Latest / Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons / A Construction Site Like No Other

Transcript

A Construction Site Like No Other · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

0:00
So let's begin our worship now this evening. We're singing firstly in Psalm 98, Psalm number 98, that's on page 129.
0:17
Sorry, I think it's actually 98. What has the presenter got?
0:23
98.
0:24
98, okay.
0:25
Psalm 98, verses 1 to 4, page 129.
0:30
Oh, sing a new song to the Lord for wonders he has done. His right hand and his holy arm the victory have won.
0:37
The Lord declared his saving work and made it to be known. To all the nations of the world his righteousness is shown.
0:45
Psalm 98, these verses marked 1 to 4 to God's praise.
0:55
Oh, sing a new song to the Lord for wonders he has done. His right hand and his holy arm the victory have won.
1:22
The Lord declared his saving work and made it to be known.
1:39
To all the nations of the world his righteousness is shown.
1:54
His right hand and his holy arm the victory have won.
1:56
The Lord has won.
1:57
The Lord has won.
1:58
The Lord has won.
1:59
The Lord has won.
2:00
The Lord za'ud.
2:03
Can you praise you?
2:05
The Lord has won.
2:06
The Lord has won.
2:07
His name and Jeкуins superboy and I know.
2:08
こちら of holy 점 or his holy name.
2:11
Until the Lord has been given.
2:13
The Lord has won.
2:16
His name and Jeu smolonaise on the holy 신.
2:26
There if God never has won.
2:29
The nations of the earth have seen what God has done.
2:42
Our God, your great deliverance, I wish my hand alone.
2:57
Acclaim the Lord, O all the earth, shout thou thee and rejoice.
3:13
Make new sin and be true, and to him lift up your voice.
3:29
Let's now call upon the Lord in prayer.
3:34
Let's join together in prayer.
3:36
Our gracious and eternal God, once again as we gather here in your presence, we ask that
3:46
you would draw near to us as we seek to draw near to you.
3:51
We give thanks, O Lord, for these words that we have sung, that set out how you have revealed
3:56
yourself to us as human beings and how the indications are throughout the world that
4:03
God lives.
4:05
And we thank you that that is especially the case through the testimony of your people.
4:11
We pray, O Lord, that we ourselves may continue to have that concern to make you known, and
4:17
to make you known to those around us who do not themselves seek after you.
4:22
We thank you tonight that we are able to worship you in a gathered congregation of your people.
4:28
And we give thanks for the many ways in which you have promised to regard the gatherings of
4:34
your people in such a way as would bless them and take delight in them.
4:39
And we do ask, O Lord, tonight that we may know this for ourselves.
4:43
Help us as we turn to your word to read it and to hear of its teaching.
4:47
And enable us, we pray, by your Holy Spirit to lay these things to heart.
4:53
Forbid that we should be so familiar with your word and yet not have it direct our path in this
4:58
world.
4:59
And, Lord, we ask that you would continue to bless us as a congregation as we look forward
5:04
in anticipation to these days to come.
5:08
We have already, Lord, heard of the activities that we hope to take part in and to have as part
5:14
of the congregation's outreach and witness.
5:17
And we do pray for your blessing in regard to all of these things.
5:21
We give thanks for the opportunity to do this.
5:24
And we pray that, Lord, that you would bring people to involve themselves and to offer themselves
5:32
as helpers in these various activities.
5:36
And we ask that those that we have contact with will actually come, Lord, to know of your love,
5:41
of your grace in the Lord Jesus Christ, and of the way in which in the gospel you bring
5:47
so many truths to bear upon us in our present lives.
5:52
We ask that you would continue, Lord, to bless the Smiths as they settle into their new location.
5:59
And as we anticipate Callum's induction, Lord, we pray that you would provide for this for us
6:06
and enable him, we pray, to settle into his ministry here in our midst.
6:13
We pray that you would bless the presbytery as once again we have an induction within the
6:18
bounds of the presbytery.
6:20
And we thank you for all that has come together, O Lord, to make this such a rich and exciting
6:26
anticipation on our part.
6:29
We pray that his ministry here will be greatly owned and blessed of the Holy Spirit.
6:34
We ask, O Lord, that you would graciously endow him with all that is necessary for him
6:40
to be our assistant.
6:42
And we ask at this time that his family too, wife and children, will be blessed as they settle
6:48
into a new environment, as the children adjust to a new school.
6:53
We ask, O Lord, that all of that will be smooth for them and that you would be pleased to grant
7:00
them your grace to that end.
7:03
We pray, too, for what we anticipate doing in the summer months.
7:07
We ask that you would bless our testimony as we seek to have buildings opened and explanations
7:14
given as to certain aspects of the testimony of our church.
7:18
And we pray that you would bless the provision that we make for breakfast for those, Lord,
7:24
who are unable to find a breakfast elsewhere on that morning.
7:30
We ask that you are our witness to them and all that we give out by way of leaflets or word
7:36
of mouth testimony will be blessed.
7:39
And we come to you, Lord, and ask that you would continue to prepare the way for us.
7:45
Remember the anticipated holiday club as well.
7:47
We ask that you would bless Fiona as she continues to arrange, along with those who help her, make
7:53
arrangements for that.
7:54
We pray for the children who have already indicated their intention to come.
7:58
And we ask, O Lord, that that will be blessed and that you'd be pleased to grant us a sign
8:04
of your own favor and comfort in regard to all of these matters.
8:08
We pray, O Lord, for those who tonight can't be with us, those of our number who are ill at this time,
8:16
especially those who are seriously ill.
8:18
We pray that you'd bless them, whether they be at home or in hospital.
8:22
And we ask, O Lord, that you would reach out to them, minister to them by your own spirit and
8:29
give them the comfort and the preparation they need.
8:33
And help them, Lord, we pray, as they look forward to better times.
8:40
We pray that you would grant blessing to them.
8:43
And to that end, we pray for those who mourn the passing of loved ones and have had mourning
8:51
in their experience, sometimes for many years.
8:54
And, Lord, we know that sometimes that pain, even if it be lessened, it is still very much with
9:00
those who grieve.
9:02
And we do commend them to you tonight.
9:05
And do ask, O Lord, that you would comfort them, that your Holy Spirit will comfort them.
9:09
You are the comforter, the one who draws alongside your people and who brings your own
9:16
great gift of grace to them.
9:18
And we ask that you would be pleased, Lord, to give calm and quiet hearts.
9:24
To those who are hurting at this time.
9:26
Bless, too, those who are struggling with their faith due to events in their own lives or
9:32
what they see in the world.
9:33
Gracious Lord, we commit them to you and ask that you would draw near to them, to draw them
9:38
to yourself.
9:40
We pray for those who have turned their back upon the church and ask that you would bless
9:45
them, O Lord, and bring them back again to the fellowship of your people, not only in
9:51
this congregation, but other congregations, too.
9:54
We realize, O Lord, that the past two years have had a devastating effect on many people.
10:01
And we pray that those who have been affected, especially spiritually or in their mental health,
10:07
will know your blessing at this time.
10:09
And reach out to them, we pray, also.
10:11
And minister grace to their hearts.
10:13
Remember us now, Lord, as we remain here in your presence.
10:18
And as we look into your word, once again, we pray that your Holy Spirit will take the
10:22
things of Christ and show them to us.
10:26
And in all of these things, Lord, accept our praise.
10:29
We have so much to give thanks for.
10:31
So many things that we receive from you by way of gifts of your grace from day to day.
10:36
Help us not to be neglectful, Lord, to give thanks even for the things that we have in
10:42
common that we take sometimes, Lord, for granted.
10:45
And we ask that you would continue to make us thankful and dependable upon yourself for
10:50
our daily lives.
10:52
So receive us now, we pray, and pardon our many sins.
10:55
For Jesus' sake.
10:56
Amen.
10:59
Once again, we're going to praise God.
11:00
This time we're praising God from Psalm 90.
11:02
Psalm 90, that's on the Scottish Psalter version, page 350.
11:11
We're singing from verse 11 as far as verse 14.
11:17
This psalm is a prayer of Moses.
11:20
That's in the book of Psalms.
11:21
That's the title that's given to it, a prayer of Moses, the man of God.
11:26
And throughout this prayer of Moses, he has been dealing with his thoughts.
11:32
He has been upon how short his own and human life is in comparison to God and how uncertain
11:39
life can be.
11:41
And yet he comes to pray here in these verses that God would be merciful and gracious to
11:47
us.
11:47
So verse 11.
11:49
Who knows the power of thy wrath?
11:51
According to thy fear, so is thy wrath.
11:53
Lord, teach thou us our end and mine to bear.
