CHARACTER STUDIES - Study 2: NOAH A Preacher Of Righteousness

Study 2: NOAH

The Character called Noah is of such interest and importance that we shall consider him under two different sub-titles:

• (a)    Noah - A preacher of righteousness
• (b)   Noah - The Ark Builder

Study 2(a) NOAH A Preacher Of Righteousness

Text: Genesis 5:21-32, 6:1 - 13

Noah was a man who lived at a time when the wickedness of the human race for a long time had provoked the wrath of God. The Bible tells us that the unrighteousness in the land was such that:

• (a)    There was the inter-marriage of "the sons of God" with the "daughters of men" (Genesis 6:l4). The Bible tells about the of fallen angels and their spiritual defilement of the children of men on earth (Jude 6, 2 Peter 2:5, 1 Peter 3:20)
• (b)   This unnatural inter-marriage produced extraordinary men i.e. Giants who filled the whole the earth, with violence and all kinds of immorality and corruption. (Genesis 6: l-4, 6:13).
• (c)    The result was that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and the imagination of the thoughts of his was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)

God regretted that He ever created men on earth because they constantly grieved His heart with sin. The same thing happens today when a person commits any kind of sin the heart of God is grieved. Do you grieve the heart of God through sin? (Genesis 6:5)

Consequently, God decided to destroy that unrepentant generation with a flood because of their sin. (2 Peter 3:8-10, Isaiah 24:1-6). At that time no rain had ever fallen on earth. Read (Genesis 2:4-5). But God told Noah that He was going to destroy the human race with a flood. Noah believed God without first seeing any rain or flood. Indeed without faith it is impossible to please the Lord. (Hebrew 11:6). The word of God is true and infallible. We need to believe any time it is taught or preached because it is for our own good. The Bibles says: "Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" -1 Corinthians 1:20. (1 Kings 8:56, Matthew 5:18, Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

At this point in tine it will be expedient for us to consider the quality of life Noah lived that enabled him to obey God by faith:

• (a)    Noah was the great grand child of Enoch, a man who walked with God and pleased Him in such a way that God granted him he privilege of translated without experiencing physical death. The Bible says: "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God." - Hebrews 11:5, (Genesis 5:21-29) A godly man family will raise a godly family and a godly generation, but an ungodly man will certainly raise an ungodly family and an ungodly generation. The Bible says: "Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." - Matthew 7:17-19. Which kind of family are you raising?
• (b)   The account we have in the Bible is that it was only Noah in the whole of his generation that found favor in the sight of God because he was just and upright before the Lord. Noah avoided the violence, corruption and evil of his days, and walked uprightly. We can equally face the challenge of the evil society in which we are living today with prayerful determination and maintain our integrity and sanctification as children of God. (1 John 2:15-17, 1 John 5:4-5). The Bible says: "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" -1 John 5:4-5.

We are serving a just God whose desire is not that any sinner should perish but that the sinner should repent and be saved. So God mandated Noah to preach repentance from sin to of the people of his day, may be they will turn away from their sin and receive the mercy of God. But the people mocked him and laughed him to scorn because his message was on what had never happened before.

"And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground."- Genesis 2:5. The same is true of many today who make a jest of God's word about the destruction of this present world with fire. (2 Peter 3:8-10) The bible says: "And as it was in the days of Noe, (Noah) so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. (JESUS) They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all."- Luke 17:26-27. What are you doing with the message of eternal judgment? Be wise and do not be like the foolish men of the days of Noah.

Lamech was the of Noah's father. When Lamech had his son, "he called his son NOAH saying this same shall comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord had cursed" (Genesis 3:17) The Bible says: "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;" - Genesis 3:17, 19. Indeed Noah was born to bring the message of salvation from the flood, which unfortunately was rejected by his generation.

But God has given us a Messenger of righteousness that is greater than Noah, JESUS CHRIST His Son, who as come to give us eternal salvation and redemption from the curse of the law. (Galatians 3:13-14). You need to accept him today and you shall be saved from eternal damnation. (John. 3:16)

MEMORY VERSE: "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." - Isaiah 55:6-7

God bless you!

Pastor Wales Goriola
BLISS & FIRE NETWORK TEAM
http://www.blissandfire.com/

© 2009 BLISS & FIRE NETWORK

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