[0:00] Hebrews chapter 11, and we shall consider tonight verse 7. Hebrews 11 and verse 7.
[0:14] By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house, by the which he condemned the world and became the heir, became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
[0:37] Amen. I well remember the last sermon that was preached by the Reverend Kenneth Macrae of Stornoway.
[1:02] He preached in a crowded seminary building. He himself at the time suffering with cancer from which he died.
[1:17] I was just a boy of 11 at the time. But he painted for us in that sermon a very vivid picture of the people fleeing from the flood that came upon the world in the days of Noah, running up to the tops of the mountains, crowding together on the tops of the hills, and the waters following them and carrying them away.
[1:52] Earnestly, he pleaded with us. His last sermon, his last words in that congregation where he'd labored for so long, he pleaded with us to flee to the safety of Christ, to run to the ark, and to make sure that we were inside the ark when the ark, when the day of God's judgment would break out upon the earth.
[2:23] Just as he sought to preach, to warn, to encourage, to persuade, so too it is my solemn responsibility tonight to plead with you to escape from the wrath to come, to flee to Christ, and to make sure that you are in the safety and security of the ark.
[2:53] First we have here a warning. By faith Noah, being warned of God, of things not seen as yet, moved with fear.
[3:14] God told him that he was going to destroy the world with a flood. God told him that he was going to destroy the earth. But this had never happened before.
[3:25] There had been local floods, and there still are local floods. But this was a universal flood, to cover the hills. Yes, and even to cover the very highest mountains.
[3:41] There was no evidence that it was going to happen. It wasn't as if there had been increasing floods, and signs and indicators of some great buildup of water.
[3:59] It was something that had not been seen up till that point. But moved with fear, by faith, Noah believed the warning of God.
[4:14] He took that seriously. God had said it. Therefore, although there was no evidence to prove it, he believed it.
[4:28] By faith, we see the invisible. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
[4:40] Not seen as yet, but the evidence is there, to faith. With the eye of faith, you can see clearly the flood that's coming.
[4:50] Some people poo-poo the idea of warning preaching. I've heard many people despise hell, fire, and damnation preaching, and mock it and ridicule it.
[5:09] And yet it is vital. It's something we have in the scriptures. And it's something that's going to happen. Damnation is going to come on the unrepentant sinner.
[5:23] People love their sin and their idols and their worldly pleasures. And the only way they will give it up is if they are convinced that it's dangerous to continue.
[5:41] Only when they are convicted that these sinful pleasures will lead them to an eternity of misery, will people give them up and come to Christ.
[5:56] Saving faith involves believing the warnings as well as believing the Savior. If you don't fear the warning, you will not love the Savior.
[6:15] If you're not aware of your danger, you will not cry out, save me. If you do not appreciate the awfulness of a lost eternity, how are you going to appreciate the crucified one?
[6:37] The world that is around us is one day going to come to an end. The world that existed in Noah's day was destroyed with a flood.
[6:54] And every man, woman, child, every animal, every living creature was drowned in the flood.
[7:06] Apart from Noah, his family, and those that were with him in the ark. Just as the flood came to destroy the old world, so fire will come to destroy the present world.
[7:26] And the Bible makes plain that the heavens will rain down fire and brimstone, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth and all that is therein shall be burned up.
[7:44] What manner of persons, then, ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness? Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.
[8:02] Death is coming, and death is followed by judgment, and judgment for many people is followed by hell.
[8:13] I could pretend, as some do, that it doesn't exist. But if it does, what good is that?
[8:25] I could make light of it, and pretend that it is something quite bearable. But what good is that if I'm only deceiving?
[8:41] If you were to see a couple of little toddlers climbing through a hole in the garden fence, and going out onto a busy road, you could say to yourself, oh, they're such beautiful children, no car will knock them down.
[9:02] You could say to yourself, it's such a beautiful day, something like that could not happen. You could say to yourself, no child has ever been killed in our village before.
[9:16] But you wouldn't. You're aware that there are cars coming along the road at 60 miles an hour coming round the corner, and you run immediately, and you grab the little toddlers, and despite their cries of protest, you take them into the safety and security of their house.
[9:39] And so it is, when we see blind men and blind women running on in sin, and in danger of going over the cliffs into the lake of fire, surely we must cry and shout and plead and persuade and prompt and threaten and do everything in our power in order to bring them to their senses and to bring them to the Savior.
[10:10] Why do you not take God seriously? And there are some of you here today, and you don't take God seriously.
[10:24] And you don't take his word seriously. And you don't take the warnings there seriously. And you don't take the danger you are in seriously. And the days are going past, and the weeks are going past, and the years are going past, and the danger is increasing every moment, and hell is coming closer with each passing second.
[10:51] A couple of weeks ago, we had the very sad experience in this island of two young lives being tragically lost in a car accident on the way to a dance.
