Mankind’s sin and wickedness from Adam deteriorated to the point that God was grieved and regretted why He made men. The judgement was for God to bring the floods on earth to exterminate mankind, but because of righteousness, God found one man who was righteous and different from them all. This man was assigned to build the ship called the ark to put all the reptiles, birds and animals in it so that they could escape the floods. God requested that all animals should be brought in the ark in twos. We will follow the story of what transpired below.
The bible says, “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 birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them’ But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:5-8).
The Lord spoke to me and said, ‘If anyone calling himself a Christian, but when you correct them they say, “Who are you to judge me? Are you God?” Know that they are not yet saved.’ Real Christians are not expecting a judgement from God for their judgement was purged on our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul made it clear that we judge the angels and saints and the small things God will judge; that’s the unbelievers. I hope this is clear enough. If a brother is showing you something, humble yourself to search yourself that’s all, you have nothing to lose.
So coming back to the story of the ark, this was toughest moments of God ever because He even regretted His decision and resorted to judgement. After the Lord had moved across all the earth trying to find someone who could be different to save mankind, he found Noah. God does not bring judgement on believers, but on the unbelievers. The preaching that makes you feel like God will judge you, are from the opposite side swhich the devil. God will never judge you. If you think I am just making it up, I have a verse for you.
Let’s read, “And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked; (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds); then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgement” (2 Peter 2:5-9).
Peter is giving us a reference to look at. That’s Lot. We all know how Lot was rescued from the judgement of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham interceded for him and asked God that if He found fifty righteous people in Sodom, would He destroy the righteous with the wicked? God said, “…If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes” (Genesis 18:26). In other words, because of the righteous the Lord promises to spare all for the sake of fifty, just imagine this for your house or family that the Lord will protect your family because of you.
There is something that he is pointing out here, that Lot was righteous and godly. Although so, seeing and hearing their lawless deeds his soul was tormented. Lot is the picture of a believer who has stopped attending the church because of friends or even the environment. As he stopped, he sees, hears and does the lawless deeds the world does. But the Lord has not forgotten about them, he will rescue them.
Looking back at the life of this righteous man, we see that he was so defeated that he was ready to give his daughters up to be known carnally by the wicked men of Sodom. When the angels arrived to destroy the cities, they first came to the house of Lot. As soon as the angels arrived, the men of Sodom surrounded Lot’s house seeking to know the men carnally. Lot understood that they were angels but decided to keep it from them. But instead he was ready to give his two virgin daughters to these wicked men.
Let’s read from the bible, “See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof” (Genesis 19:8). Who can give up his daughters like that? The bible says that there were men, young and old surrounding his house, and Lot gave up his two virgin daughters? That is so sad. Well, his soul was tormented day to day by the filthy conduct of the people who lived there and he ended acting and thinking like them, but God rescued him.
Can a man be so defeated that he gives up things which are important to him? Esau did give up his birthright to Jacob. Maybe right now you are reading this article and you are saved, but your life is the total opposite of who you are. God has not forgotten about you. He will rescue you. He is already gathering you through this message. No matter who said what to you, if you are saved, you are saved. That’s all that matters with God; He has never seen you like everyone else see you. He is still seeing you ‘saved’, and you still have not lost your salvation.
There is something about God that we cannot fathom, that He does not deviate from what He says. We think that He has conditions like us men. He is different from the way we look at things. This is what He said, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them, for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). The Lord here confirms His presence being with you where you are.
Now look at this, “And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8). Here the Lord confirms to be the leader, and as He goes before you, this is what He will do, “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5). He will not just lead the way but, He will destroy the enemies who come before your ways.
When the nation in the days of Noah had transgressed, God found Noah and was with Noah. God gave Noah task to build the ark which took one hundred years to be completely finished. We see that although God judged mankind, He still did not want to exterminate man because He loves us. As I have just quoted three times where the Lord confirmed His presence, even to Noah He confirmed His presence.
Now after Noah had built the ark, God said to him, “…Come into the ark, you and your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation” (Genesis 7:1). We see God not saying, ‘Go into’ but saying, ‘Come into’, this means that He is the ark calling Noah to come Him. There is something I like about what God said, ‘you are righteous before Me'. There is something about being righteous before God that is so powerful. Even when Noah was drunk after the floods finished, but he did not lose his righteousness.
