is patient. He still judges, but he is patient with us. In Psalm 103 it says, but his, or sorry, in Genesis here, in 6 verse 3 it says, my spirit shall not always strive, will not strive with man forever. I memorize King James, but for his days will be 120 years.

In Psalm 103, and I believe it's verse 8, he says, God is slow to anger. And then we read several times through the Old Testament that he is long suffering, meaning that he is slow to anger. The fuse is lit, but he lets it burn long before his judgment comes out upon people. So how patient is he?

Well, Adam ate the forbidden fruit, but he didn't die for 930 years. He brought death upon the land. He brought death upon all men. You will die because, why?

Because Adam disobeyed God, because of the original sin. God allowed Adam to live for 930 years. Now, as a story of the Canaanites, and this is in Genesis 15, that they had sinned against God and they were doomed. They were absolutely doomed.

And God says, I'm going to pour out my wrath on them. But, I should have written the verse now, but it's not full yet. The wrath is not full. And when it is, I will be pouring my wrath out upon them.

It took 800 years, 800 years, the patience of God. Noah was called a preacher of righteousness. So for 120 years, Noah went up and down and all around between the building project and preached righteousness. It says, he preached for people to come and be saved from this judgment of God that is coming.

Similar to our guys that walk up and down Spring Garden Road and down around Pizza Corner and down along the waterfront and everywhere else. They're preachers of righteousness. They're not out there just trying to put themselves out there. They do this because they know that this city is going to fall under the judgment of God.

Every man and woman and child that just walks by is going to, at some point in time, face God. We need preachers of righteousness. Noah was a preacher of righteousness. God seems to let sin accumulate until it gets to a point where his wrath eclipses his mercy.

Now he's at a water park one time. It's kind of cool. I think I remember where it was. I think it was in Calgary.

But there's this great big bucket. There's a huge bucket and it had a plate underneath it so it didn't kill the children. It was like a water park playground area. And water was trickling into the bucket.

Trickle, trickle, trickle, trickle, trickle, trickle, trickle, trickle, trickle, trickle. And then all of a sudden, then you didn't know when this was going to happen, but when there was enough water, got in the bucket, all of a sudden that bucket just dumped and fell over and dumped everything that was in it on top of those who were underneath. And I look at it and think, this is a picture of the long suffering of God. People are storing up wrath.

They're storing up for themselves with their sin. A moment when the wrath of God will be poured out upon them and upon this earth. It's a dreadful thing. But there is hope.

There was an atheist one time in England. His name is Robert Ingersoll. He loved to travel around and speak about God and how stupid it was to believe in him. He said he didn't exist.

You're foolish to believe in him. We have people like that today. He was famous for this stunt. He would come up to the podium where he was speaking and he'd stand there and he'd say, all right, there's my stopwatch.

God, you have five minutes to strike me dead if you exist. Five minutes ago, he'd go by. He'd grab the watch, put it in his pocket and say, there. I just proved to you.

There is no God. Oh, the story got to ending Joseph Parker, who was one of the great preachers in London at the time. Joseph Parker heard it. He laughed out loud.

He said, did the gentleman presume to exhaust the patience of the eternal God in five minutes? You see, God was merciful to him. But God has a long fuse when it comes to his wrath. God is very patient when it comes to his wrath.

The Bible speaks of the certainty of his judgment for everyone. In Hebrews, chapter 9, verse 27, it says, it's appointed to man to die once. And after this, the judgment. It's very interesting.

We just read about this day when this flood is going to come. And Jesus linked the flood judgment with the final judgment. In Matthew, chapter 24, verses 37 and 39, Jesus said, for the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark.

And they did not understand until the flood came and took them all the way. So will be the coming of the Son of Man. A couple of things about this. One, if you have the problem with the story of the Noah in the ark and you think it's a story or a made up story or just a myth, then your problem is not with me.

It's with Jesus because Jesus fully believed in the flood, the account of the flood. He fully believed and preached about Noah. So if you have a problem with the story of the ark, you have a problem with Jesus Christ. You see, I'll give you another illustration if I can.

There was a young boy and a man, they were traveling along the old wild west and they were on a stagecoach. I don't know what stagecoach is, but it's one of those things you see in Bonanza. If you didn't have Bonanza in your home, then you don't know what I'm talking about. The stagecoach is the way they used to get around.

They had horses and they would pull this thing and a stagecoach. It was a car of the day and it moved at horse speed. So they were going along and this young fella falls off the thing. And just as he's about to fall off and be swept underneath it, this man reaches down and he grabs the boy and he hauls him back up into the thing and saved his life.