11:57
And so to count our days, that we our hearts may still apply, to learn thy wisdom and thy truth,
12:04
that we may live thereby.
12:05
Turn yet again to us, O Lord.
12:08
How long thus shall it be?
12:10
Let it repent thee now for those that servants are to thee.
12:13
O with thy tender mercies, Lord, us early satisfy.
12:18
So we rejoice shall all our days and still be glad in thee.
12:23
And may we think of our situation, not only in terms of our church needs and our personal
12:29
needs, also our national needs, as we realize how much in our ways we have departed from the
12:37
ways of the Lord and how we can appeal to him in prayer, even as we sing these words of
12:43
the psalm.
12:44
Turn yet again to us, O Lord.
12:47
How long thus shall it be?
12:49
So these verses 11 to 14, to God's praise.
12:52
Amen.
13:19
Amen.
13:20
Amen.
13:49
Amen.
14:19
Let it repent thee now for those last sermons are to thee.
14:37
O with thy tenderness, Jesus, Lord, how sternly satisfied.
14:53
So we rejoice, shall all our days, and still be had in thee.
15:14
Let's turn to read God's Word as we find that tonight in the book of Genesis.
15:19
The book of Genesis and chapter 6.
15:23
We're going to read from verse 9 of chapter 6 through to verse 5 of chapter 7.
15:34
So Genesis chapter 6, beginning at verse 5.
15:45
These are the generations of Noah.
15:48
Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation.
15:52
Noah walked with God, and Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
15:58
Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence.
16:03
And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
16:10
And God said to Noah, I have determined to make an end of all flesh,
16:14
for the earth is filled with violence through them.
16:17
Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
16:21
Make yourself an ark of gopher wood.
16:24
Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.
16:28
This is how you are to make it.
16:30
The length of the ark, 300 cubits.
16:33
Its breadth, 50 cubits.
16:35
And its height, 30 cubits.
16:37
Make a roof for the ark, and furnish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side.
16:44
Make it with lower, second, and third decks.
16:48
For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth,
16:51
to destroy all fresh in which is the breath of life under heaven.
16:56
Everything that is on the earth shall die.
16:59
But I will establish my covenant with you,
17:02
and you shall come into the ark, you and your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.
17:08
And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark,
17:12
to keep them alive with you.
17:15
They shall be male and female,
17:17
of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds.
17:22
Of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort,
17:27
shall come into you to keep them alive.
17:30
Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten and stored up.
17:35
It shall serve as food for you and for them.
17:39
Noah did this.
17:40
He did all that God commanded him.
17:43
Then the Lord said to Noah,
17:45
Go into the ark, you and all your household,
17:47
for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.
17:52
Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate,
17:56
and a pair of animals that are not clean, the male and his mate,
17:59
and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also,
18:02
male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth.
18:07
For in seven days I will send rain on the earth,
18:10
for forty days and forty nights,
18:13
and every living thing that I have made,
18:15
I will blot out from the face of the ground.
18:17
And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.
18:24
And so on may God come with His blessing to follow a reading of His Word.
18:30
We'll sing once again, this time in Psalm 11 on page 13.
18:35
And we're singing verses 3 to 7.
18:44
A psalm that, as you know, deals with the judgment of God
18:48
and the solemnities of God's judgment
18:52
and how the righteous will nevertheless find a place in His presence.
18:59
So Psalm 11 from verse 3,
19:01
If the foundations are destroyed and all around there is decay,
19:06
whatever can the righteous do surrounded by such disarray?
19:10
The Lord is in His holy place,
19:12
the Lord is on His heavenly throne,
19:15
His eyes observe the human race,
19:17
and in His sight each one is known.
19:21
And so on to the end of the Psalm from verse 4,
19:23
from verse 3,
19:25
if the foundations are destroyed.
19:28
If the foundations are destroyed,
19:42
and all around there is decay,
19:51
whatever come the righteous do,
20:02
surround it by such disarray.
20:11
The Lord is in His holy place,
20:22
the Lord is on His heavenly throne,
20:33
His eyes observe the human race,
20:43
and in His sight each one is known.
20:53
The Lord examines all the just,
21:03
the righteous ones in cruisant taste,
21:14
that all those who love wickedness
21:24
and violence is so detest.
21:34
Upon the wicked He will reign,
21:44
His highly gold and sulfur hot,
21:54
a scorching wind will beat on them,
22:04
such punishment will be their loss.
22:15
For God the Lord is righteous still,
22:25
In righteousness He takes delight,
22:34
and they alone will see His face,
22:45
through our in heart and life of Christ.
22:57
Please join with me to the New Testament,
23:00
to the letter to the Hebrews,
23:03
and chapter 11.
23:06
Hebrews chapter 11,
23:07
and tonight we're looking especially at verse 7,
23:14
which relates to the passage we read in Genesis.
23:18
Hebrews 11 at verse 7,
23:20
By faith Noah, being warned by God
23:22
concerning events as yet unseen,
23:25
in reverent fear,
23:26
constructed an ark
23:27
for the saving of his household.
23:30
By this he condemned the world
23:32
and became an heir
23:33
of the righteousness that comes by faith.
23:42
Well, for very good reason,
23:44
the major shipyards of the world
23:46
have always been set near to the sea
23:50
or else on the banks of a great river,
23:53
such as the River Clyde
23:55
in our own country,
23:56
which was famous at one time
23:58
for its shipbuilding
23:59
and the quality of its shipbuilding.
24:01
That's because, of course,
24:03
when a ship needs to be launched,
24:05
it requires a great deal of water
24:10
to be nearby
24:10
into which it can be launched.
24:14
But just imagine
24:15
what you would think or say
24:16
if you saw somebody
24:18
beginning to build
24:20
a large ship
24:21
out beside the hill
24:23
Moornack,
24:24
miles and miles
24:25
away from the shore
24:28
and out in the middle
24:29
of the moorland.
24:32
And imagine the media reports.
24:34
If somebody went to start
24:35
that kind of project,
24:37
you can imagine the media
24:38
taking an interest
24:39
and going to actually interview
24:41
the man who had started
24:42
what looked like
24:44
this silly project,
24:46
building a huge ship
24:47
so far from the sea.
24:48
And imagine how the media
24:50
would report that,
24:52
especially during the interview
24:54
if they asked him,
24:55
why are you doing this?
24:57
And he replied,
24:58
well, because God told me.
25:00
Just imagine what the headlines
25:02
would actually then be.
25:05
But that's what it was like
25:06
for Noah.
25:08
God told him to build
25:09
this massive ark
25:11
out of wood
25:12
that would contain
25:14
himself and his family
25:15
and all the animals
25:16
that God had commanded
25:18
him to take into the ark
25:20
to keep alive
25:21
during the flood
25:22
that God was going to bring
25:23
on the earth.
25:25
Just like the man
25:26
out at Moornack,
25:28
Noah would have been regarded
25:29
by many of his generation
25:30
as something of a crank,
25:34
something,
25:35
someone who was just
25:36
involved in doing
25:38
a work that was just bizarre.
25:41
Why would he do such a thing?
25:43
What was behind such a project?
25:44
How could he possibly
25:46
really be serious
25:48
in what he was doing?
25:51
And this is, of course,
25:53
one of the things
25:53
the Bible tells us
25:54
about Noah,
25:55
that it was by faith
25:57
that he actually built
25:59
this ark.
26:00
By faith,
26:01
Noah being warned
26:02
by God concerning events
26:04
as yet unseen
26:05
in reverent fear
26:07
constructed an ark
26:08
for the saving
26:09
of his household.
26:11
So let's ask the question,
26:12
first of all,
26:13
what induced Noah
26:15
to build this ark?
26:18
And then the second question
26:19
is what was the outcome
26:20
of his building
26:22
of the ark?
26:23
And we're told that
26:24
in the next part of the verse,
26:26
by this he condemned
26:27
the world
26:28
and became an heir
26:29
of the righteousness
26:30
that comes by faith.
26:32
So it's a two-fold outcome
26:34
because side by side
26:35
you've got salvation
26:36
for himself
26:37
and for his family
26:38
and you've also got
26:40
destruction
26:41
for the rest of life
26:43
on earth.
26:45
What induced Noah
26:46
to build the ark?
26:48
What was he thinking?
26:49
Can we get access
26:50
to his thoughts?
26:52
Can we get access
26:52
to his mind?
26:53
Yes, we can
26:54
because the Bible
26:55
actually tells us
26:56
how it was
26:57
that he came to do this.
26:58
And we're told here
26:59
in this verse
27:00
that it was first of all
27:01
because he was warned
27:03
by God
27:04
that he actually set
27:05
about doing
27:06
this great project.
27:08
He was warned
27:09
by God.
27:11
He had a warning
27:12
from God.
