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It Is Written Canada

Noah, The Real Story

Chris Holland

Noah, The Real Story- Where It All Started #1

God's book, the Bible, still relevant in today's complex world.

It is written sharing messages of hope around the world.

In March of 2014, Paramount Pictures released the epic movie, Noah.

The movie is said to be a biblically inspired epic film.

Some have watched this film and it has raised questions about the character of God.

How could God, who the Bible says is loving, destroy the earth with a flood?

This week on It is Written, we will take a look at how this entire story was started.

Noah is first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis chapter 5 verses 28 and 29.

Lamech lived 182 years and had a son and he called his name Noah, saying, This 1 will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed." In Genesis chapter 5, the Bible gives the genealogy of the generations from Adam, the first created man, to the sons of Noah.

At this point, there is only this brief mention of Noah and the comfort he will bring.

Now in biblical times, names had great meaning.

And In the original Hebrew language, Noah's name literally means resting, quietness, a soothing or a resting place.

We will soon see the significance of Noah's name.

Now Noah was the son of Lamech and the grandson of Methuselah.

Methuselah was the oldest man to ever live.

Noah lived at a time where humankind often lived for hundreds of years.

The Bible goes on to say this in Genesis chapter 5.

After he begot Noah, Lamech lived 500 years and 95 years, and had sons and daughters, so all the days of Lamech were 777 years, And he died.

And Noah was 500 years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

When Noah was 595, his father passed away.

Noah had 3 sons and lived a life seeking God.

The question that is brought up is why is this story of some 4 to 5000 years ago important to us today?

Jesus indicates this story, which the Bible tells us was a literal event of history, Jesus said it was important.

Listen to the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 24, verse 37.

But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." Jesus indicates 1 of the important features to understand about the flood event.

1 of those important features is in reference to the Second Coming.

The flood is a lesson to us today about how the Second Coming will work.

In 1 of the parallel gospels, the Gospel of Luke, the words of Jesus are recorded in Luke 17, verses 26 and 27.

And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man.

They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all." The story of Noah and the flood is an event of history that we should look, and we should look to it in preparations for the second coming of Jesus.

But Jesus wasn't the only 1 who counseled us to specifically study the events surrounding Noah.

The book of Hebrews says these words in reference to Noah.

By faith, Noah being divinely warned of the things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

The events surrounding the life of Noah are a lesson of faith.

As we study about Noah, we will see that Noah moved by faith and trusting in God completely.

As we live in these last days of earth's history, we too can have confidence in God.

Are you feeling insecure about the future?

We will study the life of Noah and find hope to have faith and confidence in God today, because God will take care of us.

Peter also entreats us to study the story of Noah and the worldwide flood in 1 Peter 3, 20.

When once the divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared in which a few, that is 8 souls were saved through water.

Noah serves as a reminder of the importance of baptism and the symbolic cleansing and saving power of baptism by immersion in water.

In his second letter, Peter also gives instruction and counsel on Noah, 2 Peter 2 and verse 5, 2 Peter 2 and verse 5.

And did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, 1 of 8 people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly.

Noah also serves as a lesson that it is important for us today.

There will be a judgment of this earth and God will make all wrongs right.

The story of Noah is a literal event that really happened in history that should be studied as a lesson for us.

It is a lesson that prepares us for the second coming.

It is a lesson of faith that we can have confidence in God and it is a lesson that there is a judgment that separates the right from the wrong.

So let's go back to the Bible and read about the story of Noah and the flood.

Let's go back to Genesis chapter 6 verses 1 to 8.

Genesis chapter 6 and verses 1 through 8.

Now it came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and the daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men, that they were beautiful, and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.

And the Lord said, My spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh, yet his days shall be 120 years.

There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men, and they bore children to them.

Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth and He was grieved in His heart.

So the Lord said, I will destroy man who I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Now before we deal with this entire story, I want to take notice and emphasize the very last verse.

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

We must remember all throughout this passage that the story of Noah is a story of grace.

The grace of God is the very undergirding of the whole story of Noah.

Now that would probably take an entire show or series of shows to answer fully, but the simple answer is this.

It is God's unmerited or undeserved favor toward humanity.