Well, time goes by. The man goes on to, he was studying law at the time and he goes on and he ultimately becomes a judge. The boy ultimately decided to become a criminal. And one day he's standing in front of this man and he said, I recognize you, sir.

And he said, I recognize you. He said, good. Remember that time you saved me when I was, he goes, I remember very well. He said, but let's understand something young man.

That day I was there to be your savior. Today I'm here to be your judge. You see, Jesus Christ died to be your savior. Jesus Christ provided salvation.

He reached down to all of mankind. He came down and he died on a cross to take your sin so that he could become like one of us, but perfect and pure and bear our sins away to be your savior. And if you don't accept him as your savior, you will face him as your judge. You don't want that.

You want him as your savior. It's interesting that Jesus linked this flood to future judgment. The days of Noah. What were they like?

Well, population was increasing like crazy. Population was just growing and growing. It says that the men multiplied upon the earth. It's estimated that they're very, very conservative estimate.

And this is Henry Morrison, John Wickham, did the math on it. And they're kind of math guys. They estimated that there was probably about a billion people on the earth at that time. Somewhere between 800 million to a billion, minimum on the earth.

Families are bigger, people live longer, they had a lot of kids and so on. You know when the next time we had a billion people on the earth was anybody want to throw out a guess? Nobody wants a guess. Nick, when?

1804. 1804. Guess when two billion came. 1927.

Real quick. Once you get a billion, you move on. Pretty quick. That's how fast population can explode.

Three billion, 1960 in my lifetime. Sort of. I'm not that old. And then today we have 7.7 to 7.8 billion people in the world.

Exponential growth. Which tells me I don't think man's been on the earth for millions of years. Because otherwise you'd have to wipe out billions over and over and over again and start again. I told you we'd get into that stuff, but I am.

So there was an increase of population. There was an increasing sexual with the gravity. We read that in verses two to four about the sons of God and the daughters of men and the family and the design of God was thrown aside and people committed gross sexual sin and the results of it. The talks about these giants that were in the land.

There were mutations from what went on with what was going on in the day. The wickedness was crazy. I mean, again, what got me thinking of this? What went on in our own city?

Not 24 hours ago. Celebrating sexual depravity. This is today and back then. Our population is increasing like crazy.

Sexual depravity is increasing. It's just weird. The stuff you read. The stuff that is happening in our world.

The next thing is an increase in witness. In wickedness. My dad worked in prison guard. He used to talk about everybody.

I know them all. I said, well, you must get new people. He said most of the repeat offenders are habitual offenders. They keep coming back.

That's what the courts call you. You're a habitual offender. Man has become a habitual offender. We keep falling into sin and more sin and more.

Wickedness just increased. Increasing violence. Think of what's happening. Just as comic factory in Japan the other day.

The guy comes in and says you're all dead and kills 33 people. Crazy. People driving cars and vans into crowds of people. The violence in our world.

Don't let them tell you that statistics are saying it's decreasing. It's not. It's increasing. Household violence.

Home violence. Mothers against children and parents against their own children or adults against their own parents and so on. We are seeing the same thing as they saw back then. Verse 11.

So you find that. During the time of God's patience in all of this, what are we supposed to do? What do we do? We repent.

God is giving. God's patience is one thing. It's an opportunity to repent. It's an opportunity to turn from sin.

To turn away from it and to turn to him. I think of the city of Nineveh. If you remember the story, again, not a made up story. Jonah.

Jesus talked about Jonah. If you have a problem with Jonah, you have a problem with Jesus. Once again. Jesus talked about, or Jonah was told to go and walk through the city and preach.

He was one of the early street preachers. Go through and go from one end to the other. 40 days will take it and walk from one end to the other and preach. Just tell them.

God is going to bring his wrath down upon the city. That's all you have to tell them. The wrath of God is falling on the city. What happened?

The whole city repented. They all repented and they were spared. That is what turns away God's judgment. That's what we are to do during this time of God's extended favor.

In Romans 2 verses 3 to 6, we read this, but do you suppose this, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, think you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think, there's the answer to somebody who says, well, not as bad as the next guy. There's the answer to that. Some people say, well, not as bad as some of the people live on my street or in my apartment building.

But do you suppose, well, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, you will escape the judgment of God. We will all stand unless we have come to Christ. We will all stand before judgment. Or do you think lightly of the riches of his kindness and tolerance in patience, not knowing the kindness leads you to repentance?