27:13
It wasn't just
27:13
a mere statement
27:14
from God.
27:15
We're told here
27:16
that was actually
27:16
a warning.
27:18
You might say
27:18
it was something like
27:20
what you find
27:20
ahead of tsunamis
27:22
nowadays.
27:23
The tsunami,
27:24
of course,
27:24
being massively destructive
27:26
most of the time
27:27
as we've seen,
27:28
sadly,
27:29
even during the course
27:30
of our own lifetime.
27:32
We've seen tsunamis
27:33
in places of the world
27:34
and some places
27:35
that have caused
27:35
massive loss of life
27:37
and destruction.
27:38
And there's nowadays
27:39
a warning given
27:40
in these places
27:40
that are prone
27:41
to tsunamis.
27:42
There's an alarm
27:43
throughout the cities
27:45
or towns
27:45
of an approaching tsunami.
27:48
So,
27:48
this was really
27:49
for Noah
27:50
equivalent
27:51
to advance warning
27:52
of this disaster
27:54
that was coming
27:55
on the world.
27:57
God actually
27:57
sent him a warning.
27:59
God told him
28:00
what was going
28:01
to take place
28:01
and God instructed him
28:03
how he was
28:03
to make preparation
28:04
for this solemn event.
28:07
That's what induced him
28:08
to build this ark.
28:13
And it wasn't just
28:13
a warning of any kind,
28:15
it was a warning
28:16
from God himself.
28:18
By faith,
28:19
Noah,
28:19
being warned by God,
28:22
built this ark.
28:24
He took it
28:25
at face value.
28:28
He didn't say
28:29
about it
28:30
that it was something
28:30
that he didn't really
28:32
need to be serious about
28:33
or treat seriously.
28:35
As far as he was concerned,
28:37
it was from God himself.
28:39
Not only did he have it
28:40
for his own benefit,
28:42
but we're told
28:42
in 2 Peter
28:43
about Noah
28:45
being a preacher
28:46
of righteousness.
28:47
2 Peter 2,
28:49
verse 5,
28:50
that's how
28:50
he is described
28:52
as a preacher there
28:53
of righteousness.
28:56
And as he lived
28:57
in his generation,
28:59
his preaching
28:59
of righteousness
29:00
would, of course,
29:01
take account
29:02
of the fact
29:02
that God
29:03
had actually foretold him
29:05
of this coming flood
29:07
that was going
29:07
to destroy life
29:08
on earth.
29:09
And so his preaching
29:10
of righteousness
29:11
would have been preaching
29:13
in relation to
29:14
that great disaster
29:15
that was coming,
29:17
imploring and appealing
29:18
to his contemporaries
29:20
to make preparation
29:21
for this
29:22
and to treat God's warning
29:24
with the utmost seriousness.
29:27
He believed it,
29:28
he preached it,
29:29
and that's what
29:30
we also have
29:31
because in 2 Peter,
29:33
it's interesting how
29:33
in 2 Peter,
29:35
we didn't read that,
29:36
we read the account
29:37
of Genesis,
29:38
of course,
29:38
but in 2 Peter,
29:39
chapter 3,
29:41
verses 3 to 7,
29:43
you have something
29:44
that really applies
29:45
these times of Noah,
29:47
this warning
29:48
that Noah was given
29:49
because he says
29:51
that I'm writing
29:53
this to you,
29:53
beloved,
29:54
stirring up your sincere
29:55
mind by way
29:57
of reminder
29:57
that you should
29:58
remember the predictions
30:00
of the holy prophets
30:01
and the commandments
30:02
of the Lord and Savior
30:03
through your apostles,
30:04
knowing this,
30:05
first of all,
30:06
that scoffers will come
30:07
in the last days
30:09
with scoffing,
30:10
following their own
30:11
sinful desires.
30:12
They will say,
30:14
where is the promise
30:15
of his coming?
30:16
For ever since
30:17
the fathers fell asleep,
30:19
all things are continuing
30:20
as they were
30:21
from the beginning
30:22
of creation.
30:23
And then he says this,
30:24
for they deliberately
30:25
overlook this fact
30:27
that the heavens
30:28
existed long ago
30:30
and the earth
30:31
was formed out of water
30:32
and through water
30:33
by the word of God,
30:35
and that by means
30:36
of these,
30:37
the world that then was
30:38
was deluged with water
30:40
and perished.
30:42
By the same word,
30:44
the word of God,
30:45
the heavens and earth
30:46
are now in existence,
30:48
stored up,
30:49
being kept
30:51
until the day of judgment
30:52
and the destruction
30:54
of the ungodly.
30:55
You see the parallel
30:56
that Peter is drawing
30:57
between what happened
30:58
in the days of Noah
30:59
and the warning that came
31:01
in the days of Noah
31:02
and what's now given to us
31:03
through the gospel.
31:05
This is our tsunami alert.
31:08
This is God
31:08
through the gospel saying,
31:10
as surely as it happened
31:11
in the days of Noah,
31:12
so it's going to happen
31:13
at the end of the world.
31:15
This is actually
31:16
what lies await
31:17
in the history
31:19
of mankind.
31:22
And we have
31:22
the application
31:23
of that also
31:24
in 2 Peter
31:26
because he doesn't
31:28
leave it at just
31:29
saying that
31:30
this is what is going
31:31
to happen
31:31
in chapter 3 again
31:33
and verses 11
31:35
and 14 and 15.
31:37
He then draws
31:38
the lessons
31:38
for that for us.
31:40
This is what he's saying,
31:41
since all these things
31:42
are thus to be dissolved,
31:44
what sort of people
31:46
ought you to be
31:47
in lives of holiness
31:49
and godliness,
31:51
waiting for
31:52
and hastening
31:53
the coming
31:53
of the day of God
31:54
because of which
31:56
the elements,
31:57
the heavens,
31:57
will be set on fire
31:58
and dissolved
32:00
and the heavenly bodies
32:01
will melt
32:02
as they burn.
32:03
But we,
32:04
according to his promise,
32:05
are waiting
32:06
for new heavens
32:07
and a new earth
32:08
in which righteousness
32:10
dwells.
32:11
And then he went on
32:13
to apply it further,
32:14
therefore, beloved,
32:15
since you are waiting
32:16
for these,
32:18
be diligent
32:18
to be found by him
32:20
without spot
32:21
or blemish
32:21
and at peace
32:23
and count
32:23
the patience
32:25
of the Lord.
32:26
In other words,
32:27
the way in which God
32:28
has not yet come
32:30
in his judgment
32:31
is due to the patience
32:33
of the Lord
32:33
and he says,
32:34
count
32:35
or account
32:36
the patience
32:36
of the Lord
32:37
as salvation
32:39
as our beloved
32:40
brother Paul
32:41
also wrote
32:42
to you.
32:45
What is Peter
32:46
saying there?
32:46
He's saying,
32:48
if you actually
32:49
dismiss what happened
32:50
in the days of Noah
32:51
as just myth
32:52
or just imagination
32:54
or something
32:55
that was fine
32:56
for previous generations
32:57
who didn't really
32:58
understand the world
32:59
as we know it,
33:01
then you're really
33:01
committing
33:02
a very,
33:03
very serious error
33:04
because he's saying
33:06
there's a parallel
33:07
between what happened
33:08
in the days
33:09
of Noah
33:09
and what's going
33:10
to happen
33:10
at the end
33:12
of this world.
33:14
The judgment
33:15
of God
33:16
will bring
33:17
the destruction
33:19
that's parallel
33:20
to what happened
33:22
in the days
33:22
of Noah.
33:24
We have
33:25
a tsunami warning.
33:29
The gospel
33:29
is saying to us
33:30
there is
33:31
a disaster
33:32
coming.
33:34
There is
33:35
an end coming
33:35
to the creation
33:37
as we know it.
33:38
And tonight
33:40
that warning,
33:42
that alarm
33:42
is being sounded
33:43
in the preaching
33:44
of the gospel,
33:45
in the reading
33:46
of our Bibles.
33:48
But you see,
33:48
it's not just
33:49
that he received
33:50
a warning from God,
33:51
it was actually
33:52
a warning
33:53
concerning events
33:55
yet unseen.
33:57
You see,
33:58
when a tsunami
33:58
alarm goes off,
34:00
those that are actually
34:01
in that vicinity
34:02
can't really see
34:03
anything different
34:04
to what they saw
34:05
the previous day
34:06
or the previous
34:07
few hours.
34:08
Because the tsunami
34:09
warning is based
34:10
on those who are
34:11
monitoring these
34:12
situations,
34:13
very often from
34:14
a distance,
34:14
and it may still
34:15
be very far
34:16
out at sea,
34:17
and you can't see
34:18
it with the naked
34:18
eye.
