THE L.I.F.E. PLAN A RIGHTEOUS MAN BLOCK 1. THEME 8 - THE FLOOD LESSON 3 (31 of 216)

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Barrie Percival Robbins
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1 THE L.I.F.E. PLAN A RIGHTEOUS MAN BLOCK 1 THEME 8 - THE FLOOD LESSON 3 (31 of 216)

2 BLOCK 1 THEME 8: THE FLOOD LESSON 3 (31 OF 216): A RIGHTEOUS MAN LESSON AIM: Man s actions were so sinful that God became sorry that he had created man. SCRIPTURE: (Genesis 6:8-10) 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. From a spiritual perspective, the time in which Noah lived was very dark. We have already seen that man s condition due to sin had deteriorated to the lowest levels. We have seen that God became sorry that he had made man, and that the man he had made had become so wicked. In the midst of this darkness, there was one shining light, a man by the name of Noah. Noah had been named by his father Lamech. His name means rest or comfort. Lamech gave him this name, acknowledging the blessing the child brought to the home, contrasting him with the great toil of scraping out a living from the accursed ground. While Noah brought comfort to his father, giving him another reason to work the hard land to feed this boy, he would be used of God to bring comfort to the earth and to God in the not too distant future. We should remember that when God repented himself for making man, the word also means that God comforted himself at the same time. Part of the comfort of God in this dark time was that there was a man through who he could continue to bring about his purpose in the world. This man was Noah. Let s take a look at the life of Noah and note three things about him that captured the attention of God. First, let s note the character of Noah. This is always the main point when we consider the life of any person. Unfortunately, many times we do not learn a person s true character until it is too late. For example, an employer has a person to walk in off the street to apply for a job. According to his resume, he is everything an employer could ever want, all wrapped up in one individual. He has the education, skills and experience that are necessary for the job at hand. While these great things can be seen on paper, the thing that cannot be seen is the man s character. Many employers have hired people whom they thought would be a great employee only to find out that a character flaw would completely disqualify them from the company. Perhaps, the man was unjust in his dealings with other employees and customers. Maybe he had no respect for the authority of his supervision. Or, he took things from the company that did not belong to him. Character is really the most important thing about a person. The problem with it is it cannot always be put down on a resume. It has to be observed over time, and it always comes out. God has an advantage in this area. He can look at the heart of a man and read his character without having to watch him to learn what his true character is. The character of Noah was exemplary. He was a just man, that is, he was a righteous man. He had a heart for God and for making this known to others through the life that he lived before them. His behavior reflected the belief in his heart. The Bible says that he was a perfect man. This does not mean that he never sinned or never made a mistake. It means that he sought to live as God had revealed to him and when

