Genesis chapter 8, read with
me, verses 13 through 16. Hold on just a minute there. Okay, verses 13 through 16, Genesis
8. And it came to pass in the six
hundredth and first year and the first day of the month, the
waters were dried up from off the earth, and Noah removed the
covering. the door, that is, of the ark,
and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. And in
the second month of the seventh, seven and twentieth day of the
month, was the earth dried. And God spake unto Noah, saying,
Go forth of the ark, thou and thy wife and thy sons and thy
sons' wives with thee." Now we keep seeing more things and being
more and more amazed. Seeing the wonders, or as Scripture
calls it, the unsearchable riches of Christ. Unsearchable meaning
they are inexhaustible. We could keep studying the same
things over and over again and still see new things, riches,
uncover new things. The Ark was 100 years in being
built. 100 years for one year of service. One hundred years. Long time
in it. Preparing it for one year of service. Our Lord is the eternal
Son of God. The gospel is called the eternal
covenant of the eternal God. Ordered in all things and sure.
A day is a thousand years. A thousand years is a day. The
Lord spent the equivalent of a thousand years purposing the
gospel, the covenant. One day in the life of his son. Millenniums, this was preparing
for Christ to walk this earth just for a short time. To preach,
actually, for three and a half years. He came for a short time.
Christ is the ark. That ark was there for one purpose,
wasn't it? The ark was built for one purpose. To save some sinners. Did it? Yes, it did. Save God's elect. Christ came in this world for
one purpose, didn't He? To save sinners. Did He? Yea, and Amen. He did. One year in that ark. Start thinking about that. What
it would be like to spend one year in that ark. That was tough. That was tough. But we know something about that.
It was a short time, really. When you think about one year,
what is one year? You think about a year. It's
no sooner turned 2013 that I just learned to write 2012. The older
you get, years seem like days, don't they? One year. It's nothing,
is it? But when you're going through
a trial, it seems like a long time. It seems like a hundred
years. That one year on board this ark, I'm sure, seemed to
Noah and his family like a hundred years. And some of you know what
this feels like. They were riding out a storm.
It was raining heavily for many, many, many days. And that boat,
that ship was rocking. And they were riding out that
storm. Can you imagine their worries? They can't see outside. They can't see outside. It's too dark. It's raining. I thought about this, Stan. What light did they have inside
the ark? They didn't have sunshine. I
thought what a type that is of God's people. We're not in darkness
even as others. God provided light. We have light. In the new heaven or new earth,
there's no sun. We don't need it. The Lamb is
the light thereof. At any rate, they were riding
out that storm, and you imagine their worries as that boat, that
ark, tossed to and fro. Imagine they're worried. Are
we safe? Every one of them worried about that. Are we safe? Yes,
you are, according to God's promise. You're in the ark. Remember? You're in the ark. Well, are
we safe as we go through the storms of life? And all of us
do. Are we? Well, listen to his promise
And God is not slack concerning his promise. He said, A thousand
shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but
it shall not come nigh thee. That happened to Noah. The people
outside the ark didn't. And you will behold, and you
will see the reward of the wicked, because thou hast made the Lord,
which is thy refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation. There
shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy
dwelling, if you are in Christ. Don't worry. Our Lord kept asking
His disciples and us, why are you so fearful? And He kept telling them over
and over again, fear not. Why? Because you're in Me and
you're safe. And the overflowing Spirit shall
not come by you if you've made Him your refuge. Imagine their
depression being in that ark for a year. Imagine their depression. We all go through it, don't we? We all get downcast. We all get
in distress. We all get depressed, don't we? One year in that ark. I thought
about this, sickness. They went through sickness. Has
anyone in here had sea sickness? There's nothing on earth worse. Of course, it's not on earth.
If you've ever been out to sea and got sick from it, it's the
worst, isn't it? You think the flu is bad? You
can at least lay in your bed and it's not swimming. Oh, my. Sea sickness. Bad? You've had
it in the Navy. Oh my, it's awful. I can't escape
it. And you think it's never going to go away. Sickness. And some of you have been through
sicknesses that lasted an awful long time. And you thought, this
is never going to end. Imagine their fears. Imagine
their fears after they were in that ark for three months, four
months, five months, six months, eight, months, nine months, ten
months, God's forgotten us. Not possible. Look at verse 1
of chapter 8. Remember that? God remembered
Noah and every living thing that was in him. He can't forget you. He can't forget himself. He can't
deny you. He can't deny himself. If you're
in Christ, He remembers you. He thinks on you. If you're found
in Him, you're remembered by God. If you're found in Him,
you'll be found in heaven, in the new earth that day. Imagine
their impatience. Imagine how impatient they were.