[11:13] How sad. How suddenly they entered eternity. And yet, has it changed anyone's life?
[11:26] Does the world not go on as it did before? And the fool in the sinner's heart says, oh, that happened to them, but that's not going to happen to me.
[11:40] I'll live on for many a year yet, and there's lots of things I'm going to do, and I've got my plans, and I'm going to do this and that and the next thing. And how do you know?
[11:55] Two young lives, suddenly lost. Suddenly, they're away. In the very midst of all their worldly pleasures.
[12:11] Suddenly, away to meet their God and to render their account to him. And we know not who will be next.
[12:25] Even the simplest things can be so dangerous. Just last weekend, little Sean McLeod was playing in a swing up at the lump there.
[12:37] and he fell. And he fell. And he was within a hair's breadth of death. So close. So close.
[12:52] And we do not know how close we are to death. Many a time on our walk through this world, we're within a whisker of eternity.
[13:07] Do you ever think about that? How close you are? On many an occasion, how close you are to death.
[13:20] And most of the time, we're not aware of it. But one day, the messenger of death will come and take away our soul to stand before our God.
[13:35] And when that day comes, where will you stand? What will God say? Will he say, Come ye blessed.
[13:49] Or will he say, Depart, ye cursed. Moved with fear.
[14:07] Warned by God and believing the warning. Noah, concerned. Are you concerned?
[14:21] Secondly, we have here a gospel. God warned Noah and told him that he was going to bring this flood, but told Noah that there was going to be a way by which he could escape the flood.
[14:40] Told him to prepare an ark for the saving of his house. Now, the preparation of the ark was a massive task.
[14:52] it was the building of a boat such as had never been built before. And strangely, this boat was being built hundreds of miles away from the sea.
[15:06] it was built at great expense and it took a hundred and twenty years to build.
[15:18] Think of all the trees that had to be hewn down. Think of the way these timbers had to be cut and shaped and nailed together.
[15:33] And all the pitch that was being involved in pitching and preserving this timber and coating it. think of all the work that was involved in gathering the animals into this ark.
[15:54] Preparing food for all these animals. But God helped Noah. Helped him with the building. Helped him in gathering the animals.
[16:08] Helped him in all the preparations that he was involved in. And for almost a year in the ark Noah and his family and all these animals were miraculously preserved.
[16:28] There are miracles in the building of the ark and in the preservation of Noah and his family. It's an amazing story and incredible.
[16:41] apart from God's involvement in it. If it were not that God helped Noah it could never have been done.
[16:55] God told Noah about the flood and God told Noah what to do and Noah believed. Noah demonstrated the reality of his faith by building the ark.
[17:13] Now friends there's a terrible fire coming. There's the wrath and curse of God going to come and the earth is going to be destroyed and there's an eternal hell.
[17:29] that you don't have to prepare some big building and you don't have to be involved in 120 years of labor. For us the gospel is so much simpler than it was for Noah.
[17:48] We have one who has done the building for us. We are the Lord Jesus who prepared the ark and all you and I have to do is to enter through the open door.
[18:05] Come unto me. That's what he says. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. All things are now ready.
[18:17] Everything has been done. Whatever is required is completed. It's so easy for us.
[18:28] far, far easier than it was for Noah. And yet, are you still outside? Outside of Christ?
[18:48] Every man, woman, and child that did not enter the ark was drowned. But everyone that entered into the ark was saved.
[19:04] Nobody would enter into the ark but those who believed that they were in danger. And in the same way, you, you too, must come to believe in your danger, but come to believe also in the Savior.
[19:21] you. Remember Lot's wife. The angels told Lot and his family that they were going to destroy Sodom.
[19:38] Lot went and told his daughters who were married to Sodomites, people of Sodom, and they just laughed at Lot.
[19:51] He was to them as one that mocked. Fire and brimstone come down in our town. It's never happened before and it never will.
[20:02] Oh, yes, we do believe in God, but the God we believe in doesn't do such things. He's a God of love. There's nothing to worry about. Lot, you're getting hot and bothered about things.
[20:18] Don't be such a fool. You're becoming a bit senile in your old age. You're getting carried away. Lot couldn't persuade them.
[20:31] Lot's wife, remember, she left Sodom with them, but oh, her heart was in Sodom. The angels led them out of the city and said, run for your lives and don't look back.
[20:50] But Lot's wife, she couldn't help it. She looked back. Why? Because she loved Sodom.
[21:02] She loved the pleasures of the world. She loved the material things. She loved the idols. She loved the wicked ways of Sodom.
[21:15] She looked back and God in his judgment turned her into a pillar of salt. And she's a monument for us up to this present time of the danger of looking back and loving this world more than we love heaven.
[21:35] remember Lot's wife. Don't look back. Don't love the world but flee for your life.
[21:50] Flee to the ark where there is safety. Run to Christ and there you will be protected. A warning and a gospel.