But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds. God is patient. God is long-suffering. God delays his wrath upon this earth.

Next, God judges, but he differentiates. One of the most amazing verses in all of the Bible. It talks about the depravity of man. It talks about how wickedness had grown in the land, how violence was in the land, and it talks about Noah, but Noah found grace or favor in the eyes of the Lord, but a turning point.

I love that little word. Wherever you read it, it talks about a turning point from hopelessness to hope. Grace means favor or was pleasant. Noah was one, a man of righteousness, one who served God, who thought about God, who loved God, who was a believer, he was a believer in God.

He was a righteous man. And it says that he found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Now here is some verses about the eyes of the Lord. Don't miss that part.

Where do you find favor in the eyes of the Lord? In Hebrews 4 verse 13, there's no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do. You know what I was reading? Eagles are amazing animals.

Every time John Wells calls me an eagle head, comes up on my phone. I don't know if you know that's there, but it's there. Yeah, okay, good. And eagle's eye is amazing.

It's absolutely amazing. I'm not sure how far up it is. I have an image. Oh, yeah, here we go.

An eagle can spot a dime in six inches of grass from 600 feet above the grass. That's amazing eyesight. From three to four kilometers away, an eagle can see a rabbit hopping through a field. An eagle has an amazing eyesight, amazing eyesight.

But God's eyesight's even better. It says here, it says all things are open and laid bare in the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Proverbs 5, 21, for the ways of a manor before the eyes of the Lord, and he watches all his paths. He knows everything about you.

He knows everything about me. And he looks at people differently than we do because he knows everything. He sees right into your very soul. He sees beyond what you do.

He sees your intent. He sees what you're thinking. He sees what you are before you even do it. First Samuel, God sees not as man sees.

He looks, man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. God sees you based on your intentions. You see, Noah, judgment was sent upon this earth, but Noah was spared. He was differentiated from the others because of his faith in God.

He trusted God. But God also, he judges individuals. We read that all through the scriptures. God's judgment will come and he will differentiate.

He will judge people differently, each and every one. But they will stand before him and give an account for what they've done. The other thing is God differentiates, but he doesn't exempt. The judgment of God, I won't read this passage.

I put it up there for your reading, if you'd like to look at it. The Lord brought Noah and the family into the ark. And then the waters came and prevailed on the earth. And so basically they were in this ark for 13 months.

While the judgment of God was poured upon the earth. Every person that had the breath of life in their nostrils, everything except for the fishes, drown and die. So when I say he differentiates, but he doesn't exempt. The judgment of God affects us.

It should affect us. It affected Noah. Here's Noah in this box bobbing up and down, but when it all started. And I heard about this play and I don't know somebody told me that they were there and they could almost not bear it.

It was the story of Noah. And Noah was in the ark and the door was shut and sealed. And the rain started falling and people started coming when it was too late and pounding on the side of the ark, begging Noah, open up. Please let us in.

Please. But it was too late. The judgment of God had already fallen. You think Noah would have gone through that and not be affected?

You think that would not move Noah? You think for the next 13 months that he floated around because Noah would have had relatives. He had three sons and their daughters with them, their wives with them and his wife. But he would have had other friends, other family, other relatives.

And they were all gone. They were all parries. You don't think that would have affected him? Of course it did.

The judgment of God should affect us. It should sober us. We don't stand in the middle of the city and say, God, you should bring judgment down on these people. Look at them.

They're horrible. We don't do that. We never gloat that the judgment of God is coming upon man. It should never cheer us up that God will judge people for their sins.

It should move us to warn them. It should move us and bring us to tears to think we have people in our own families. We have loved ones. We have neighbors.

We have friends. We have teachers. We have classmates who will face the judgment of God. That should affect me.

I'm not exempt from the terrible things of the judgment of God because I have loved ones who may face that. That should stir us up. That's why we preach the gospel. That's why we give you the good news.

You don't have to go under the judgment of God. You don't have to face it. My last and fourth point on this is God doesn't exempt us from experiencing or understanding his judgment of God. It says God remembers.

It says, but God. This is where I want to start. There's my introduction. I'm almost done.

God remembered Noah and all the beasts and cattle that were with him in the ark. God caused the wind to pass over the earth and the waters subsided. If you want to know how that will happen, read Psalm 104 and sent the waters back to their place. He caused the mountains to go where they're supposed to go.

He caused the valleys to go where they're supposed to go. He caused the boundaries. The sea would not go over the earth. Psalm 104, great creation.

