I'll be reading in a moment from
the book of Genesis, chapter 6, if you want to follow along. Genesis, chapter 6. Do you believe that there was
a worldwide flood upon this earth some 6,000 years ago that God destroyed all life on this
earth, save what was in that ship or what we now refer to
as Noah's Ark. I'm quite sure that most, most
persons do not really believe that happened, just as most do
not believe that God created the heavens and earth in six
days. and that all mankind came from
one man and one woman. I barely believe that most people,
most persons do not believe either creation or the flood. Now, the Apostle Peter declares
that. He declares that this unbelief
will be especially prevalent in the last days. I'm reading
from 2 Peter chapter 3, in which he says in verse 3 that in the
last days scoffers shall come, scoffers, those that laugh at
such stories as being foolishness. And he says that they will argue
in verse 4 of 2 Peter 3, they'll argue saying, where is the promise
of his coming, the promise of Jesus Christ? coming to this
earth. For since the fathers fell asleep,
or that is, since the beginning, all things continued as they
were from the beginning. And then Peter goes on to say
in verses 5 and 6 that they are willingly ignorant of that by
the word of God the heavens were of old and the earth standing
out of the water and in the water. Now, Peter is saying that men
are willingly ignorant that God created the heavens and the earth
by his word, by merely speaking it into existence. They're willingly
ignorant of that. And in verse 6, he says, the
world that then was being overflowed with water perished. That's the
flood. He said they're willingly ignorant
that the world perished by this flood. And verse 7, he says,
Now the heavens and the earth, which are now by the same word,
or that is, by the same command of God, are kept in store, reserved
unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly
men. So Peter says that most, or especially
in the last days, are willingly ignorant of the and flood. Now, it's not my intention to
try to prove the creation or the flood, although there is
much irrefutable evidence which science willingly ignores. Man is willingly ignorant of
the creation and the flood. Man chooses not to believe these
things in spite of plain facts or evidence because Man does
not want to believe that God is his creator, the one who made
him, who made all things, because that means that God owns all
things. And if you own something, you
can do with it as you please. And that's exactly what God said.
Cannot I do with my own as I please? And also, if one is a creator
or the maker or the master and owner and ruler, that means he's
the judge, the one to whom the creature must answer, must report
to, must take his orders. And so man is willingly ignorant,
Peter said. And the flood is a story of God's
anger and hatred and judgment against sinful man. Yes, man. Now, most choose not to believe
that. And listen to me carefully now.
At the same token, many who claim to believe that there was a flood,
they show their ignorance of it by wearing a symbol of that
flood, a symbol of Noah's Ark, wearing it as jewelry or decoration
in their home. Now, any symbol is a graven image. And this is a serious one. And
it's not to be used as a cute adornment. That makes a mockery
of the judgment of the wrath and the anger of God against
sin. To wear it as a mere adornment
or some cute symbol. Do you know the real story behind
Noah's Ark? Provided that you believe in
such an Ark. And by the way, I don't believe
they'll ever find that ark. They still look for it, don't
they? But I don't believe they'll ever find a 6,000-year-old wooden
boat. If they did, well, I hope they
don't find it. Because if they did, men would
worship it. They'd put it up in some shrine
and people would come visit it. They ought to burn it. If they
did find it, they ought to burn it right there. Shouldn't be
looking for it, but if they found it, they ought to burn it. lest
men worship it, because it is just a worthless piece of wood,
a worthless piece of wood. Well, the story of Noah's Ark,
do you know the real story behind Noah's Ark? The story of Noah's
Ark is the story of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Perhaps you
have heard this story as a child. The real meaning, just as everything
in Scripture points to Jesus Christ, the story behind the
story of Noah's ark is the story of Christ crucified. Jesus Christ
is the ark of safety from the overflowing scourge of God's
wrath against sin. I'm reading now in Genesis chapter
6, the story of the ark, and verse 5, I'm reading Genesis
6, verses 5 through 7. It says, And God saw that the
wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination
of the thoughts of his heart, that is, man's heart, was only
evil continually. And it repented the Lord that
he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from
the face of the earth, both man and beast, and the creeping thing
and the fowls of the air. For it repented me that I have
made them." Now, let me remind you who this Lord is, this Lord
who said, I will destroy man in none other than the Lord Jesus
Christ. All right, He said, I will destroy
man, for man is only evil continually. And man hasn't changed. He hasn't
changed. He's no better, perhaps worse,
certainly. worse because it's more widespread. Man's sinfulness is more widespread
throughout all the earth. It's more heavily populated.
