Genesis (Part 12)
Bible Study Time 8-31-08
(From James Roberts 10-20-96)
Bible Study Time 8-31-08
(From James Roberts 10-20-96)
Last week in our Journey Through the Scripture we saw that Noah and his family and all of the animals that Noah brought with him into the ark were safe and secure from the judgment that God brought upon the earth. The Bible clearly teaches that God destroyed the earth and all of its inhabitants with a cataclysmic, universal flood.
The ark is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ because those who were in the ark were safe and secure. Jesus Christ is the only ark of safety that God has provided for mankind. When the future judgment of God comes upon this earth, only those who are found in Jesus Christ will be safe and secure.
Men may make their little row boats as they come up with all kinds of schemes and all kinds of works to please and appease God, but these little row boats will never provide any measure of safety when the wrath of God is poured out upon the earth. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only ark of safety when it comes to escaping the wrath of God.
When the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross, He tasted the judgment of God for man’s sins, and all those who believe that Christ died for their sins, that He was buried and that He rose again the third day, God places them in the Lord Jesus Christ where they find safety and security. Those who are outside the Lord Jesus Christ will be even as the inhabitants of the earth in the days of Noah in that they will have to face the terrible, dark days of judgment that will take place when God’s wrath is poured out upon the earth.
I trust today that you know the Lord Jesus Christ as the one who died to take your place, as the one who bore your sins on the cross so that you would not have to face the future judgment of God. If you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you can rest in the assurance of Romans, Chapter 8, which says that there is therefore now no condemnation, no judgment, to those who are in Christ Jesus.
Now, as we turn to Genesis, Chapter 8, in our Journey Through the Scripture, we see that the flood waters receded from the face of the earth. When God saw that the earth was inhabitable once again, He told Noah to go out of the ark with his family and all of the animals.
As Noah left the ark, we see that the very first thing that Noah did was to build an altar unto the Lord. This is the first mention of an altar being built. It seems that before the flood there was a designated place where man was to bring his offerings to the Lord, but there was never any mention of an altar. At this point, however, it appears that that designated place was destroyed by the flood, so Noah had to build an altar.
It was Noah’s desire to provide an offering to the Lord that would be acceptable in the sight of God. I do not believe that Noah’s offering at this point was a sin offering. It was not an offering that was intended to provide a covering for his sins. This must have been an offering of thanksgiving and dedication to the Lord.
You see, Noah had already passed through the judgment so that he would have no need of a sin offering. At this point, Noah needed only to bring an offering of thanksgiving in which he could express his dedication and devotion to the Lord.
Oh my, how you and I, when have been saved by faith in Christ from the judgment to come, how we should thank God, not only at the moment of salvation but every day of our lives for the grace of God that has delivered us from all of the judgment that is to come. This great deliverance should also motivate us to dedicate our lives unto the Lord with all sincerity and devotion.
Yes, Noah built an altar so that he would have a place to offer his animal sacrifices, but the Apostle Paul tells us that God requires a different kind of sacrifice from us today. We do have an altar today but that altar is not for the offering up of animal sacrifices. Christ has already come to present Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for sin, not just to cover our sins but to take away our sins. Because of His sacrifice, we have the assurance that we will never have to face the judgment of God’s wrath. However, in Romans, Chapter 12, Paul challenges us, saying:
Romans 12:1-2 NKJV
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
The sacrifice that pleases God today is the sacrifice of the believer who comes to God and presents himself as a living sacrifice. He is pleased with the believer who offers up his life, saying, Lord, here’s my body, take my body and use it for your honor and for your glory.
Noah offered up dead, animal sacrifices as a burnt offering to the Lord upon an altar that he had built, and God was well pleased. But today God wants each believer to offer his body as a living sacrifice, not the body of an animal, but his own body, not as a dead sacrifice, but as a living sacrifice. God was well pleased with Noah’s animal sacrifice, but today God is well pleased when each believer is willing to present his own body to God as a living sacrifice.
Now, after Noah offered his sacrifice to the Lord, the Lord smelled the sweet smell of the sacrifice, and He said in His heart:
Genesis 8:21 NKJV
21 . . . "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.
Notice that God did not say that He would never again destroy the earth and its inhabitants. In Genesis 9 God tells Noah:
Genesis 9:9-11 NKJV
9 "And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you,
10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth.
11 Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth."
God states that He will never destroy the earth with water, as He did through the flood. God promises this to Noah, and Noah’s descendants and all of the living creatures upon the earth. But in the book of 2 Peter, Peter speaks of a judgment that is going to come upon this earth. All of the inhabitants of the earth are going to experience this judgment except those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ.
The men of the earth at that time will be ungodly men. They will be like the ungodly men of Noah’s day, and they will say:
2 Peter 3:4 NKJV
4 . . . "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."