34:19
When the alarm
34:20
goes off,
34:20
you look around
34:21
you and say,
34:21
well,
34:22
what's changed?
34:23
Things are just
34:23
going on as they
34:24
were.
34:25
And this is what
34:26
the Bible is
34:26
actually telling us
34:27
about the judgment
34:28
of God as well,
34:29
building on what
34:30
happened in the
34:31
days of Noah
34:32
and Noah's
34:33
experience by faith,
34:34
being warned by
34:36
God concerning
34:37
events as yet
34:38
unseen.
34:40
Everything seems
34:41
normal.
34:42
There isn't any
34:42
sign of any
34:43
coming judgment.
34:45
But the people
34:46
of God know
34:46
that the Bible
34:48
doesn't lie,
34:50
that God
34:50
doesn't lie,
34:51
and that Bible
34:52
tonight is
34:53
our alarm.
34:55
And however much
34:56
people may not
34:57
believe that it's
34:58
coming,
34:59
that's not going
35:00
to stop it.
35:02
Not believing
35:03
the Word of God
35:04
is not going
35:05
to change
35:05
God's intentions.
35:07
It's not going
35:08
to alter
35:08
God's purpose.
35:11
And all the time
35:12
that the world
35:12
continues,
35:14
this final disaster
35:16
is gathering
35:16
pace.
35:18
Every day that
35:19
goes by
35:19
is a day nearer.
35:21
We don't know
35:21
how long it will
35:22
be.
35:22
The Bible doesn't
35:23
tell us when
35:24
the day of judgment
35:24
will come.
35:25
It doesn't tell us
35:26
how many years
35:27
we have to go
35:27
in the history
35:28
of the world
35:29
before the Lord
35:29
comes back,
35:30
before this great
35:32
disaster comes,
35:33
when the earth
35:34
and all that's in it
35:34
will be dissolved
35:36
and will disappear
35:37
and will come under
35:38
the fire of God's
35:39
judgment to be
35:41
replaced by a new
35:43
heavens and a new
35:44
earth in which
35:45
righteousness dwells.
35:47
But the Bible
35:48
is our alarm call.
35:50
It's gathering
35:51
pace meantime,
35:52
and it will burst
35:53
upon the world
35:54
as Jesus Himself
35:55
preached in His day.
35:58
with regard to
35:59
the coming
36:00
judgment of God.
36:02
So you have
36:03
the advantage
36:04
tonight,
36:04
and I have the
36:05
advantage of a
36:06
Bible.
36:07
You have the
36:08
advantage of
36:08
belonging to a
36:09
church that
36:10
believes the
36:11
Bible.
36:12
You have the
36:12
advantage of the
36:13
gospel being
36:14
preached,
36:15
where the Bible's
36:15
teaching is set out
36:17
for us as best we
36:18
can,
36:19
and seeking that
36:19
God will apply it
36:21
to our own hearts
36:21
and to yours as
36:22
well.
36:23
That Bible is
36:24
telling me tonight
36:25
what kind of person
36:26
you ought to be
36:27
knowing that this
36:29
is actually coming.
36:30
Know that you're
36:31
going to actually
36:31
face God in His
36:32
judgment whenever
36:33
it will come.
36:36
So it was
36:37
induced by having
36:39
received a warning
36:40
from God,
36:41
and it was about
36:43
things not yet
36:44
seen.
36:45
That's how it is
36:45
exactly for
36:47
ourselves tonight.
36:48
We can't see
36:49
the judgment.
36:51
Still, as far as
36:52
we're concerned,
36:53
far off.
36:54
But what God is
36:56
saying is,
36:56
it's real,
36:58
and it will
36:59
come in my
37:00
time.
37:01
And meantime,
37:02
I've left you
37:02
a window of
37:04
opportunity,
37:05
a day of
37:06
grace.
37:07
I've left it in
37:08
my patience,
37:09
God is saying,
37:11
in my concern
37:12
that sinners
37:14
will be saved
37:15
and not
37:16
destroyed.
37:17
And that
37:18
brings us,
37:19
thirdly,
37:19
to see that
37:20
what induced
37:21
him was he
37:22
received a
37:22
warning,
37:22
and he
37:23
received a
37:23
warning from
37:24
God of
37:25
things yet
37:25
not seen,
37:26
but he
37:27
acted by
37:28
faith.
37:28
Now, of course,
37:29
this great
37:30
chapter is a
37:30
chapter that
37:31
lists all
37:32
those who
37:33
lived by
37:33
faith and
37:34
all those who
37:35
did things
37:36
by faith.
37:38
He saw and
37:39
believed God's
37:40
Word and
37:41
God's warning,
37:43
and he took
37:44
specific action
37:45
in regard to
37:47
that warning.
37:48
Now, we have
37:48
a Bible, as we
37:49
said, and
37:50
in faith,
37:51
the faith of
37:52
God's people,
37:53
the faith that
37:53
we exercise as
37:55
we trust in
37:55
God, as we
37:56
use His Word,
37:58
is a faith that
37:59
responds in
38:01
a certain way to
38:03
each of the
38:04
elements of
38:04
God's Word.
38:06
And the best
38:06
definition of
38:07
that is in
38:08
Westminster
38:08
Confession of
38:09
Faith, where
38:11
you find this
38:12
actually said,
38:13
by this faith,
38:15
a Christian
38:15
believes to be
38:16
true whatever
38:17
is revealed in
38:19
the Word.
38:19
Now, that's the
38:21
first thing.
38:22
A Christian
38:22
believes to be
38:23
true whatever
38:24
is revealed in
38:26
the Word, because
38:27
it's God's Word.
38:28
It goes on to
38:28
say, for the
38:30
authority of
38:31
God Himself
38:32
speaking therein.
38:34
And this faith
38:35
acts differently
38:36
upon that which
38:38
each particular
38:39
passage thereof
38:40
contains,
38:42
yielding obedience
38:43
to the commands,
38:45
trembling at the
38:46
threatenings,
38:46
and embracing
38:48
the promises
38:48
of God for
38:49
this life and
38:51
for that which
38:51
is to come.
38:52
And what is that
38:52
saying to us?
38:54
It's saying when
38:54
we believe in
38:55
God, when we
38:56
trust in God,
38:57
when our faith
38:57
is the faith the
38:58
Bible calls upon
38:59
us to exercise,
39:01
then, in relation
39:02
to the different
39:03
aspects of God's
39:04
Word, that faith
39:05
acts.
39:06
So that when that
39:07
faith comes to
39:09
the commands of
39:10
God, it gives
39:11
obedience.
39:13
When that faith
39:14
comes to be
39:15
confronted with
39:16
the threatenings
39:17
of God, such
39:18
as in the
39:19
warnings of the
39:19
final judgment,
39:21
well, that faith
39:22
trembles at the
39:23
threatenings.
39:25
It's not a
39:25
trembling, as we'll
39:27
see with Noah,
39:28
it's not a
39:28
trembling in
39:30
anticipation of
39:31
not being saved.
39:33
It's the
39:34
trembling of
39:35
realizing that
39:36
this Word is
39:37
real and that
39:38
God is real.
39:40
And when it
39:40
comes to the
39:41
promises of
39:42
God for this
39:43
life and for
39:43
that which is
39:44
to come,
39:45
the faith of
39:46
God's people
39:46
reacts specifically
39:48
by embracing
39:49
these promises.
39:52
And you can
39:53
ask yourself,
39:53
as I need to
39:54
ask myself,
39:55
as you read
39:56
your Bible,
39:57
how do you
39:58
find your
39:59
mind, your
40:00
soul reacting
40:01
to the
40:02
different elements
40:03
of God's
40:03
truth?
40:05
What is your
40:05
response as you
40:06
come across the
40:07
commands of
40:08
God?
40:09
What is your
40:09
response as you
40:10
meet with the
40:11
threatenings of
40:12
God, with the
40:13
solemn announcements
40:14
of God's
40:15
coming judgment?
40:16
What does that
40:17
do for you in
40:18
your heart?
40:19
And when you
40:20
come across the
40:20
promises of
40:21
God, the
40:22
promises that
40:23
are addressed to
40:24
us in terms of
40:24
God's own
40:25
saving grace,
40:28
how much do we
40:28
value and
40:29
appreciate and
40:30
live by, and
40:32
as the
40:32
confession put it,
40:33
embrace these
40:34
promises?
40:36
He was
40:37
induced by
40:38
having a
40:38
warning from
40:39
God of
40:40
events as
40:41
yet unseen.
40:41
He moved
40:43
by faith,
40:44
believing what
40:45
God had said
40:45
to him,
40:46
trusting in
40:47
the Word of
40:47
God.