How much longer? How much longer is it going to
be? And if someone had told them, just 90 more days, 90 days. Have you ever been through a
difficult trial and somebody said, it's just going to be a
week more? A week? I can't take another
week. I remember when Mindy was in
labor. She was in labor for 24 hours. That's a long time to
be in labor, isn't it, ladies? Those of you who have gone through
it. I remember the doctor came to me and said, it won't be long
now. This was about the 23rd hour.
And the doctor said, just maybe one more hour. And I was excited.
And I went to her and said, honey, just one more hour. And I remember
the look on her face. One more hour. That's an eternity. When you're
in pain, it isn't. They're impatient. How long?
David kept asking that, didn't he? How long, oh Lord, how long?
How long, how long? David was 70 years old. He was
old. The Lord said he was old. He
was 70. That's young, isn't it, Mom? How long? How much longer? When it's over, it seems like
a breath, but when it's over, It seems like just a breath of
vapor, doesn't it? Every one of them went through
it. Everyone in that ark went through all the same thing. And
that's what the Scripture says, that there's no trial taking
you but such as is common to man. That God will, with the
temptation of the trial, make a way to escape that you may
be able to bear it. And this is the way to escape.
to come and hear a man say from God's Word, He won't be long
now. Lift up your eyes, your redemption
is all that matters. And I love that passage in 1
Peter 5 where he reminded them, the people and us, he said, Know
this, that the same affliction, the exact same things you go
through, your brethren are going through, the same afflictions
are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. Accomplish.
The same affliction was sent by someone to accomplish something. Accomplish something. The trial
of your faith and to the praise of the glory of his grace. That's
what it accomplishes. So, beloved, remember, a day
is a thousand years. A thousand years is a death.
It's all according It seems like a long time, but your life is
a vapor, and it won't be long. Now, time is short. That's why
we need to buy the truth and sell it not. All right? So look, verse 13, it says, it
came to pass. That year came, and it passed. This too shall pass. Whatever
you go through shall pass. They all went through it, and
they all made it safe to dry land. The Lord kept saying that,
didn't He? 13 and 14, the waters were dried up. Dry ground. The 14th verse, the earth was
dried. Dried up, the waters. Dry land. Like the children of Israel who
later went through the Red Sea. Remember, they all went through
it on dry land. Dry ground. They didn't get mired
in the mud, in the muck. And they didn't carry it with
them over to the other side. They were done with it. The Lord brought Noah and his
family through the flood onto dry land. The thing that drowned
the world, they weren't overcome by it.
Like the children of Israel I just mentioned, it said the Egyptians
were drowned, but the water was a wall under them. Listen to
this. This is a blessing. And you can
turn to Revelation 12 with me. There's something over there
in Revelation 12. The world that we live in is
like that sea. When we looked at the children
of Israel crossing over the Red Sea, we saw that as a picture,
as a type of how God's people go through this world on dry
land, on Christ the solid rock, And this sinful, this present
evil world that separates us, this gulf between us and God,
the Lord brings us through it. We're not going to be overcome
by it. The Egyptians were drowned by it. The whole world was drowned
by the water, weren't they? But because Noah and his family
were in the ark, they were lifted up above that water. The things
of this world, the world we live in, drowns men and women in perdition,
as Scripture says. The riches of this world, the
things of this world, overcome the people of this world. But
God won't let it happen to Christ's people. Look at Revelation 12
over here. I need to turn myself. In Revelation
12, this is a picture of this. Look at verse 15 and 16. The serpent cast out of his mouth
water as a flood after the woman. That's the church. That's us.
The woman, the bride. The serpent cast out of his mouth
water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be
carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman,
and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which
the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth and
made war with the remnant. Satan is called the God of this
world. The Lord said that. And God of the universe. has given the God of this world
some amount of power, some power to give riches and to give things
to people. That's right. Do you remember
when Satan tempted our Lord with the things of this world? Remember?
He said, for that is given to me. Remember that? He said that.
And the Lord did not dispute that. But the man could have
no power at all except it be given him, right? But he is given
some amount of power, some ability or authority to give the riches,
the things of this world, which swallow up people, which drown
people. And that's exactly his intent
and his purpose. But he has no power at all over
Christ and his people. No power at all. Do you know
why you don't make it rich? Do you know why you're not going
to be filthy rich in this world? Try as you may, work as you may. Do you know why you could not
fully retire, Brother Henry? Because God won't let you be
drowned with the things of this world. You just said that, Hannah, last
night, didn't you to me? Why do we live hand to mouth?