Before the flood, Enoch prophesied for 300 years about the fact that the Lord would someday come with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgment upon all that are ungodly. Then Noah preached for 120 years that the judgment of God was coming. But the men of that day scoffed, saying, we’ve never seen any such judgment; nothing like that has ever happened before.
Well, there had been a judgment like that before. When Lucifer sinned, a great, cataclysmic judgment fell upon all of the creation. Peter says that in the last days people will once again be unaware of the previous judgments of God. 2 Peter 3:5 says:
2 Peter 3:5-6 NKJV
5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,
6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.
This takes us right back to the time of Noah and the flood. Now, verse 7:
2 Peter 3:7-13 NKJV
7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
The Day of the Lord 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Yes, the flood judgment came because of the wrath of God upon the ungodliness of men, and that judgment is but a picture of the end time when God will completely destroy the earth, not with water, but with fire that is reserved in heaven. Indeed, this fire is reserved in heaven right now.
In the days of Noah, water was reserved in heaven for that very moment when the flood was to come. Even so, at this very moment, there is fire in heaven that is waiting to be poured out upon the earth at the time of the final judgment. At that time, God will destroy the heavens and the earth that now exist and out of that old heaven and old earth will come a new heaven and a new earth which will be filled with righteousness.
The great flood judgment did not rid the world of wickedness. In Genesis 8:21, God said:
Genesis 8:21 NKJV
21 . . . although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.
God knew that even after the flood, the heart of man would continue to be evil. But after the end time judgment of fire, which will result in the new heaven and the new earth, there will be only righteousness. Those who have come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and have been made new creations in Christ will fill the earth. There will be no place for the old nature in the new heaven and the new earth.
Noah was kept safe while he was in the ark, but he came out of the ark with the old sin nature. In fact, we see in the scriptures that shortly after Noah came out of the ark, he planted a vineyard and got drunk. So Noah still had to deal with the old sin nature. But in the new heaven and the new earth there will be no one who still has that sin nature. Old things will have passed away, and everyone who is there will be righteous in the sight of God.
I’d like to ask you this today, have you ever trusted Christ as your Savior? Do you know that you are free from the wrath to come? One day God’s judgment is going to come upon the earth in a worldwide judgment. There are multitudes of people who go out into eternity everyday without accepting by faith the good news that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world. I trust today that you are like Noah in that you have by faith entered into the Lord Jesus Christ who is our ark of safety.
Well, I see that our journey for today has come to an end. The Lord willing next week we are going to look at the instructions that God gave to Noah as he and his family settled into a world which had changed dramatically as a result of the flood. Until that time, we bid you goodbye.
Church links:
The ark is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ because those who were in the ark were safe and secure. Jesus Christ is the only ark of safety that God has provided for mankind. When the future judgment of God comes upon this earth, only those who are found in Jesus Christ will be safe and secure.
Men may make their little row boats as they come up with all kinds of schemes and all kinds of works to please and appease God, but these little row boats will never provide any measure of safety when the wrath of God is poured out upon the earth. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only ark of safety when it comes to escaping the wrath of God.
When the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross, He tasted the judgment of God for man’s sins, and all those who believe that Christ died for their sins, that He was buried and that He rose again the third day, God places them in the Lord Jesus Christ where they find safety and security. Those who are outside the Lord Jesus Christ will be even as the inhabitants of the earth in the days of Noah in that they will have to face the terrible, dark days of judgment that will take place when God’s wrath is poured out upon the earth.
I trust today that you know the Lord Jesus Christ as the one who died to take your place, as the one who bore your sins on the cross so that you would not have to face the future judgment of God. If you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you can rest in the assurance of Romans, Chapter 8, which says that there is therefore now no condemnation, no judgment, to those who are in Christ Jesus.
Now, as we turn to Genesis, Chapter 8, in our Journey Through the Scripture, we see that the flood waters receded from the face of the earth. When God saw that the earth was inhabitable once again, He told Noah to go out of the ark with his family and all of the animals.
As Noah left the ark, we see that the very first thing that Noah did was to build an altar unto the Lord. This is the first mention of an altar being built. It seems that before the flood there was a designated place where man was to bring his offerings to the Lord, but there was never any mention of an altar. At this point, however, it appears that that designated place was destroyed by the flood, so Noah had to build an altar.
It was Noah’s desire to provide an offering to the Lord that would be acceptable in the sight of God. I do not believe that Noah’s offering at this point was a sin offering. It was not an offering that was intended to provide a covering for his sins. This must have been an offering of thanksgiving and dedication to the Lord.
You see, Noah had already passed through the judgment so that he would have no need of a sin offering. At this point, Noah needed only to bring an offering of thanksgiving in which he could express his dedication and devotion to the Lord.