40:48
But then you
40:49
notice this,
40:50
in reverent
40:51
fear, he
40:53
constructed an
40:54
ark.
40:54
This is a very
40:54
detailed verse,
40:56
and all these
40:56
elements in this
40:57
verse are
40:58
important.
40:59
It's not just
40:59
saying that Noah
41:00
believed the
41:01
Word of God.
41:03
It's not just
41:03
saying that he
41:04
believed what
41:05
God was
41:05
threatening to
41:06
bring and
41:06
would bring.
41:08
It's not just
41:08
saying to us
41:09
that he did
41:10
this by faith.
41:12
He did this
41:13
by a faith
41:14
which included,
41:15
as we said,
41:16
from the
41:16
confession of
41:17
faith,
41:18
trembling at
41:19
the threatenings
41:20
of God.
41:20
It calls it
41:21
here reverent
41:22
fear.
41:23
Now you know
41:24
yourselves that
41:24
the Word of
41:25
God in many
41:26
places talks
41:27
about the
41:27
fear of God.
41:29
You go to
41:29
the book of
41:30
Proverbs and
41:31
throughout the
41:31
book of Psalms
41:32
especially, you
41:33
find the fear
41:34
of God very
41:35
often mentioned.
41:37
The fear of
41:38
God is
41:38
something that
41:39
takes place in
41:40
our hearts, in
41:41
our lives, in
41:41
our minds, and
41:43
it is to do
41:44
with how we
41:45
respond to
41:47
what God has
41:47
revealed of
41:48
Himself.
41:49
And the fear
41:50
of God is
41:51
not to do
41:52
with being
41:52
terrified.
41:54
It's not a
41:54
slavish fear.
41:56
It's not a
41:57
fear that
41:57
cringes in
41:59
response to
42:00
what God has
42:00
revealed.
42:01
It's rather
42:02
fear in the
42:04
sense of
42:04
love,
42:06
awe,
42:06
respect,
42:07
respect for
42:08
what God
42:09
has revealed
42:09
and who
42:10
God is.
42:12
And if we
42:12
are marked
42:14
by the fear
42:15
of God,
42:16
obviously that
42:16
will include
42:17
godliness in
42:18
our character
42:19
and behavior,
42:20
but it will
42:21
also mean that
42:22
everything God
42:23
has revealed,
42:24
we give utter
42:24
respect to.
42:26
We live in
42:27
awe of this
42:28
God and His
42:29
greatness.
42:30
we take on
42:32
board all
42:33
that the
42:33
Bible tells
42:34
us about
42:34
His
42:35
attributes,
42:36
whether we
42:37
think of
42:37
His power,
42:41
His grace,
42:42
His love,
42:42
His mercy,
42:43
His judgment,
42:44
His anger,
42:45
whatever else.
42:46
The fear of
42:47
God is what
42:49
takes these
42:49
seriously and
42:50
respects God
42:52
for who He
42:53
is.
42:54
And that fear
42:55
of God,
42:56
in the book
42:56
of Proverbs,
42:57
there are a
42:57
number of
42:58
verses that
42:58
tell us
42:59
the fear
43:00
of God
43:00
is the
43:01
beginning
43:01
of wisdom.
43:04
Beginning there
43:04
means the
43:06
foundational element
43:07
of wisdom.
43:08
Remember in
43:09
Psalm 90
43:09
where we
43:10
sang these
43:11
words of
43:12
the prayer
43:13
of Moses,
43:13
the man of
43:14
God,
43:15
teach us
43:15
to number
43:16
our days
43:17
so that
43:18
we may
43:19
apply our
43:20
hearts
43:20
to wisdom.
43:23
There is
43:23
Moses himself
43:24
thinking of
43:25
the awesomeness
43:26
of God,
43:27
the majesty,
43:28
the greatness
43:29
of God,
43:30
something which
43:30
our world has
43:31
so much forgotten
43:32
or doesn't
43:32
want to know
43:33
about.
43:35
But there is
43:36
Moses,
43:37
through this
43:37
great song,
43:38
teaching his
43:39
own people
43:39
and praying
43:41
to God
43:41
to help
43:43
them to
43:43
number their
43:44
days.
43:44
In other
43:45
words,
43:45
to take
43:46
account of
43:47
the brevity
43:47
of life
43:48
as against
43:49
the longevity
43:50
and eternalness
43:52
of God
43:52
himself.
43:53
And taking
43:54
account of
43:54
the brevity
43:55
of life,
43:55
Moses is saying,
43:56
is really
43:57
to turn
43:58
your heart
43:58
to wisdom,
43:59
to be
44:00
wise unto
44:00
salvation,
44:01
to treat
44:02
the things
44:02
that God
44:03
has revealed
44:04
of himself
44:04
with the
44:05
utmost seriousness.
44:06
And when he
44:07
talks about
44:07
the coming
44:08
judgment,
44:09
that has
44:09
to have
44:09
its own
44:10
place
44:10
in the
44:11
elements
44:12
that we
44:12
believe
44:13
and respond
44:14
to.
44:15
And of
44:15
course,
44:16
there is so
44:16
much gain
44:17
mentioned
44:18
in the
44:18
likes of
44:18
Psalms
44:19
and in
44:20
the book
44:20
of Proverbs
44:20
as these
44:22
two books
44:22
mention this
44:23
fear of
44:24
God so
44:24
often,
44:25
the fear
44:26
of God
44:26
and the
44:27
knowledge
44:27
of God
44:28
doesn't just
44:29
make a person
44:30
wise and
44:32
is foundational
44:32
to their
44:33
wisdom,
44:34
it brings
44:34
many other
44:35
benefits too,
44:36
of course,
44:37
because it's
44:37
attached to
44:38
God's blessing.
44:40
The fear
44:41
of God
44:41
is the
44:41
respect,
44:42
the awe
44:43
with which
44:44
we respond
44:44
to God
44:45
and God
44:46
himself has
44:46
promised
44:47
that those
44:48
who live
44:48
like that
44:49
will experience
44:50
many blessings
44:51
from his
44:52
hand.
44:54
And then
44:55
the final
44:55
thing is
44:56
in this
44:56
part of
44:56
the verse
44:57
being warned
44:58
by God
44:59
concerning
45:00
events as
45:00
yet unseen
45:01
in reverent
45:02
fear,
45:03
he constructed
45:04
an ark
45:05
for the
45:06
saving
45:06
of his
45:07
household.
45:09
Now,
45:09
that's an
45:10
important
45:10
detail
45:10
because it
45:13
leaves us
45:13
without any
45:14
excuse if we
45:14
haven't acted
45:15
upon what
45:17
God is
45:17
actually saying
45:18
to us
45:18
or has
45:19
been showing
45:20
us in
45:20
his word.
45:21
If we
45:22
haven't
45:22
actually
45:22
turned out
45:23
hearts to
45:24
wisdom because
45:24
all the way
45:25
through this
45:26
list of
45:26
people who
45:27
live by
45:27
faith,
45:28
you will
45:28
always find
45:29
something that
45:30
they did
45:30
by faith,
45:32
something that
45:33
their faith
45:33
led them
45:34
to do.
45:35
The action
45:36
of faith
45:37
was to
45:37
actually bring
45:38
them to
45:39
do something
45:40
in relation
45:40
to what
45:41
God himself
45:42
required.
45:43
And as
45:43
far as
45:43
Noah was
45:44
concerned,
45:44
in the
45:45
case of
45:45
Noah,
45:46
he constructed
45:47
an ark.
45:48
In other
45:49
words,
45:49
faith is
45:50
always tied
45:51
and attached
45:52
to something
45:53
practical in
45:55
the Christian
45:55
life.
45:57
Faith is
45:57
itself a
45:58
believing and
45:59
a trusting in
46:00
God, but it
46:01
is never
46:01
detached from
46:03
the works that
46:04
God requires
46:05
of his people.
46:06
You find that
46:06
in James,
46:07
James chapter
46:08
2 especially,
46:10
where you find
46:11
an emphasis on
46:12
faith attached
46:13
to certain
46:14
works that show
46:15
and demonstrate
46:16
faith itself
46:17
to be real
46:18
and that show
46:20
the people
46:20
of faith
46:21
to be the
46:22
kind of
46:22
people that
46:23
God himself
46:24
has brought
46:25
to know
46:26
himself.
46:27
So here is
46:28
he built
46:29
an ark,
46:30
he constructed
46:31
an ark.
46:32
Faith
46:33
always has
46:35
attendant
46:35
action or
46:36
consequent
46:37
action
46:38
wherever that
46:39
faith is.
46:41
And that's
46:42
true of every
46:43
Christian here.