The story of Noah is the demonstration of God's grace.

Now as we just read, The condition of Noah's day was 1 of great depravity.

In next week's program, we will study how that happened to humanity.

But today, I want us to look at the very origin of the problems faced in Noah's day.

Remember, verse 5 says this, Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Later in chapter 6, it says this in verse 11, the earth also was corrupt before God and the earth was filled with violence.

Did you hear the words being used to describe the conditions of Noah's day?

The timing of the story of Noah is just over a thousand years after the creation of the earth.

How could it now, in such a short time, be wicked, evil, corrupt, and violent?

We need to go back to that garden, that harmonious and perfect garden.

We go back just a few chapters to Genesis chapter 3.

And there we are introduced to the most heinous villain of all time.

We are introduced to the arch enemy of God and His people.

We are introduced to the originator of evil and wickedness.

In Genesis chapter 3, verse 1, the Bible says this, Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.

And he said to the woman, Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Noah, The Real Story- Where It All Started #2

Derek Redman was a track star for Great Britain.

He was a champion runner and held multiple records.

He was a part of the 1992 Summer Olympic team.

He had trained long and hard for that moment in his life.

He was a national record holder in that race.

The gun went off and he began to sprint around the track.

Less than halfway into the race, there was a pop and Derek grabbed the back side of his right leg, limped and took a knee.

He had torn his hamstring, a most painful injury.

He had dreamed of completing this Olympic race, but the pain was excruciating.

He stood up and he began to hop his way to the finish line.

And as the crowd stood and watched through the background, a figure emerged and bypassed security.

Derek's father, Jim, came and drew next to his son and supported him, and they went the entirety of the race.

The Father came to help his Son finish the race.

Friends, we too are wounded and lame, a race of people that are not functioning as we should.

The Father has come to our side and sent his Son, Jesus, to take us across the finish line.

We are in part 2 of our series on Noah, the real story.

As we look at the passage in Genesis chapter 6, we see that the earth had become a terrible place.

In Genesis 6, verses 5 through 8, the Bible says these words, Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and he was grieved in his heart.

So the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and the birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.

And also in verse 11 it says this, the earth was corrupt before God and the earth was filled with violence.

The earth was filled with wickedness, with evil, with corruption and violence.

But in the midst of all of it, this is a story of God's grace, a story of God's unearned favor toward humankind.

Now as we studied in part 1 of our series, we need to understand a bit of history before we can understand the story of Noah.

In part 1 of our series, we saw that the author of all evil is the devil.

He is the real reason for pain and suffering.

He is the real reason for sin on this planet.

We studied the history and background where the devil and where the devil came from.

But how did evil enter into the equation of this planet's history?

It is the story of a great deception and a lack of trust.

Sometime after Satan was evicted from heaven and some time after the creation of humankind, there is a story recorded of how evil came to this planet earth.

Now the serpent was more coming than any beast of the field, which the Lord God had made.

And he said to the woman, has God indeed said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.

Then the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be open, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

When God created humankind, He placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

There in that garden, God gave Adam and Eve all the vegetation to eat.

In fact, in Genesis 129, it describes the original diet that Adam and Eve would eat.

And God said, See, I have given you every herb that yields seed, which is on the face of the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed.

God provided Adam and Eve with a total plant-based vegetarian diet.

Yet there was 1 item that they couldn't eat.

Genesis 2, 16 and 17 describes that 1 exception.

And the Lord God commanded the man saying, of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat.

For in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.

Adam and Eve had all the plants of the garden to eat from, but this 1 tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it was not to be eaten.

We have no evidence what kind of fruit it was, and evidently it may not have been obvious that it was bad.

The only indication of it not being edible was God's clear message that it should not be eaten.

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a sign of allegiance.

By Adam and Eve obeying, they clearly defined their allegiance to God.

Satan who had been cast out of heaven was here on the earth.

There in the Garden of Eden, he paid a visit to the first pair.

He caught Eve there in the garden and engaged her in dialogue.

During this interaction we see that there are a series of choices made by Adam and Eve that led to disastrous results.

