1. In Genesis 6:5-7, we read of God's displeasure with the world and its wickedness
2. But as God pronounces judgment upon the world, and prepares to destroy it with a flood, we find encouraging words concerning one man: But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. - Genesis 6:8
3. This simply means that Noah found favor in God's sight, and we know the result of that favor: escape for him and his family from the flood!
a. But why Noah?
b. Why did Noah find grace in the eyes of the Lord?
c. And how might we apply this to our situation today?
A. HE WAS "A JUST MAN" - Genesis 6:9
1. Some translations say "righteous"
2. This likely refers to his moral relation to God
B. HE WAS "PERFECT IN HIS GENERATIONS" - Genesis 6:9
1. Other translations (NASV, NIV) use the word "blameless"
2. Not that he was sinless, but that there were no blatant faults
3. He was a man of moral integrity among the people
C. HE "WALKED WITH GOD" - Genesis 6:9
1. This is how he manifested his righteousness and integrity
2. In walking with God, he imitated the example of Enoch, his great-grandfather - Genesis 5:24
3. Walking with God in Noah's case likely involved...
a. Calling upon the name of the Lord (which began in the days of Seth) - Genesis 4:26
b. Offering sacrifices to God (which began in the days of Cain & Abel) - Genesis 4:3-4
D. HE "DID ACCORDING TO ALL THAT THE LORD COMMANDED HIM"
1. Twice this is emphasized in the Scriptures - Genesis 6:22; 7:5
2. We learn from the writer of Hebrews that this obedience of Noah came from faith - Hebrews 11:7
E. HE WAS "A PREACHER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS" - 2 Peter 2:5
1. He not only "lived" a righteous life
2. But he also "proclaimed" the need for righteousness, even though he lived in a very ungodly world
A. NOT BECAUSE WE FACE THE THREAT OF A WORLDWIDE FLOOD
1. After Noah and his family were saved from the flood, God promised He would never again destroy the world in such a manner - Genesis 9:8-11
2. The rainbow is a constant reminder of God's promise - Genesis 9:12-17
B. BUT BECAUSE WE FACE THE PROMISE OF THE END OF THE WORLD!
1. Peter reminds us that just as the world was once destroyed by water, so it shall be destroyed by fire when Jesus returns! - 2 Peter 3:3-13
2. In view of this promise, Peter calls upon us to "be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless" - 2 Peter 3:14
a. Just as Noah "found grace in the eyes of the Lord"
b. So we need to "found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless"
3. Is this not simply another way of saying that we, like Noah, need to find grace in the eyes of the Lord? Indeed, it is! When the end of the world comes, we had better be in a condition where we too find grace in the eyes of the Lord! Otherwise, we will be like those left outside of the ark when the floods came!
A. WE MUST BE "JUST" IN HIS SIGHT
1. Fortunately, the good news of the gospel is that God sent Christ in order to make us "just" (righteous, forgiven) in His sight! - Romans 5:8-9
2. This blessing is available to all who demonstrate true faith in Jesus - Romans 3:24-26
3. Being justified, we can have peace with God (concerning which Peter wrote)- Romans 5:1
B. WE MUST BE "PERFECT" IN OUR GENERATION
1. That is, to be complete, mature, to be everything God desires of us
2. Again, the good news of the gospel of Christ is that God has provided the necessary elements for us to be "perfect"
a. The blood of Christ, to cleanse us of our sins - 1 John 1:7-9
b. The Word of God, to guide us to completion - 2 Timothy 3:16-17
c. The strength of the Spirit, to help us in our struggles - Ephesians 3:16; Romans 8:13
d. The providence of God, who will work with us and lead us to victory! - 2 Thessalonians 3:3
C. WE MUST "WALK WITH GOD"
1. Of course, this would mean that we can "no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk..." - cf. Ephesians 4:17-20
2. Rather, it requires that we be "followers of God as dear children" (Ephesians 5:1), and that We:
a. "Walk in love" - Ephesians 5:2
b. "Walk as children of light", exposing the sins of darkness - Ephesians 5:8-11
c. "Walk as wise", with an understanding of what the Lord's will is - Ephesians 5:15-17
D. WE MUST "DO ALL THAT THE LORD HAS COMMANDED"
1. Observing not just "some" things, but "all" things - cf. Matthew 28:20
2. For in so doing, we demonstrate our faith to be "a living faith" - cf. James 2:17, 24, 26
E. WE MUST BE "PREACHERS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS"
1. It is God's will that we "proclaim the praises of Him", which would include His righteousness - cf. 1 Peter 2:9
2. This can be done most vividly by example, in living transformed lives - cf. Romans 12:1-2
1. God does not want anyone to perish in the great destruction that is yet to come, but He does require all to come to repentance - 2 Peter 3:9; Acts 17:30-31
2. And when we turn from sin and turn to God, what do we find? The same thing Noah and his family found: "grace in the eyes of the Lord"!
3. Speaking of the salvation of Noah should remind us of the comparison Peter makes between Noah's salvation and our own.
a. I.e., the part baptism serves in our salvation - 1 Peter 3:20-21
b. Just as God used the element of water to save Noah from a wicked world...
c. ...so in His grace God utilizes water in our salvation through the blood of Jesus!
Then, as we look forward to the coming of the Lord in which He will usher in "the new heavens and new earth", give special heed to the words of Peter: "Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless." - 2 Peter 3:14
-- Don Treadway, May 2008 --
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