Psalm. It says, but God remembered Noah. But God remembered Noah. It doesn't mean that God was busy doing something over here and he goes, oh, Noah.

Right. 13 months ago I sent me to that boat. I forgot about him. It's not that at all.

It means that now the judgment has passed. Now it is final. Now it is done. I'm turning my full attention now to Noah.

I'm going to start acting fully on their behalf now and on mankind's behalf from here on. They've been safe. They've been safe through this time. And now for the rest of time, my attention will be turned to Noah.

And because he turned to Noah, he turned to you. But God turned his attention to mankind when Noah came out of this earth. You know, it sounds like a pretty gloomy story, but it is not a story of death. If it was, God would have just wiped everybody out and it would have just been done.

It's a story of life. It's a story of a provision of a way for life, for you and for me. God provided salvation in an arc for Noah and his family. And that's a picture of a salvation that God has provided for you and for me.

Beginning with eight people floating in the wooden box. God starts a whole new generation. We descend from Noah and his sons in some way. Chapters one to seven of Genesis, creation, fall, then the flood.

And then from eight onward, it's life after the flood. And it points through Shem, through Shem, his Noah's son, to Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Everything from that point on is to point ahead for mankind for salvation. Salvation from judgment to come.

Human lineage that would go from Shem to Jesus Christ and our life is in him. Now, God had not forgotten Noah. God had not left him alone. Just like God has not left you alone.

God remembers you. God acts towards you. God acts in kindness towards you. And if you know him, we know that.

Somebody shared this morning at the Lord's Supper of a Prayer. Of a prayer. We don't pray because it's a ritual. I mean, you know, you can, you can kneel by your bed and say, now I'll leave you down to sleep.

Pray the Lord, my soul to keep. If I should die before awake, I pray the Lord, my soul to take. And that means nothing. But when your heart is broken and you're a believer and you pour your heart out to God, you're pouring your heart out to one who remembers.

You're pouring your heart out to the but God God. You're pouring your heart out to the one who saves, the one who is mighty to save, the one who cares about you, the one who loves you, who has called you his own child. This is a story of life. This is a story of a new beginning.

This is a story of salvation. Salvation is a new beginning. Anyone who's in Christ, he's a new creation, a new beginning. So what about you today?

But God remembered Noah. God had a plan for Noah. You know, if you're a believer, he has a plan for you and for your life. I always find this encouraging first.

It's one of my favorites. Paul writes for him, I'm confident of this very thing that he who began a good work in you on the day that he saved me. He that began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ. God is working in you in your life, changing you, changing the way you think.

I was talking to somebody at the fellowship the other night. It was a wonderful fellowship, by the way, over at the Demolters. So if you missed that one, come to the next one, whenever it's going to be. But it was wonderful.

We got to talk. I was talking to somebody and I said, the things that God works on in my life, God changes. Perfecting us, changing us, conforming us to be more like Jesus Christ, transforming us in me. If you're a believer, you don't have to face him as a judge.

He's your savior. A final judgment is coming. And it won't be water. It'll be fire.

The earth won't be flooded. If you read in 2 Peter chapter 3, you'll read all about it. God is going to judge this earth. Jesus in Matthew chapter 24 speaks of the judgment that is coming upon this earth.

You don't have to face judgment. In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ faced it for you. He took all of your sin. He took all those things that qualify you to be judged on himself and died in you.

So that you can be free and never face the judgment of God. Jesus says, and I put it in red because it's his word, truly, truly. I say to you, he who hears my word and believes on him who sent me has eternal life and does not come into judgment but has passed out of death into life. May that be your story today.

I hope you've passed from death into life. If you believe in Jesus Christ, he is your ark. He is the one who will rescue you. I'm going to ask him to come up so we can sing a closing song.

You guys okay to sing? Good. Thank you. The last song, I was going to put the, it's okay.

The last song that we want to sing, it's called when I see the blood. But there's a line in that that says judgment is coming. All will be there. Each one receiving justly his due.

Oh sinner. Oh great. How's it go? Sorry.

I'm obelibous love and God will pass over you. You don't have to face judgment. He may finish the sermon. He did my last point.

Thank you. So let's stand together. We'll sing this song and we'll be done.

Frequently asked questions

How long is this episode of Our Sunday Messages?

This episode is 39 minutes long.

When was this Our Sunday Messages episode published?

This episode was published on July 21, 2019.

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Yes, a full transcript is available for this episode. You can read the complete transcript on the episode page.

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