Oh my, how you and I, when have been saved by faith in Christ from the judgment to come, how we should thank God, not only at the moment of salvation but every day of our lives for the grace of God that has delivered us from all of the judgment that is to come. This great deliverance should also motivate us to dedicate our lives unto the Lord with all sincerity and devotion.
Yes, Noah built an altar so that he would have a place to offer his animal sacrifices, but the Apostle Paul tells us that God requires a different kind of sacrifice from us today. We do have an altar today but that altar is not for the offering up of animal sacrifices. Christ has already come to present Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for sin, not just to cover our sins but to take away our sins. Because of His sacrifice, we have the assurance that we will never have to face the judgment of God’s wrath. However, in Romans, Chapter 12, Paul challenges us, saying:
Romans 12:1-2 NKJV
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
The sacrifice that pleases God today is the sacrifice of the believer who comes to God and presents himself as a living sacrifice. He is pleased with the believer who offers up his life, saying, Lord, here’s my body, take my body and use it for your honor and for your glory.
Noah offered up dead, animal sacrifices as a burnt offering to the Lord upon an altar that he had built, and God was well pleased. But today God wants each believer to offer his body as a living sacrifice, not the body of an animal, but his own body, not as a dead sacrifice, but as a living sacrifice. God was well pleased with Noah’s animal sacrifice, but today God is well pleased when each believer is willing to present his own body to God as a living sacrifice.
Now, after Noah offered his sacrifice to the Lord, the Lord smelled the sweet smell of the sacrifice, and He said in His heart:
Genesis 8:21 NKJV
21 . . . "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.
Notice that God did not say that He would never again destroy the earth and its inhabitants. In Genesis 9 God tells Noah:
Genesis 9:9-11 NKJV
9 "And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you,
10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth.
11 Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth."
God states that He will never destroy the earth with water, as He did through the flood. God promises this to Noah, and Noah’s descendants and all of the living creatures upon the earth. But in the book of 2 Peter, Peter speaks of a judgment that is going to come upon this earth. All of the inhabitants of the earth are going to experience this judgment except those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ.
The men of the earth at that time will be ungodly men. They will be like the ungodly men of Noah’s day, and they will say:
2 Peter 3:4 NKJV
4 . . . "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."
Before the flood, Enoch prophesied for 300 years about the fact that the Lord would someday come with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgment upon all that are ungodly. Then Noah preached for 120 years that the judgment of God was coming. But the men of that day scoffed, saying, we’ve never seen any such judgment; nothing like that has ever happened before.
Well, there had been a judgment like that before. When Lucifer sinned, a great, cataclysmic judgment fell upon all of the creation. Peter says that in the last days people will once again be unaware of the previous judgments of God. 2 Peter 3:5 says:
2 Peter 3:5-6 NKJV
5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,
6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.
This takes us right back to the time of Noah and the flood. Now, verse 7:
2 Peter 3:7-13 NKJV
7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
The Day of the Lord 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Yes, the flood judgment came because of the wrath of God upon the ungodliness of men, and that judgment is but a picture of the end time when God will completely destroy the earth, not with water, but with fire that is reserved in heaven. Indeed, this fire is reserved in heaven right now.
In the days of Noah, water was reserved in heaven for that very moment when the flood was to come. Even so, at this very moment, there is fire in heaven that is waiting to be poured out upon the earth at the time of the final judgment. At that time, God will destroy the heavens and the earth that now exist and out of that old heaven and old earth will come a new heaven and a new earth which will be filled with righteousness.
The great flood judgment did not rid the world of wickedness. In Genesis 8:21, God said:
Genesis 8:21 NKJV
21 . . . although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.
God knew that even after the flood, the heart of man would continue to be evil. But after the end time judgment of fire, which will result in the new heaven and the new earth, there will be only righteousness. Those who have come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and have been made new creations in Christ will fill the earth. There will be no place for the old nature in the new heaven and the new earth.
Noah was kept safe while he was in the ark, but he came out of the ark with the old sin nature. In fact, we see in the scriptures that shortly after Noah came out of the ark, he planted a vineyard and got drunk. So Noah still had to deal with the old sin nature. But in the new heaven and the new earth there will be no one who still has that sin nature. Old things will have passed away, and everyone who is there will be righteous in the sight of God.
I’d like to ask you this today, have you ever trusted Christ as your Savior? Do you know that you are free from the wrath to come? One day God’s judgment is going to come upon the earth in a worldwide judgment. There are multitudes of people who go out into eternity everyday without accepting by faith the good news that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world. I trust today that you are like Noah in that you have by faith entered into the Lord Jesus Christ who is our ark of safety.
Well, I see that our journey for today has come to an end. The Lord willing next week we are going to look at the instructions that God gave to Noah as he and his family settled into a world which had changed dramatically as a result of the flood. Until that time, we bid you goodbye.
Church links:
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