46:44
Everybody here
46:45
tonight who
46:46
trusts in
46:46
God, that
46:48
faith by
46:49
which you
46:49
relate to
46:51
God and
46:51
which you
46:52
are united
46:52
to God,
46:53
that faith
46:55
in some way
46:56
or other is
46:56
put into
46:57
action in
46:57
your life.
46:59
None of us
46:59
is perfect.
47:01
There are
47:01
many things
47:02
we leave
47:02
undone that
47:03
we should
47:03
have done,
47:04
many things
47:05
we do
47:05
that we
47:06
shouldn't
47:06
have done.
47:07
We pray
47:08
God's
47:08
forgiveness
47:09
in regard
47:10
to the
47:10
imperfections
47:11
of our
47:11
lives.
47:12
And
47:12
nevertheless,
47:13
we acknowledge
47:14
the fact
47:15
and we
47:15
want to
47:15
follow through
47:16
on this,
47:17
that faith
47:17
is always
47:19
attached to
47:19
works.
47:20
There will
47:21
be something
47:21
practical in
47:22
your life
47:23
that you
47:23
do on a
47:24
regular basis
47:25
that shows
47:26
you're a
47:26
Christian,
47:28
even coming
47:28
to church,
47:30
being with
47:31
the Lord's
47:31
people in
47:31
worship,
47:33
reaching out
47:34
to people
47:35
in their
47:35
need,
47:36
praying for
47:37
people even
47:38
if they don't
47:38
see you
47:39
doing it.
47:40
But these
47:40
are the
47:41
actings of
47:41
faith,
47:43
the actings
47:43
by which
47:44
faith shows
47:45
itself to
47:46
be from
47:46
God and
47:47
attached to
47:48
the benefits
47:48
that God
47:49
brings to
47:50
you in
47:51
your life.
47:52
You remember
47:53
the account
47:54
we have in
47:55
Luke chapter
47:55
15 of
47:57
the son,
47:58
the son
47:59
that's usually
47:59
called the
47:59
prodigal
48:00
son.
48:01
You remember
48:02
how the
48:03
detail of it
48:03
includes that
48:04
he left
48:04
home,
48:05
he wanted
48:06
everything that
48:06
was going to
48:07
fall to him
48:08
after his
48:08
father's death,
48:09
couldn't wait
48:10
for that,
48:10
so he wanted
48:11
that straight
48:11
away and he
48:12
took it all,
48:12
the father gave
48:13
it to him,
48:14
off he went
48:14
with it.
48:16
And of course
48:16
you know the
48:17
account you have
48:17
there very well,
48:19
he began then to
48:20
squander all that
48:22
he had taken from
48:22
home and then it
48:24
all too soon ran
48:25
out.
48:26
And so he joined
48:27
himself to a
48:28
citizen of that
48:29
far country and
48:31
he had the most
48:31
menial task of
48:32
looking after pigs,
48:34
feeding them,
48:35
he didn't have
48:36
anything by way
48:37
of sustenance,
48:38
so sometimes he was
48:39
forced to eat the
48:41
same food that pigs
48:41
were eating.
48:43
One day he was
48:44
there in his
48:45
abject poverty
48:47
and he said,
48:50
how many servants
48:52
of my father
48:53
have bread enough
48:55
and to spare
48:56
and here I am
48:58
perishing with
48:59
hunger.
48:59
I will arise,
49:01
I'll get up from
49:01
this place and I'll
49:03
go back to my
49:04
father.
49:06
But then you see,
49:07
you read,
49:08
and he arose
49:10
and he came to
49:12
his father.
49:14
It wasn't just
49:15
something that
49:16
happened in his
49:16
mind.
49:17
It wasn't just a
49:18
resolution on its
49:19
own that he never
49:20
acted out.
49:21
It wasn't something
49:22
that he came by way
49:23
of a conviction of
49:24
something he ought
49:25
to do.
49:26
It was something he
49:27
thought upon doing
49:28
and then immediately
49:29
he said about doing
49:30
it.
49:31
And that's the same
49:32
as God is saying to
49:34
you and to me
49:34
tonight.
49:35
Don't just think
49:36
about being a
49:37
Christian.
49:37
Don't just think
49:38
about being saved.
49:40
Don't just desire it
49:41
for yourself.
49:42
Good all the desire
49:43
is if you're not
49:44
here saved tonight,
49:45
if you're not in
49:46
Christ, if you haven't
49:47
yet accepted the
49:48
Savior as your
49:49
Savior, don't just
49:51
leave it at thinking
49:51
about it.
49:52
Because this passage
49:53
is saying to us,
49:53
this verse is saying
49:54
to us, that actually
49:56
Noah by faith
49:58
constructed an ark.
49:59
Have you constructed
50:01
your ark?
50:02
Have you taken all
50:03
the thoughts,
50:04
all the concerns,
50:07
that the Bible
50:07
has itself placed
50:09
in your heart,
50:10
all the desires
50:10
that you have there,
50:12
the kind of life
50:12
that God requires
50:13
of you?
50:14
Have you taken all
50:15
of that, believing
50:17
that this is God
50:17
speaking to you
50:18
through his word,
50:19
and actually taken
50:20
that and put it
50:21
into practice?
50:23
Have you accepted
50:24
Christ?
50:24
Have you received
50:25
the Christ that's
50:27
offered in the
50:27
gospel?
50:28
Have you closed
50:29
in with Jesus
50:30
as he offers to you
50:32
the safety in advance
50:34
of this coming
50:35
disaster of the
50:36
judgment?
50:37
These are the
50:39
questions, you see,
50:39
that come practically
50:41
to mind as I put
50:42
this to myself
50:43
and in preaching
50:44
it as I put it
50:44
to you.
50:46
Because that's
50:46
really the kind
50:47
of thing that we
50:49
ought to be thinking
50:50
even now.
50:52
Where am I in
50:52
relation to this?
50:54
What have I done
50:55
with the advantage
50:56
that I've got
50:57
in the gospel?
50:58
How long will God
50:59
have to wait for me
51:01
to respond positively
51:03
and believingly
51:04
and thankfully
51:04
and gratefully
51:06
for the Savior
51:06
that's offered to me
51:07
in the gospel?
51:11
You heard the
51:12
warning sign
51:13
many times.
51:15
It's still blaring
51:16
out in our ears.
51:18
Every time we come
51:19
to the Bible,
51:20
every time we come
51:21
to the gospel,
51:22
God has lovingly
51:23
and patiently
51:24
set this for us
51:27
in our lives
51:27
so that we could
51:28
hear this warning
51:30
and respond in time.
51:35
Will this be the
51:36
last time you
51:37
heard the warning?
51:40
Don't persuade
51:40
yourself that
51:42
because you heard
51:42
it many times
51:43
that you'll hear
51:44
it again tomorrow.
51:47
And many people
51:48
in this world
51:50
today will not
51:51
be in this world
51:51
tomorrow.
51:53
They may not even
51:54
be in this world
51:54
tonight
51:55
because their
51:57
life will end
51:58
and they will
52:00
enter eternity
52:00
and they will
52:02
need to face
52:03
God and give
52:03
an account to
52:04
God of what
52:06
they have done
52:06
with his life.
52:08
Don't waste it.
52:10
Don't delay
52:11
over these matters.
52:13
Be serious
52:14
about your
52:15
relationship
52:15
with God.
52:17
And just like
52:18
Noah,
52:19
when you hear
52:20
the tsunami
52:20
warning sign,
52:22
the alarm
52:22
has gone off
52:23
as you're
52:24
hearing it
52:24
again tonight.
52:26
In reverent
52:27
fear,
52:29
taking it
52:29
seriously,
52:30
close in
52:31
with Christ,
52:33
receive the
52:34
Savior,
52:36
as he's
52:36
offered in
52:36
the gospel
52:37
before,
52:38
for you or
52:39
for me,
52:39
it'll be too
52:40
late.
52:42
So that's
52:42
what induced
52:43
Noah to
52:43
build the ark.
52:45
And more
52:45
briefly,
52:46
what was the
52:46
outcome of
52:47
his building
52:48
the ark?
52:48
Well,
52:48
we're told,
52:49
by this he
52:50
condemned the
52:51
world and
52:51
became an heir
52:52
of the
52:52
righteousness
52:53
that comes
52:54
by faith.
52:56
The two
52:56
things are
52:56
related there.
52:58
He condemned
52:58
the world
52:59
and he first
53:00
of all goes
53:01
to the saving
53:01
of his
53:02
household and
53:03
then by it
53:04
he also
53:04
condemned the
53:05
world.
53:06
Well,
53:06
faith,
53:07
our faith
53:07
in Christ
53:08
always brings
53:09
salvation into
53:10
our possession.