3 he fell short of God s standard, he repented of his sin and corrected his actions. He walked with God which speaks of both his public and private life with God. In public before men, he sought to live a godly life. In private before God, he conversed with God, seeking God s will, praying to him, confessing and repenting of his sins, doing the spiritual maintenance that is required to keep oneself in a close fellowship with God. This is the kind of man Noah was at heart and the kind of person we need to be today to be usable for God. Noah was usable for God. God was about to do a terrible thing in the earth. He would invite Noah into this work with him, giving him a very important assignment to fulfill. When Noah was 480 years old, God told him that he had taken all he could take concerning man s sin upon the earth. The time had come for him to respond. He told Noah that he was going to destroy every living thing upon the earth with the exception of him and his family and a few animals. Noah was assigned the task of building an ark which would carry them safely through the coming judgement of God upon the earth. The ark was no little raft, or dingy, but was a ship in the category of large ocean-going vessels on the seas today. It had a volume of 1.4 million cubic feet, a deck area of some 96,000 square feet, and had a displacement of 14,000 tons. This was a great feat in itself to build such a vessel, but it is even more astonishing when we consider that it was built on dry land, away from any large body of water. It was this act, according to Hebrews in the New Testament, which was an act of faith. For one hundred and twenty years, Noah worked on the ark. As he worked, he warned the people of God s coming judgement and invited them to repent of their sins. All the while, God was longsuffering toward man, withholding his judgement, giving them time to repent. Sadly, no one did. Noah and his three sons and their wives were the only people who did not perish in the flood. The last thing we will note here of Noah is his obedience. Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him to do. It would be easy to say that it did not make sense for Noah to build a ship away from the water. The reality is that it made all the sense in the world. The reason it made sense is because his assignment was attached to the purpose of God. God had told Noah that his judgement was coming and that he must build an ark. God have him the design and dimensions to use and Noah went to work. It does not matter what assignment God gives us as long as we know that it is connected to his purpose. While Noah and his family were in the ark and they would begin to repopulate the earth after the flood, and while the animals were in the ark and they would reproduce after their kind in the new world, much more than this was riding in that ark. The seed of the Messiah and the purpose of God to redeem and rescue fallen man and destroy the works of the devil was the most precious cargo on board. Through Noah s obedience, God preserved his promised Messiah. This is one of several times in the Scriptures when the promise hung by a thread and God used a man or a woman to keep his purpose alive. God is still working according to this purpose today. The Messiah has come. He gave himself as a sacrifice on the cross to redeem the fallen and to crush the head of the serpent. The purpose of God for his followers now is to take the news of who Christ is, what he did, and what he is still doing, to the nations of the world. Whatever God may assign us to do to advance this purpose is not senseless or impossible. Like Noah, we must be people of godly character, people on mission, and obedient to whatever God gives us to do. In this way, we can shine a righteous light in the midst of the spiritually darkened world in which we live. The judgement of God is once again looming on the horizon. We must be faithful to work and to warn others that there is salvation available now. One day, the door of opportunity will close, and only those on the inside will be saved from the wrath of God.

4 LESSON OUTLINE BLOCK 1 THEME 8: THE FLOOD LESSON 3 (31 OF 216): A RIGHTEOUS MAN I NOAH S CHARACTER A. He was a just man B. He was a perfect man C. He walked with God D. He was favored by God II NOAH S ASSIGNMENT A. Build an ark B. Bring the animals III NOAH S OBEDIENCE A. He did all which God commanded B. God preserved his covenant through Noah SCRIPTURES TO BROADEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING 1. Noah s birth Genesis 5: Noah righteousness Genesis 6:9 Hebrews 11:7 3. Noah s preaching 1 Peter 3:20 2 Peter 2:5 LINES OF THEOLOGICAL CONNECTION 1. ESCHATOLOGY The flood likened to the end time judgement of God 2. CHRISTOLOGY Keeping the promise of the Messiah alive throughout history 3. ANTHROPOLOGY Living righteously 4. SOTERIOLOGY Salvation by grace through faith

5 QUESTIONS ANSWER KEY 1. How old was Noah when God told him to build the ark? How many years did it take Noah to build the ark? In addition to building the ark, what else did Noah do while he worked? He preached repentance 4. How many people were saved in the ark? 8 5. What was the most important cargo aboard the ark? The seed of the promised Messiah 6. Three things were presented about Noah in this lesson. List them. His character; his assignment; his obedience 7. Why was it not senseless to build a ship away from the water? The assignment to build the ark was connected to the purpose of God 8. Has God given you an assignment that seems senseless? What is it, and what will you do with it? Student response

6 BLOCK 1 THEME 8: THE FLOOD LESSON 3 (31 OF 216): A RIGHTEOUS MAN QUESTIONS TO INSPIRE THOUGHT 1. How old was Noah when God told him to build the ark? 2. How many years did it take Noah to build the ark? 3. In addition to building the ark, what else did Noah do while he worked? 4. How many people were saved in the ark? 5. What was the most important cargo aboard the ark? 6. Three things were presented about Noah in this lesson. List them. 7. Why was it not senseless to build a ship away from the water? 8. Has God given you an assignment that seems senseless? What is it, and what will you do with it?

THE L.I.F.E. PLAN METHUSELAH BLOCK 1. THEME 6 - PEOPLE PROFILES LESSON 3 (23 of 216)

THE L.I.F.E. PLAN METHUSELAH BLOCK 1 THEME 6 - PEOPLE PROFILES LESSON 3 (23 of 216) BLOCK 1 THEME 6: PEOPLE PROFILES LESSON 3 (23 OF 216): METHUSELAH LESSON AIM: Briefly survey the life of Methuselah SCRIPTURE: