Seeking the help of God once
again, I'd like you to draw your attention to the chapter that
we read together, Genesis chapter 8 and the text you'll find in
verse 9. the dove found no rest for the
sole of her foot and she returned unto him into the ark for the
waters were upon the face of the whole earth and he put forth
his hand and took her and pulled her in unto him into the ark. A very beautiful image is portrayed
in the mind of the reader as they come to this portion of
the Word of God. surrounded by death and destruction,
surrounded by judgment. We have an image of Noah standing
at the window of the ark and a dove having flown around for
some time having found no rest and then returning to the ark
as her only place of safety, her only place of rest, to be
greeted by the hand of the captain of that ship, Noah himself, and
he puts forth his hand and he brings her into the ark. So surrounded by death and destruction
and judgment we have a picture of hope and a beautiful illustration
of the love of the Lord Jesus Christ to those who are weary,
those who are tired, those who cannot find any rest are able
to find rest in him. As God created the earth we know
that it wasn't long before man sinned against him and he was
cast from the presence of God and as sin and as the people
began to multiply upon the face of the earth so sin began to
multiply and God saw that the wickedness of man that was great
and every imagination and the thoughts of his heart was evil
continually And so God decided to bring about a judgment, to
bring the human race to extinction. But Noah found grace in the eyes
of God. Noah found grace, undeserved
love. Yes, he was a sinner just as
everybody else was, yet he was a preacher of righteousness. He believed in God. He trusted in God. He wanted
to serve God. He wanted to obey God. and God
noticed or knew of Noah and he found grace in the eyes of the
Lord and so God made a way by which Noah and his family could
be preserved from this great judgment that was going to come
and not only was Noah and the family going to be preserved
but God was going to create a way by which the The animals, the
birds and the insects would be able to continue to live upon
the earth after this judgment. And the scripture tells us that
Noah moved with fear, created the ark for the saving of his
family. God spoke to him. and told him
that he was to build an ark, that God was going to bring a
judgment upon the world to destroy everything that he has made.
God made this way of escape for Noah. Noah was warned about what
God was about to do. And today we are warned. Though God has promised that
he is not going to flood the earth again, he has promised
that he is going to bring about a second judgment, a judgment
at the end of time when the Lord Jesus Christ will come again.
It is a warning. It has been declared in the scriptures
that the Lord Jesus Christ is going to come. And the only place
for safety, the only place to escape from that judgment is
in the ark. the Ark of the Lord Jesus Christ,
that place of refuge, that place of safety, that place that God
has created where sinners might be able to live and to escape
his great wrath for their sin. We look at the world today, it's
not much different to when it was in the days of Noah. We look
around about us, the wickedness of man is great. are honest with ourselves the
imagination of the thoughts of our hearts are evil continually
and it is only by God's grace that we ever experience any goodness
of God especially in salvation but if we look outside we look
at the world how it is wars and rumors of wars violence and hatred
the destruction It is what fills the news. Not much love. Not much love to God. Not much
loving our neighbors as ourselves. It doesn't make much headlines
but we just see violence throughout the world. Persecutions against
the believers. We see countries rising up against
countries seeking for power and dominance. just as it was in
the days of Noah. The earth was filled with violence
but God in his mercy provided a way of escape by which those
inside of the ark could be lifted up above that judgment and experience
God's grace and love. and enabled to live upon the
new world that would come out after that flood. And even today,
there is that place of safety in Christ Jesus. Those who are
found in Christ will one day be with him in glory in that
new heaven and that new earth, that place with no tears, no
sadness, no sorrow, no violence, no hatred, but true peace with
the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we have then this beautiful
picture of Noah and the dove is a type I feel of the Lord's
people. First of all Noah sent out a
raven. As we go through the scriptures
you see that there are often two types that God sets before. Here a raven, a raven that went
out from the ark and never returned. A raven that found rest for the
soles of her foot on the death and decay that was floating upon
the waters of the ark. She went to and fro and she was
happy there. The things that were floating,
the decay that she could feast on, they were pleasant to her. She had no reason to return to
the ark because all that she needed was floating on top of
the water. And it's just like a sinner running
from God. Running in the death and destruction
of this world as they find satisfaction on the fleeting pleasures that
this world has to offer. The death and decay, the passing
away. They run and they run far, far
away from God, never wanting to return, just feasting on what
the world has to offer. The kingdom of darkness, the
raven, a tight of the kingdom of darkness, Satan's kingdom.
The kingdom of this world. He was happy afar off from the
refuge. Happy afar off from Noah and
the family. She didn't want to return. Had
no need to return. But satisfied with the pleasures
that this world had for her. As we go through the scripture
you see that there's two Jesus says there are two ways. There
is a broad road that leads to destruction. The raven type of
that broad road leads to hell itself, to the judgment of God.
Yes there may be satisfactory pleasures that this world has
to offer but they're not true. They're only fleshly pleasures.