The first choice that Eve made was a choice to be in the presence of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

1 clear way of never eating it would be to avoid the tree entirely, never to go close to the tree.

But by choosing to go near the tree, Eve availed herself to temptation which could lead to direct disobedience of God's explicit command.

Now before we're too hard on Eve, don't we all struggle with this a little?

We aren't satisfied to be way back from the edge of the cliff.

Friends, if we desire to live a life and have a life of victory over sin, we need to steer clear of sin, not even get remotely close.

Here The devil has engaged Eve in a conversation and he has lied about the character of God.

And as Eve defends her position, she makes 2 fatal mistakes.

Number 1, she takes the devil on, on her own.

Friends, we must never take on the devil in our own power, because we will lose.

But in the Spirit of God, and by His strength, we can always overcome him.

The second mistake that Eve made was an overstatement of the facts.

You see, God had told the pair not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

But Eve, in speaking to the serpent, states that God said not to touch it.

We have no record of God ever saying such a thing.

And once Eve had made the choice to overstate her case and essentially lie, she was entrapped in the snare of the devil.

The devil then promised a higher state of being if Eve would partake of the fruit.

The devil was tempting Eve with the same thoughts that he himself had given into, to be God.

The next verses are probably the saddest verses in all of scripture because like dominoes falling, the choices of Adam and Eve set into motion events and consequences that still affect all of us today.

Genesis chapter 3 verses 5 and 6 tell us the rest of this story.

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable To make 1 wise, she took of its fruit and ate.

She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings." Eve moves from a knowledge of knowing that the tree is forbidden for humankind to actually believing that it was good for food.

Eve made a choice, a very clear choice, a choice to trust the devil more than God.

And friends, that is the choice that each of us make when we choose to sin.

We choose to not trust God, but to trust in ourselves and ultimately the devil.

Eve disobeyed God's command and ate the fruit.

Noah, The Real Story- God’s Grace

On April the 16th, 2014, 1 of the greatest boating disasters of Korean history occurred.

That morning, the ferry Seoul, with its over 460 passengers, most of them students, began its departure for the resort on the island of Jeju.

Passengers report that they heard a noise and then the ship began to list.

However, passengers were told to stay put.

However, the ferry continued to tilt more and more severely.

Finally, at the last moment, a call to evacuate came.

However, it was too late for many of the boat as it fully capsized, taking the lives of over 200 passengers.

As the investigation into this tragedy deepens, more information has come forth.

An off-duty captain had warned that after the Sewell had received modifications in 2012 and 2013, that the ship was in danger of being too top-heavy and could easily capsize.

There were warnings, there were signs that went unheeded, and the ignoring of these threats led to disaster.

Thousands of years ago, there was a disaster about to come upon this earth.

Warnings went out, but they were ignored.

The flood in the days of Noah was a catastrophic event that had plenty of warning.

The days of Noah and the events that occurred are to be a reminder and a warning for God's people today.

In part 3 of our series, Noah, the Real Story, we will get right into the heart of the matter.

In parts 1 and 2, we studied the history of sin and how we arrived at the situation of Noah's day.

And if you happen to miss those programs, you can go to our website.

In those studies we saw that the devil is the author of all sin, all evil, and all corruption.

He was once a good angel, but chose to lead in a path of rebellion.

He led some of the other angels on that journey and eventually led humankind into rebellion against God.

The devil is never concerned with our best interest.

He only has 1 interest, and that is the destruction of God's people.

He wants to see you, and He wants to see me destroyed.

In 1 Peter 5 and verse 8, the Bible warns us about the devil.

Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

The devil and the fallen angels are not interested in protecting you or doing things for you in your best interest.

The Bible says that the devil roams about as a roaring lion.

They often target and aim for the weakest of animals.

Yet when they're engaged in a chase, especially with an antelope, The reality is very clear.

However, in the chase, as the lion draws near, the lion will roar.

That roar will scare the animal, throw off its cadence just a little bit, and then pounce.

This is how the devil tries to get each of us.

But We don't need to worry because the Bible promises, the Bible promises in James, James chapter 4, how we can overcome the devil.

Series

Noah, The Real Story

Noah, The Real Story- Where It All Started #1

Transcript

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