53:11
Not because
53:12
God rewards
53:13
us for our
53:13
faith,
53:14
but because
53:15
this is God's
53:15
method.
53:16
He invites us
53:17
to come to
53:18
Christ,
53:18
invites us
53:19
to put our
53:19
trust in him,
53:20
invites us
53:21
to receive
53:21
that salvation
53:22
that's in
53:23
him and the
53:24
promise is
53:25
that we
53:25
will be
53:25
saved.
53:27
Believe in
53:27
the Lord
53:28
Jesus Christ.
53:29
The jailer
53:29
was told by
53:30
Paul,
53:31
and you
53:31
will be
53:32
saved.
53:32
Not you
53:33
will be
53:33
saved eventually,
53:35
not you
53:35
will be
53:35
saved after
53:36
you've done
53:37
some things
53:37
to actually
53:38
earn some
53:39
more respect
53:40
from God,
53:40
something like
53:41
that.
53:41
What he's
53:42
saying is
53:42
believe in
53:43
the Lord
53:43
Jesus Christ
53:44
and you
53:45
will be
53:45
saved.
53:46
You'll be
53:46
saved as a
53:48
consequence of
53:49
that.
53:50
Even though you
53:50
haven't deserved
53:51
it,
53:52
what haven't
53:52
earned it,
53:53
this is
53:53
God's way,
53:55
God's grace.
53:57
But you
53:57
see he also
53:58
condemned the
53:59
world.
53:59
Now how could
54:00
Noah condemn
54:01
the world?
54:03
This is what
54:03
he's saying,
54:04
by this he
54:05
condemned the
54:07
world and
54:08
became an
54:08
heir of the
54:09
righteousness
54:09
that comes
54:10
by faith.
54:11
Well in
54:11
what sense
54:12
would Noah
54:13
have condemned
54:14
the world?
54:15
Well in
54:15
this sense I
54:16
think that
54:17
when the
54:17
day happened,
54:18
when the
54:18
event actually
54:19
came about,
54:20
he condemned
54:21
the world
54:22
in the sense
54:23
that he
54:24
was proved
54:25
right.
54:27
He condemned
54:28
the world for
54:28
not having
54:29
received the
54:30
message that
54:31
he preached,
54:32
for not having
54:33
listened to the
54:34
voice of God
54:35
through him.
54:37
The world
54:38
stood condemned
54:39
in relation
54:41
to Noah
54:42
and his
54:43
preaching,
54:44
Noah and
54:44
his advice
54:46
to them.
54:47
He condemned
54:48
the world in
54:48
that sense.
54:49
the world
54:50
didn't listen
54:50
and so the
54:52
world perished.
54:55
And that's
54:56
how it will
54:56
be at the
54:58
end of the
54:58
world for us
54:59
as well.
55:01
There will
55:02
be many
55:02
people as
55:04
they leave
55:04
this world
55:05
and enter
55:05
eternity
55:06
that will
55:08
be condemned
55:09
by the
55:11
faith,
55:13
the preaching,
55:14
the witness
55:16
of God's
55:17
people that
55:17
implored them
55:18
to put their
55:20
trust in
55:20
Christ.
55:24
And that's
55:24
exactly how it
55:25
was for the
55:26
day of Noah.
55:27
Remember how
55:28
Jesus himself
55:28
spoke about
55:29
something similar
55:30
to that in
55:31
Matthew chapter
55:31
12,
55:33
verse 41,
55:37
where he
55:39
talks there
55:41
about the
55:41
different signs
55:42
that have
55:43
come,
55:43
an evil and
55:44
adulterous
55:44
generation,
55:45
Pharisees,
55:46
saying,
55:46
teacher,
55:47
we wish to
55:47
see a sign
55:48
from you.
55:49
This was
55:49
their way of
55:50
getting him
55:50
as they saw
55:51
to prove
55:52
who he was
55:52
and who he
55:53
claimed to
55:53
be.
55:54
He says,
55:55
an evil and
55:56
adulterous
55:56
generation seeks
55:57
for a sign,
55:58
but no sign
55:59
will be given
56:00
to it except
56:00
the sign of
56:01
the prophet
56:01
Jonah.
56:03
And he
56:03
speaks then
56:03
about Jonah
56:04
being three
56:05
days and three
56:05
nights in the
56:06
belly of the
56:07
fish.
56:08
The men of
56:08
Nineveh will
56:09
rise up at
56:10
the judgment
56:11
with this
56:11
generation and
56:13
condemn it
56:14
because they
56:15
repented at
56:16
the preaching
56:17
of Jonah and
56:18
behold,
56:20
something greater
56:20
than Jonah is
56:22
here.
56:23
The queen of
56:23
the south will
56:24
rise up at
56:25
the judgment
56:25
with this
56:26
generation and
56:26
condemn it for
56:27
she came from
56:28
the ends of
56:29
the earth to
56:29
hear the
56:30
wisdom of
56:31
Solomon and
56:32
behold,
56:33
something greater
56:33
than Solomon
56:34
is here.
56:34
In other
56:34
words,
56:35
wherever we
56:36
have the
56:36
gospel made
56:37
known to
56:38
us and
56:38
making known
56:38
to us the
56:39
day of
56:40
opportunity and
56:41
the salvation
56:41
that's in
56:42
Christ,
56:43
when we
56:44
dismiss that,
56:45
when we
56:45
don't,
56:46
even if we
56:46
don't dismiss
56:47
it,
56:47
when we
56:47
don't respond
56:48
to it to
56:49
the extent we
56:50
should by
56:50
receiving this
56:51
Christ,
56:53
then the day
56:53
of judgment
56:54
will be a
56:55
day of
56:55
aggravated guilt
56:57
for us.
56:59
There's no way
57:00
I can describe
57:00
what that's going
57:01
to be like.
57:02
I don't really
57:03
need to.
57:03
The Bible
57:05
itself leaves
57:06
the matter
57:07
on our
57:08
conscience
57:08
today,
57:09
because this
57:11
is what it
57:11
says,
57:12
he condemned
57:12
the world,
57:15
and he
57:15
became an
57:16
heir of
57:17
the righteousness
57:17
that comes
57:18
by faith.
57:21
In other
57:21
words,
57:21
he inherited
57:22
this righteousness.
57:24
Now,
57:24
righteousness,
57:25
as you know,
57:26
is the
57:26
standard that
57:27
God requires
57:28
of a human
57:29
life.
57:30
The righteousness
57:31
that God
57:32
requires of
57:33
us,
57:34
we cannot
57:34
ourselves
57:35
create and
57:36
produce because
57:37
of our
57:37
sinfulness,
57:38
but it's that
57:39
righteousness that
57:40
God has brought
57:41
to us in
57:42
Jesus.
57:44
And through
57:44
him,
57:45
through his
57:45
death and
57:46
resurrection
57:46
especially,
57:48
that righteousness
57:49
is pronounced
57:50
in the gospel
57:51
as offered
57:52
to us by
57:53
God.
57:53
God.
57:55
And so,
57:55
when we come
57:55
to trust in
57:56
the Lord,
57:58
that righteousness
57:58
is imputed
58:00
to us.
58:00
God puts it
58:01
on our
58:01
record.
58:02
And there's
58:02
a marvelous
58:02
thing,
58:04
that God
58:05
puts on our
58:06
record,
58:07
instead of
58:07
the list of
58:08
our sins
58:09
and condemnation
58:10
at the
58:10
bottom,
58:12
he puts on
58:13
his record
58:13
of us
58:14
the
58:15
righteousness
58:16
of Christ.
58:18
And at
58:19
the bottom
58:19
of that
58:20
is his
58:22
great approval
58:23
of us
58:24
in Christ.
58:26
What a
58:27
great transfer,
58:29
free transfer
58:30
that is.
58:32
It only
58:33
requires
58:33
that you
58:35
believe and
58:35
trust in
58:37
the living
58:37
God.
58:39
That is
58:40
God's
58:40
standard.
58:41
You remember
58:42
we saw
58:42
Paul's,
58:44
not so long
58:45
ago,
58:45
going through
58:46
the letter
58:47
to the
58:47
Philippians,
58:48
you remember
58:48
how we saw
58:48
Paul describing
58:50
his experience
58:50
in chapter
58:51
three,
58:51
really giving
58:53
his testimony
58:54
in effect,
58:55
where he
58:56
says,
58:56
I count
58:57
everything as
58:58
loss,
58:59
because of
58:59
the surpassing
59:00
worth of
59:00
knowing Jesus
59:01
Christ my
59:01
Lord.