But man hasn't changed. And it says in Psalm 14, God
says of mankind in verses 2 and 3 of Psalm 14, the Lord looked
down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any
that did understand and seek God. And he concluded, they're
all gone aside. They're all together become filthy. The word is stinking. There's
none that doeth good. No, not one. And the Apostle
Paul repeats that in Romans 3 when he says there's none that doeth
good. No, not one. There's none righteous. No, not one. And God has declared
in the last book of Scripture, the Revelation, as well as the
others, that he will destroy mankind by fire. Yes, that's
persons God is going to destroy. God will destroy man, persons. Now, most do not believe this
either. Most do not believe in the destruction of mankind by
fire, although God said it many times. Most believe this is old-fashioned,
archaic, foolish, doctrine for the ignorant and the unlearned,
for the religious, just as they would say of creation and the
flood. Well, I'm not speaking to those
scoffers anyway. I'm not speaking to those. I'm
not going to strive with the pot sherds or cast this pearl
before swine. But it is a certainty. It is
a certainty because God said it. Just as creation happened
as God said, and the flood happened as God said. So will the end
come as God said. Now, the destruction of mankind
is not a display of the love of God, the love of God, but
rather is a display of the wrath and hatred of God. God does not
destroy anything or anyone he loves. No, sir. Never has. never will. God saves those he
loves with an everlasting love. You see, the love of God was
on the inside of that ark. Those whom God had loved before
the world began, those whom God had chosen before the world began,
in time he put in that ark and he saved them. Can you imagine
Noah putting a bumper sticker on the outside of that ark which
said, God loves you as the people were being drowned by that flood? You say, that's foolishness,
isn't it? Well, so is the notion that God loves all mankind, when
in fact, God is going to destroy a multitude of persons. Now, the love of God is in Jesus
Christ. That's what Romans 8, verse 39
says. Jesus Christ is the ark. And
the love of God is in Christ. The love of God is for all those
in Christ by faith. Outside of Jesus Christ, He is
a consuming fire. Well, let me ask you, how did
Noah get in that ark? Well, how Noah got in the ark
is how we get to Christ, how we get found in Christ. How did Noah get in that ark?
Free will? Was it Noah's Free will? No,
sir. It was free grace. It was God
choosing Noah. It was God calling Noah. It was
God putting Noah in that ark. Look at Genesis chapter 7 with
me. Chapter 7, verse 1. The Lord
said unto Noah, or that is, the Lord called Noah and said, Come
thou and all thy house into the ark. Noah wouldn't have gone
in. if God hadn't called him, if
God hadn't chosen him, if God hadn't brought him in. Verse
16 of the same chapter says, And they went in, male and female,
of all flesh, as God had commanded him. And the Lord shut him in. The Lord drew him in, and the
Lord shut him in. That's why he was in the ark,
and that's why anybody will ever be found in Christ. And back
in chapter 6, verse 8, it says, Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. See, it's not because Noah was
better than the rest or because Noah was without sin. No. You'll see how sinful Noah was
just as soon as he got off that ark. No, Noah found grace. Grace means unearned, unmerited
favor. And all are saved. Noah was saved
and all are saved by sovereign grace. Noah found grace. Noah found grace. Now, the whole
story of the ark is the story of Jesus Christ, the ark of safety
for sinners. Christ, who bore the wrath of
God against sin, like that ship, was pounded by the wind and the
rain and the judgment of God while Noah was safe inside. Christ
is the believer's ark, in whom the believer is safe, in whom
the believer rests, like Noah. All Noah did was rest and eat
and feed his family. And that's all the believer has
to do in Christ, is rest. Ask Noah. He'll tell you how
he was saved. He'll tell you. He'll say, God
chose me. God called me. God taught me. God brought me. God shut me in
the ark. I'm saved by God's sovereign
grace through the ark. And so is every sinner. He's
saved by grace. which is in Jesus Christ. I hope
you are in the ark. Until next Sunday, good day. Okay.