Sustaining the flesh for a little while or then they must be moved
on to be enjoyed. Another one, another one, another
one. But the end of that road is death. The wages of sin is
death, the scripture tells us. Those who are on that broad road
will receive the consequences for their sins. The raven, we
never hear anything more about her. She flew off away from Noah,
away from the ark, satisfied with all that this world had
for her. When Jesus was on the cross there
were two thieves. one on his right hand and one
on his left hand. One ridiculed the Lord Jesus
the other ridiculed him but was then transformed by the power
of the Holy Spirit and came to worship the Lord Jesus Christ.
I said to you the other day of Christ's arms outstretched left
hand and right hand two ways One thief on the left, one thief
on the right. Which one are we? Are we on the
broad road that leads to destruction or the narrow way that leads
to life? Are we the raven flying around feasting on this world? Are we on the left hand of the
Lord Jesus Christ scoffing and ridiculing and mocking? Save thyself and us, he says. There are those then two kingdoms,
there's the two destinies. The end of that narrow way that
leads to life is heaven. The end of the broad road that
leads to destruction, it is hell. At the end, when the Lord Jesus
Christ comes again, the scripture tells us there will be the dividing
of the sheep and of the goats. One on his left hand, the other
on his right hand. Again it sets before us two.
There is only two. One way to life, one way to death. Which one are we on? Does it
concern us? Have we ever thought about it?
Do we put it all to the back of our minds? Does it concern us that if we're
on the broad road that leads to destruction we are separated
from the Lord Jesus Christ? If we look at this raven do we
find ourselves there? Where do you find your greatest
pleasure? Where do you find your greatest enjoyment? Do you find
it here in the material things of the world? Do you find that
your flesh, your heart is yearning after what this world has to
offer you? Do you find there that is where
you go as a craving? You go there to the world to
satisfy it. Are you like this raven wanting
to flee, wanting to run, wanting to get away from all the time? Something is driving you away. Why is it that you have those
feelings? Why do you want to run from God? Why do you want
to run from your upbringing? Why do you want to run from chapel? What is it that is driving you
away? It is Satan. He is drawing you
away. He is trying to bring you further
and further and further away from this ark. Trying to drive
you further and further away into the wilderness of this world. Where will you end up? you will
end up like the prodigal son. The prodigal son who was driven
away by his ambition, his desire to blow all of his money, to
satisfy his flesh. Yes, he ended up having a load
of friends. Yes, he had a lot of girlfriends.
Yes, he enjoyed himself for a little while. But when all of his money
ran out then he was bankrupt. His friends left him. His girlfriends
left him. They didn't want to know him
anymore. It's just like this raven gone. Thought he had freedom. But he was lost and completely
lost. And if it wasn't for the mercy
of God in the parable that young man would have spent his days
in poverty and then on to destruction and damnation in hell. But for God's mercy he was brought
to his senses He realised his sinful condition and looked again
to his father and returned in repentance and sorrow to his
father's house. Just like this dove, another
type. The raven is gone. But the dove went. But she wasn't satisfied. She found no rest for the sole
of her feet. You see they have different natures. The raven feasts on death and
decay but the dove feasts upon the leaves and those things. Different natures. One is a scavenger. And so where the raven found
comfort and rest, the dove found none. Yes, she saw them. Yes, she saw the debris and the
decaying nests above the waters, but she didn't want it. It didn't
attract her. She knew it wouldn't satisfy
her. So she found no rest for the sole of her foot. Just like
the centurion brought up with all of his gods. They're all
the gods of Rome. Yet then he realised the one
true living God and his son the Lord Jesus Christ. So he abandons
the idolatrous worship and he comes and he seeks after the
Lord Jesus Christ. Just like the dove despises the
death and decay and the things that were round about her and
her only hope was to come back to the ark. Has that change taken
place in you and me? Can we look to a point in our
lives when we were like the raven We were satisfied with what the
world has to offer. We were pleased with the things
that this world gives us and we were quite content in staying
there. We feasted on the things which
now we see as debris and decaying and passing and fleeting. God
in his mercy dealt with us. We're transformed from a goat
to a sheep, from a raven to a dove by the power of his spirit. And
now that those things, if they were placed in front of us, they
have no appeal to us anymore. We see them as passing, our character,
our disposition has been changed. And therefore we see no beauty
in those things. We go around this world and we
can't find true rest. We are now part of this kingdom. We were once of that kingdom
of darkness. Now we are part of the kingdom
of light. We find no rest in the kingdom
of this world. We find much trouble in this kingdom. We find no contentment in this
kingdom. Noah sent this dove out again
twice or three times. Twice she comes back, one with
an olive leaf and then she doesn't come back the last time.
