Monday, February 20, 2012

Monday, February 20th

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Leviticus 22-23
Today's scripture focus is Hebrews 11:7

7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

From MacArthur's sermon Noah and the Obedience of Faith...(emphasis mine)
 No man comes to God by works but all men who truly come to God will give evidence of the faith that they have by the things that they do. And that's the distinction. No man reaches God by good works, nobody is good enough. But works will always be a result of having come to God....


the new covenant is not teaching something new, faith has always been the only way to God. The people in the Old Testa­ment believed God, it says of Abraham he believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness. All the Old Testament people listed in chapter 1.1, it says by faith Abel, by faith Enoch, by faith Noah, by faith Abraham, by faith, by faith, by faith, and He is just saying this is always the way it's always been. And so it's nothing new. It's nothing new. But it needs to be redefined because they have long ago forgotten it and drifted into a works system...


The record of Abel shows us the worship of God. The record of Enoch shows us the worship and the walk with God. And in Noah we see one who worshiped God, walked with God, and worked for God. So it just takes us another step. Progressive steps in the relationship of faith.....


Now the choice is the same for every man, you may live as if the message of God was of little value or else you may live as if the message of God was of absolute importance, the most important thing in the world.

When warned about things not yet seen
When God told Noah to build an ark, Noah didn't see any water - he didn't live near an ocean, he didn't see it rain (it had never rained on the earth before!).  He had no physical reason to believe God.  But he still believed, by faith, and moved by fear.
in holy fear
The word fear may give you an erroneous impression that Noah acted under the influence of fright, but the Greek word means to reverence. He did it because he reverenced God's word. And God told him to do it.
By his faith he condemned the world
Noah preached judgment - for 120 years, every time he chopped down a tree, sawed a plant, drove a spike he preached that judgement was coming, find refuge in God.  For 120 years!  With NO response!  Can you even imagine that?  That kind of faith?!  It's incredible.  I doubt after a week of seemingly unanswered prayer - nevermind 120 years!

Here is a very cool quote from MacArthur's sermon...

Watch this, this is a point that just thrills me. Look at verse 21 of chapter 5. "And Enoch lived sixty and five years," just a kid, "and he begot Methuselah," he had a son. That's great. Now you say - What's the significance of Methuselah? Well, his name is significant. Listen to this, his name means - when he is dead, it shall be sent - hang on to that one, that's worth at least a quarter, when he is dead it shall be sent. Isn't that an interesting thing to name your son? When he is dead it shall be sent ... in -that name is divine revelation. It was as though God said to Enoch, - You see that baby, Enoch, that baby you just had? The world will last as long as he lives. Are you with me? The world will last as long as he lives. For when he is dead, then it shall be sent. What shall? The great deluge in destruction that came. So the world was to last as long as the son of Enoch lived.
First Peter 3:10 says this; 3:20 says; "The long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah." What was God waiting for? He was waiting for Methusaleh to die. And God said - I'm not going to send judgment, by, the very name of Methusaleh, until he dies. How long did Methusaleh live? Longer than any man in the history of the world ever lived. Does that tell you a little bit about God's grace? Does it? Nine-hundred and sixty-nine years. So, before you impugn the justice of God, look again. He was so merciful. It should impress us to know that His grace is that way. What an exhibition of mercy. He waited almost 1,000 years for men to change. They only went further and further and further away. 
Isn't that incredible?!

and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
The only way to receive righteousness is by faith.

Do you want to be like Noah?  I do!

We're living in a world that's awaiting judgment, just like Noah.

I want to have a faith that obeys no matter how inconceivable or incomprehensible God's commands are.  I want to have a faith that rebukes wickedness.  I want to have a faith that established me, in the sight of God, as righteous.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 11:8-10
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Leviticus 24-25

1 comment:

Miriam said...

Incredible. I am loving all this stuff about faith! I didn't know about the connection between Methusaleh and the flood. Very interesting.