[22:08] Yes there is a gospel. There's good news. There's a saviour and whosoever will can be saved. But thirdly condemnation.
[22:23] By faith Noah being warned of God of things not soon as yet moved with fear prepared an act to the saving of his house by the which he condemned the world.
[22:40] Condemnation. Noah condemned the world. Surely it's God who condemns people. But God's people also condemn.
[22:51] God's God condemned them. Those who reject the gospel are condemning themselves.
[23:04] And God's people by their consistent Christian lives are condemning those who will not join them and follow them.
[23:17] Noah believed the warning and he acted. And because they wouldn't take Noah seriously they were condemned. There he was for 120 years preaching.
[23:33] Yes we're told that he preached. Peter tells us about that. He used to speak to the people and tell them what was going to happen. But they laughed.
[23:45] They mocked. They thought him an old fool. There he is working at his boat again. Hammering away with the nails. Sawing away at the wood.
[23:57] Poor old Noah. And Noah would preach to them and warn them and tell them of the flood. But they didn't listen.
[24:09] They could see his life. They could see the consistency of it. We're told that Noah just like Enoch Noah walked with God.
[24:22] Genesis 6 verse 9 He walked with God. That's a lovely expression. Not just that he was a good man but he walked with God.
[24:41] Hand in hand arm in arm with God. What consistency. What beauty of life.
[24:54] And what a witness to the people of this day. There was this holy man, this godly man, this man who was warning them day and night concerning the coming flood and the judgment of God upon a wicked world.
[25:11] God saw the wickedness of man upon the earth that it was great and that every imagination of his heart is evil continually. God was angry and Noah warned but oh how long suffering God is.
[25:31] For a hundred and twenty years he waited. God could have destroyed the world in a day because of the sin. He could have supernaturally protected Noah and his family and destroyed everybody else and every other creature but no he left Noah there working working amongst them building his ark showing that he believed in the invisible things and he had a certainty with regard to the future this godly consistent man building his huge boat day after day week after week year after year he condemned the world those who were around him and wouldn't listen were condemned by the preaching by the life by the example by the faith of
[26:41] Noah by faith Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet moved with fear prepared an ark to the saving of his house by which he condemned the world and every Christian who follows the Lord condemns those who don't this is a condemnation that light has come into the world and men love darkness rather than light are you condemned or condemning we're doing either one or the other we are either condemning our others by our faith and our obedience our words and our life or we belong to the group who are being condemned because of our unbelief and our rejection of the gospel and those who are consistently living according to it
[28:03] I wonder is your wife condemning you is your husband condemning you is your brother condemning you your sister your son your daughter your father your mother your friend because they love the Lord and they live for him and they they are showing you that they have been saved and they are speaking to you and praying for you and making it plain to you that you need to be saved and yet and yet and yet the time's going by and you're not saved you're not a babe Noah a preacher for a hundred and twenty years and when it came to the bit nobody apart from his own family would enter into the ark with him there he was his boat finished there he was gathering all these animals and creatures together and everything was completed the animals were in and the stores were in and eventually
[29:37] Noah and his family moved in and they just looked on shaking their heads and God shut the door it wasn't Noah that shut the door you see if Noah had shut the door he could open it again but it was God that shut the door because the day of mercy was over the hundred and twenty years of long suffering had come to an end and God said let the rain of my judgment fall too late too late friend will the door be shut and you left outside are you like these other mockers looking on looking on as
[30:40] Noah and his family as relatives and friends make their way into the ark and put their faith in Jesus Christ the Saviour and you just look on and do nothing finally notice that by faith Noah became an heir of the righteousness which is by faith he not only condemned the world but became heir of the righteousness which is by faith what was he an heir of what did he inherit he inherited the whole earth he got into the ark and spent these many weeks in the ark and when he came out the whole world was his everybody else was dead but he got something better than the whole world he inherited righteousness justification sins forgiven a right standing with
[31:52] God a crown of righteousness a blessed future glory to the righteous free free to everyone who believes in Jesus and are you one of those who are going to get this inheritance or are you one of those who despises it and who despises the warnings and who proves God's judgment one of those who are quite happy as it were to take your chance another day another week another year and the time goes drifting by without God and without hope
[33:13] Christ the saviour willing to receive you the door of the ark open to welcome you will you believe will you trust in Christ or will you be condemned this is the condemnation that light has come into the world I am the light of the world said Christ Christ came into the world and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil do you love darkness more than Christ evil deeds and evil destination come to Christ don't put it off let us pray Lord our
[34:13] God we give thanks unto thee for thy goodness to us and for thy gospel for the warnings and for the way of escape we thank thee that no I escaped and we thank thee that everyone who comes to Jesus will escape so help us to come and to trust in him to pray to him and to believe in him and so to escape from the wrath which is to come bless us Lord and make real Christians of us and keep us from being distracted by the pleasures of the world for Jesus sake Amen