Lot although he was tormented and defeated in his spirit, he did not lose his righteousness before the Lord. When you are going through spiritual dryness, God does not leave you but gives you the strength in order for you to come out of that situation. He says, ‘I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.’ He means what He says. We are trying so hard to redefine the real meaning of this by adding conditions. When God pronounced you righteous, He meant you are righteous. Lot was righteous and was rescued and escaped the judgement which was to fall upon Sodom and Gomorrah.
The message of the gospel of grace which people do not understand is that God will never leave you. Then the favourite question will always arise, ‘What if I sin?’ You are righteous, He will never leave you. The thing is I think somehow people misunderstand something. Let me quote something to clear the air, “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9).
This is not a matter of trying so hard not to sin and judging the behaviour of others. We are born in the sinful nature; we will always come short of the glory of God. However, there are things which if a person who claims to be born of God is seen doing we will doubt, it is when is seen committing adultery and idolatry. Still if that person was truly saved and born of God, they cannot lose their righteousness before God. Yes, before men they have lost it. It is not our duty to tell who is and who is not saved.
When you get saved, do not expect to be perfect. You will only repent. The word repent in Greek is metanoeō, that is, reconsider (morally to feel compunction) or to think differently meaning the change of mind. When a person repents and accepts the Lord Jesus, it means he has come to believe in the finished work of Jesus and that he believes that Jesus Christ is the Lord. When we believe we become righteous like Abraham and we will never be forsaken by God. This also implies that we are free from sin. The flesh will remain flesh and spirit will remain spirit.
I like what my Lord Jesus said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). I believe that when John was writing this chapter 3 from verse 4 to 9 in his Epistle, he was looking back on this verse. When you are born of God, your spirit is born of God and not your flesh. So your duty now is to ask the strength of the Holy Spirit every day not to be overcome by sin. It is not like you will do things by yourself. No. He is the One who will lead you according to His will.
The Lord Jesus made everything possible for us when He died on the cross. He died that whoever believes may escape the judgement of the wicked. Noah in his time gathered his family according to the instruction of God. Your family will be protected because of you, as much as even Lot was interceded by Abraham and the an, gels were commissioned to rescue Lot and everyone who was close to him. Either way, God said He would not destroy the righteous together with the wicked. This is the time to accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and fall in love with Him.
The ark of Noah rested on the seventh month, “Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat” (Genesis 8:4). It has been confirmed that this day is the same day that the Lord Jesus was resurrected. Even the Lord Jesus rested in saving us on the cross when He bowed His head and died. He found pleasure in saving us. That is why the bible says, “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit” (John 19:30). There you have it, before He gave up His spirit, He bowed His head first. In other words, He rested to see us saved. Hallelujah!
God found pleasure in saving us. He crushed His Son Jesus for us to be saved. The bible says, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise (dâkâ') Him; He has put Him to grief” (Isaiah 53:10). The word bruise here means crush from the Hebrew translation. God crushed His Son that we may not be crushed. Then through this we were forgiven of our sins and God pronounced us righteous. Now you can be sure of His presence everyday wherever you are going.
Read this, “Then God spoke to Noah, saying, ‘Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you’” (Genesis 8:15-16). Now at this stage, opposite to what He said in the beginning, He sends Noah out and He will remain in the ark. He was the first one in the ark and the last one to come out; this is because He is the ark. He spoke to Joshua that He will never leave him, and He did with Noah. He was with him at all the time.
Look my dear reader, if you are righteous, know one thing that you are not righteous by works but by faith. Now if you were not saved by works, then no amount of works will take you out of your righteousness. We cannot sin away our righteousness folks. If Noah could not, how can you? If Lot could not, how can you? If Abraham could not, how can you? Those who are washed by the blood of Jesus cannot be defiled again by anything; they are looking forward for His rapture.
I want to elaborate on something here. The ark is the picture of our Lord Jesus, therefore, when we are saved we are in the ark who is our Lord Jesus. When Noah was carried by the Ark, there are times when he would fall in the ark but would stand on his feet again in the ark, he never fell out. Because I believe that the ark was not smooth sailing at all times because it was not in the sea. Maybe if it has come to the falls, everyone would fall. The same occurs for those in Jesus, the journey is not always smooth, although so if you do fall, you will always find the strength to stand on your feet again, because Christ will give you the strength.
In some beliefs they believe that one has to confess their sins and ask for forgiveness to show repentance. They believe that we are forgiven as we go, when we sin God writes your sins in His divine records. But hey, when God says, He forgave us all of our sins. God's all, is all, whlist Mankind’s all would would be to forgive all known sins past and present.
Stay in health through grace and favour
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