She rests in that new kingdom, that new world. And one day that
will be our true rest for the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Yes there are times and places and moments that we may have
fleeting rest and fleeting peace and enjoyment but we can't find
our settled rest. We are strangers and pilgrims
on the earth seeking for a city that is out of sight whose builder
and maker is God. And this dove flying and flying
then she finds that there is that place of rest in that new
earth. Ultimately as she finds no rest for the sole
of her feet she returned unto him into the ark for the waters
were upon the face of the earth and he put forth his hand and
took her and pulled her in unto him into the ark. Noah received her just as the
Lord Jesus Christ will receive those who find no rest for the
soles of their feet. Those who are experiencing that
toing and froing in this earth, this weaning of the things of
this earth, this realisation that they have sinned and are
in need of a place of safety, where do they fly? They can't
find any rest here below and so they fly, they flee, they
wing their way to this heavenly knower of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he has promised to receive
such. Those who fly to him, those who
wing their way to him with their troubles and cares, those who
wing their way to him who are burdened with their sin, he has
promised to receive such unto himself. He came to seek and
to save those that were lost. He came the friend of sinners
to save sinners by his precious sacrifice upon the cross. And this is how he treats them.
I don't know if you can envisage in your mind Noah putting his
hand out and seeing this dove flying and then bringing her
to himself just as the Lord Jesus Christ. You may think that you're
too sinful. You may think that you've been
too far off for so long. you've been a raven, you've been
a prodigal for so long you may think that there's no hope for
you. Or if you winged your way to
the Lord Jesus Christ you would find him just like Noah, leaning
out of the window waiting for you to come for he knows you're
coming. He says no man comes unto the Father except the Father
draw him The very fact that you feel like winging your way to
Christ is because Christ is drawing you to himself. And he is waiting
for you just as Noah was waiting for the precious dove. So Christ
is waiting for his dear people to come unto him and to bring
them into safety. She found no rest for the sole
of her foot because there was no place for her. The only place
where she could go where she could find rest was in the ark. That was the place of safety. And the only place of safety
for a sinner who is finding no rest for their feet is the Lord
Jesus Christ. This world is weary, makes people
heavy laden, but the Lord Jesus Christ is the rest for sinners. When the Lord Jesus was baptised, He came out of the water and
the scripture tells us that as he came up out of the water the
Holy Spirit rested upon him as a dove. Matthew chapter 3. And Jesus,
when he was baptised, went up straightway out of the water
and below the heavens were opened unto him and he saw the Spirit
of God descending like a dove and lightning, lighting upon
him and a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son in whom
I am well pleased. So as Noah is that type of Christ
and we see the as it were the sinner flying to the Lord Jesus
Christ we see in Christ Jesus the Son of God as he raises as
he comes up out of the water the Holy Spirit descending and
anointing him for that ministry. John the Baptist has been waiting
for this sign He'd been told by God that the one whom you
see the Spirit of God lighting upon, this is he. And so Christ,
anointed by the Spirit of God, goes forth into the public ministry
of his word. And so the Holy Spirit of God,
likened to a dove, who rested upon the Lord Jesus Christ, also
rests upon all of his dear people. Jesus says the Holy Spirit, who
is the comforter, the comforter. As the dove found rest in the
ark, in the arms of Noah, so the people of God are comforted
and find rest by the application of the word, by the Holy Spirit,
as he leads them and guides them through the Christian pathway. We don't have much rest. Like
we said on Wednesday we don't have much peace in this world. There's much toing and froing. There's much turmoil. There's
much opposition and discouragement. But there are times in the life
of a believer when we can experience true peace and true rest. Ultimately we will never experience
it fully. this side of the grave. Our hope
is beyond the grave. As Noah had to wait for the judgment
water to subside so you and I we have to wait. We have to wait
when this body will pass away and we will be forever with the
Lord. Our spirits will wing their way
to glory like the dove into the arms of the Lord Jesus Christ
where we will be forever with the Lord. Our bodies, yes, will
be waiting here for that final day, that final judgment when
body and soul will be reunited. A new body will be given unto
us, a body without sin, without a corruption. While we are here
below, we wrestle in the pathway of life, wrestle with the things
of this world, wrestle with weaknesses of the flesh, but in times and
in seasons we may experience what it is to have rest and peace
in the ark, the ark of the Lord Jesus Christ. So may the Lord
give us that transformed heart to take away our heart of stone,
to take away our love of the things of this world, like the
raven feasting upon death and decay, and give us a true desire
for a holy life, a true desire to flee to the Lord Jesus Christ,
the heavenly knower, and to find that safety and rest in the ark. May the Lord add his blessing.
Amen. We sing our final hymn from Gatsby's
1053. 1053 to the tune 894. Love divine, all love excelling,
joy of heaven to earth come down. Fix in us thy humble dwelling,
all thy faithful mercies crown. Jesus, thou all compassion, pure
unbounded love thou art. Visit us with Thy Salvation.
Comfort Every Sinking Heart. 1053 All thy faithful mercies grant. Yeah. ? Make a way for us today ? ? And
forever be our way ? ? Make a way for us in its beginning ? ? Set
our hearts on fire ? Change from glory into glory. Still in heav'n we take our place. Till with us the crowns before
thee. And by the grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, the fellowship
and communion of the Holy Spirit, to be with you, each now and
for evermore. Amen.