Title: The Storms Are Coming - Are You Safe?
Bible Book: Hebrews 11 : 7
Author: Alan Stewart
Subject: Salvation; Ark, Noah's; Safety; Home; Family
Objective:
Introduction
After several devastating experiences in World War I, the French spent millions of dollars to build an elaborate defensive barrier in northeast France along its border with Germany. They called it the Maginot Line. The Maginot Line was a line of concrete fortifications and tank obstacles which were equipped with the most powerful and up-to-date weapons available. It was believed that the Maginot Line would provide the military adequate alarm of attack and allow the mobilization of the French Army which would make them impervious to invasion. However, once World War II began, France fell in only a months time and the blame was laid solely upon the Maginot Line. What the French never prepared for was the German army passing through Belgium and coming around to the rear of the line making it useless. It is generally considered one of the greatest failures in military history. Today, the term "Maginot Line" is used as a metaphor to describe something that is confidently relied upon, but ends up proving to be absolutely ineffective.
In chapters six through ten in the book of Genesis, we are introduced to a well-known character by the name of Noah. Noah had an incredible family heritage with Methuselah as a grandfather and Enoch as a great grandfather. His father Lamech named him Noah because it meant "a resting place." He sensed from the Lord that his son Noah would provide unusual strength and comfort to his generation. We would have labeled him with unlimited potential for success. Most would have submitted his name as a candidate in "Who’s Who." However, in the midst of moral chaos and spiritual darkness that Jesus likened to the days of Sodom, Noah’s legacy is recorded in Hebrews 11:7, "by faith Noah...prepared an ark to the saving of his house." He was remembered for building a boat! For 120 years, Noah constructed this ark on dry ground while the sun was shining brightly with no clouds on the horizon. While he labored and preached, the world laughed and played. He was being obedient to the Lord, but also responsible for his family. In every home, an ark is being built. With every decision, a nail is hammered. With every deed, pitch is applied. Just how reliable is the ark you are preparing?
I. Noah’s Ark was a Shelter in the Storm
Noah’s ark was a shelter in the storm. In Genesis 7, as the rain clouds of judgment approached, "...the Lord said unto Noah, come thou and all thy house into the ark...and the Lord shut him in." The word "shut" means "to shut up or to close up." It is the picture of securing the city gates or enclosing a vineyard with a hedge of protection. The idea is the Lord had shut him in, but had shut all others out. When the storm arrived, everything that had the breath of life died, "...and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark." When the sweeping rains fell, and lightning flashed across the sky, and thunder echoed throughout the valleys, Noah’s ark became a hiding place for his family.
I have always had a curiosity about storms and I love to watch a good storm through the window. I find it interesting the Lord instructed Noah to place a window at the top of the ark. The only direction they could look was up, and it served as a reminder that God is still on the throne even in the storms!
David made that discovery in Psalm 29:10, "the Lord sitteth upon the flood..."
Jesus revealed His deity to the disciples when He came "walking upon the sea."
When storms arise in the night, my children run to my bedside for security during the storm. Does your family know where to run to find their "peace be still" while the storm rages on?
II. Noah’s Ark was Sustained from Sinking
Noah’s ark was sustained from sinking. In constructing the ark, the Lord commanded Noah in Genesis 6:14, "thou...shalt pitch it within and without..." It was designed to float, but could only be tested when the water rose.
Genesis 7:17-18 records the result: "and the waters increased, and bare up the ark...and the ark went upon the face of the waters." While everything and everyone else sank, Noah maintained buoyancy.
There are those who believe they cannot live with victorious faith because of all the problems surrounding them in the world. Noah was completely surrounded by perversion, violence, and inventive evil, yet he remained faithful at the task to "make thee an ark."
What was Noah’s secret? It was Noah’s responsibility to build the ark. The Lord did not build the ark for Noah, but once the ark was completed, the Lord inhabited it! In Matthew 14, when Peter walked on the water to Jesus, he saw the wind and waves, and the scripture records, "...and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, ‘Lord, save me.’" He began to sink but never sank! Noah added no rudder to navigate the ark because he had surrendered to the Lord’s direction, but he also knew, with the Lord on board, it would never sink!
III. Noah’s Ark was Supplied with Substance
Noah did not build a sailboat for a joyride, nor a canoe for sightseeing. Noah built an ark for endurance. In the brief details we have in scripture, one could easily overlook the fact Noah and his family remained inside the ark for over a year. Inside the ark was room for his family, the animals, food for all, and sacrifices of thanksgiving when the voyage was over. Moreover, when the Lord said in Genesis 7:1, "..Noah, come thou and all thy house into the ark...", the implication was that the Lord Himself was already inside!
Today, our homes are simply built for curb appeal. They are decorated with the most elegant of furnishings, but are missing the things that caused Abigail to say to David, "..the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure {enduring} house..."
When Moses’ mother made an ark of bulrushes for her son, that ark not only held baby Moses, but it held prayers and dreams for him as well. To only leave my children wealth, lands, and possessions is to leave them standing utterly empty-handed to face life!
Conclusion
Matthew 24:38 records, "For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark." No one could sense the danger approaching. I wonder if anyone can sense the dangers approaching the American family today?
Noah could hear what no one else could hear, and could see what no one else could see. The broken clouds gliding by unnoticed are warnings of darker and larger clouds still to come. While thunder rolls in the distance, most are erecting monuments of personal achievement rather than building an ark for their family. Only when the rain falls and the water begins to rise will we discover our monuments are a useless line of defense. By then, however, it will be too late.