59:02
For his
59:03
sake I have
59:04
suffered the
59:04
loss of all
59:05
things,
59:05
and count
59:06
them as
59:06
rubbish,
59:06
in order
59:07
that I
59:07
may gain
59:08
Christ and
59:08
be found
59:09
in him,
59:09
not having
59:10
a righteousness
59:11
of my
59:12
own that
59:12
comes from
59:13
the law,
59:14
but that
59:14
which comes
59:15
through faith
59:16
in Christ.
59:17
The
59:18
righteousness
59:18
becomes
59:23
mine,
59:25
actually
59:26
properly
59:26
and fully
59:27
mine and
59:27
yours,
59:28
by faith
59:30
in Christ
59:30
when we
59:31
place our
59:32
trust in
59:32
him.
59:34
And that's
59:35
really what
59:35
we're told
59:36
here about
59:36
Noah as
59:37
well.
59:38
He became
59:38
an heir of
59:39
the righteousness
59:39
that comes
59:40
by faith.
59:42
God didn't
59:42
say,
59:43
I now find
59:43
you righteous
59:44
because you've
59:44
done this
59:45
great thing
59:45
in building
59:46
this ark
59:47
as I
59:47
have
59:47
commanded
59:48
you.
59:49
That's
59:49
not what
59:49
gave Noah
59:50
righteousness
59:51
at all.
59:53
Righteousness
59:54
was something
59:55
as God's
59:56
gift to
59:56
him,
59:58
and it
59:58
was through
59:58
the faith
59:59
that he
1:00:00
exercised,
1:00:01
that he
1:00:01
became an
1:00:02
heir of
1:00:02
the righteousness
1:00:03
that comes
1:00:04
by faith.
1:00:07
This
1:00:07
righteousness
1:00:07
is your
1:00:09
righteousness
1:00:10
when Jesus
1:00:11
is your
1:00:13
Savior.
1:00:14
So,
1:00:15
here tonight
1:00:15
we have
1:00:17
very much
1:00:18
before us
1:00:19
the opportunity
1:00:20
that God
1:00:21
is setting
1:00:22
out for
1:00:22
us in
1:00:23
the gospel
1:00:24
in Christ.
1:00:26
Remember
1:00:26
how Jesus,
1:00:27
how John
1:00:28
himself put
1:00:28
it in
1:00:29
regard to
1:00:30
Jesus.
1:00:30
We'll finish
1:00:31
with this
1:00:31
in the
1:00:32
gospel of
1:00:33
John.
1:00:34
It really
1:00:35
sums up
1:00:35
what we've
1:00:35
been looking
1:00:36
at this
1:00:36
evening,
1:00:37
John
1:00:37
chapter 1
1:00:38
verses
1:00:38
11 to
1:00:39
12.
1:00:40
It says
1:00:41
about Jesus,
1:00:42
he was in
1:00:43
the world
1:00:43
and the world
1:00:44
was made
1:00:44
through him,
1:00:45
yet the world
1:00:45
did not
1:00:46
know him.
1:00:47
He came
1:00:48
to his
1:00:48
own,
1:00:49
and his
1:00:49
own people
1:00:50
did not
1:00:50
receive him,
1:00:52
but to
1:00:52
all who
1:00:53
did receive
1:00:53
him,
1:00:54
who believed
1:00:55
in his
1:00:55
name,
1:00:56
he gave
1:00:57
the right
1:00:57
to become
1:00:58
children of
1:00:59
God,
1:01:00
who were
1:01:01
born not
1:01:01
of blood,
1:01:02
nor of the
1:01:03
will of the
1:01:03
flesh,
1:01:04
not of the
1:01:05
will of man,
1:01:06
but of
1:01:07
God.
1:01:09
So,
1:01:10
tonight,
1:01:10
let me ask
1:01:10
myself,
1:01:12
and you
1:01:12
must ask
1:01:12
yourself,
1:01:14
do I
1:01:15
really believe
1:01:16
in the
1:01:17
day of
1:01:17
judgment?
1:01:19
And if I
1:01:19
really believe
1:01:20
in the
1:01:20
day of
1:01:21
judgment,
1:01:21
what am I
1:01:21
doing in
1:01:22
advance of
1:01:23
it?
1:01:24
Am I
1:01:24
like Noah
1:01:25
responding to
1:01:26
the advance
1:01:27
warning that
1:01:27
God has
1:01:28
given me,
1:01:29
or have I
1:01:29
still left
1:01:30
that to
1:01:30
the side?
1:01:33
Remember,
1:01:33
you can't
1:01:33
afford to
1:01:34
do that.
1:01:35
God is
1:01:37
lovingly
1:01:37
providing us
1:01:38
with the
1:01:38
information.
1:01:41
He's not
1:01:42
treating us
1:01:42
roughly.
1:01:44
It's not
1:01:45
something in
1:01:45
which we
1:01:47
find God,
1:01:48
and I hope
1:01:49
not the
1:01:49
preaching of
1:01:50
the gospel
1:01:50
also.
1:01:51
It's not
1:01:52
something that
1:01:52
we want to
1:01:53
have set
1:01:54
before you
1:01:55
in any
1:01:55
bad spirit,
1:01:57
but lovingly
1:01:58
and tactfully,
1:02:01
as God
1:02:01
himself
1:02:02
mercifully
1:02:02
is making
1:02:04
his appeal
1:02:05
through the
1:02:05
gospel,
1:02:06
for us to
1:02:07
place our
1:02:08
trust in
1:02:09
Jesus Christ,
1:02:11
the Savior.
1:02:13
May God
1:02:13
bless these
1:02:14
words to
1:02:15
us.
1:02:17
Let's
1:02:18
conclude by
1:02:18
singing now
1:02:19
in Psalm
1:02:19
46.
1:02:21
Sing Psalm
1:02:22
46, that's
1:02:23
in the
1:02:23
Scottish Psalter
1:02:24
version,
1:02:26
and find
1:02:26
that on
1:02:27
page 271,
1:02:30
and sing
1:02:30
verses 8
1:02:31
to 11.
1:02:32
Come and
1:02:34
behold what
1:02:35
wondrous works
1:02:36
have by the
1:02:37
Lord been
1:02:37
wrought.
1:02:38
Come see what
1:02:39
desolations he
1:02:40
on the earth
1:02:41
hath wrought,
1:02:42
and to the
1:02:42
ends of all
1:02:43
the earth
1:02:43
wars into
1:02:44
peace he
1:02:44
turns.
1:02:46
The bow he
1:02:46
breaks,
1:02:46
the spear he
1:02:47
cuts,
1:02:47
and fire the
1:02:48
chariot burns.
1:02:49
Be still,
1:02:49
and know that
1:02:50
I am God.
1:02:52
Among the
1:02:52
heathen I
1:02:53
will be
1:02:53
exalted,
1:02:54
I on earth
1:02:55
will be
1:02:55
exalted high.
1:02:57
Our God,
1:02:58
who is the
1:02:59
Lord of hosts,
1:03:00
is still upon
1:03:01
our side.
1:03:02
The God of
1:03:03
Jacob,
1:03:04
our refuge,
1:03:06
forever will
1:03:07
abide.
1:03:08
These verses
1:03:08
come and
1:03:09
behold what
1:03:10
wondrous works.
1:03:11
come and
1:03:19
behold what
1:03:22
wondrous works
1:03:26
have by
1:03:29
the Lord
1:03:31
been wrought,
1:03:34
and see
1:03:36
what
1:03:38
desolations
1:03:44
beyond the
1:03:48
earth
1:03:49
hath brought,
1:03:52
unto
1:03:55
the
1:03:57
ends
1:03:58
of all
1:04:00
the earth
1:04:03
ofcićity.
1:04:05
By
1:04:07
blood not
1:04:08
in
1:04:08
peace
1:04:10
and
1:04:12
the
1:04:14
roaring
1:04:14
he
1:04:15
burst.
1:04:16
God
1:04:16
whelieve
1:04:17
the
1:04:18
romance
1:04:18
in
1:04:19
Christ
1:04:19
in
1:04:20
light
1:04:23
and
1:04:25
child
1:04:27
y
1:04:28
�
1:04:29
such
1:04:30
and
1:04:31
hath
1:04:33
And know that I am God
1:04:41
Above the even eye
1:04:49
Will be exalted
1:04:55
I on earth
1:04:59
Will be exalted
1:05:05
I
1:05:08
Our God who is
1:05:14
The Lord of hosts
1:05:19
Is still upon our side
1:05:27
The Lord of hosts
1:05:32
Our refuge
1:05:38
Forever will abide
1:05:45
I'll go to the door to my left here after the benediction just now.
1:05:51
Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you now and evermore. Amen.
1:06:00
Amen.
1:06:07
Amen.
1:06:07
Amen.
1:06:08
Amen.
1:06:09
Amen.
1:06:17
Amen.