His hand, our mouth, so we won't be overcome by the things of
this world. Be glad that you don't succeed. The earth swallows it up. The
earth. David said, I've seen the rich,
the wicked like a green bay tree spreading themselves. Religion,
you know, they have to keep building and building and building. They
can't hold all the people they're getting in. And we live from
Sunday to Sunday with our checks. Why is that? Because we won't
trust in the riches of this world, but trust in the living God.
We won't be drowned in these things. We won't be overcome
by these things. That's the goodness of God. So
the water that destroyed the world, it's a wall unto us. The Lord won't allow us to be
overcome by it. Be thankful the next time you're
wondering Your next house payment is going to come from. You know
where it's going to come from. It's going to come from the same
place it's always come from. OK? Fear not. Fear not. All right? Look back in our text
in Genesis 8, verse 15. So God spake unto Noah, saying,
just read on down through here, Go forth of the ark, thou and
thy wife and thy sons and thy sons' wives with thee. Bring
forth with thee. every living thing that is with
them of all flesh, both the fowl and the cattle, every creeping
thing that creepeth upon the earth, that they may breed abundantly
in the earth, or be fruitful and multiply upon the earth.
And Noah went forth, and his sons and his wife, and his sons'
wives with him, every beast, every creeping thing, every fowl
of whatsoever creepeth upon the earth after their kind, and went
forth out of the ark." Just like God said, every last one of them. They all made it through
the flood. And that's what our God said. All God's elect will
be spared God's wrath. All will come through. Why? Every single living thing in
that ark made it through. Why? Well, some had more faith than
others. Didn't have one thing to do with it. Well, some believed
stronger than others. Didn't have one single thing
to do with it. Well, some prayed harder than
others. That didn't have one single thing to do with it. Well,
some rode harder than others. There were no oars on their hearts. Why did they make it through?
Every last one of them, from the lowest worm to the loftiest
eagle. Why? Noah made an ark. I have this sometimes nervous
habit and constant habit of laughing like that, but I can't help myself. That makes me happy. Exceedingly
happy. When the Lord turned again our
captivity, David said, we were like those that dream, and our
mouths were filled with laughter. And we said, the Lord has done
great things for us. We're glad. Christ said, This is the Father's
will, that of all which thou hast given me I should lose nothing,
but raise it up again at the last time. Those that thou hast
given me, he said, I have kept, and none is lost. Go forth. See, this happened because God
said, Go forth. And Christ went before. Look
at verse 16. Go forth. All the orders, all
the commands are to Noah. Go forth. Christ went before
us to the cross, he went to the grave, and he went to the throne,
and so shall we. Look at verse 17, bring forth. Bring forth. Oh, it became him
who became our captain in bringing many sons unto the Lord. And
verse 18, Noah went forth and his son, all of them. We're all going to walk into
glory, just like he said we would, and Christ is going to say, they're
all here. Behold, I and the children that God has given me, all present
and accounted for, because I kept them all to the praise of the
glory of his saving grace. So Noah went forth and Noah brought
them all out, every living thing. Our Lord said that he has a people. out of every tribe, kindred,
blood, nation under our covenant. They all will come out of this
world, out of tribulation. Look at verse 20. I'll start
there in verse 20. It says, Noah built an altar
unto the Lord, and took of every clean beast and of every clean
fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Scripture says, for his
sake we are all killed all the day long. We are all ready to
be offered. Every believer, Romans 12 says,
is to present their bodies a living sacrifice to God. Holy, acceptable
unto God, that is our reasonable service. We are like sheep for
the slaughter. And it says in verse 21, the
Lord smelled a sweet savor. A sweet savor. Listen to this.
I love this verse, especially as a preacher, but this is applying
to all of God's people. It says that thanks be unto God
which always causes us to triumph in Christ and makes manifest
the savor of His knowledge by us in every place. For we are
unto God a sweet saver of Christ, and them that are saved, and
them that perish. So how are we a sweet saver?
How are we offered? How are we a sweet saver unto God?
As we testify of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we preach the gospel. Because all of those animal sacrifices
represent the Lord Jesus Christ who removed the curse. The Lord
Jesus Christ, who is that sweet savor unto the Father. The Lord
who gave Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a
sweet-smelling savor. They are many. Hebrews talks
a great deal about this, doesn't it? There were many there, but
He won. He won. And by one sacrifice, He had
perfected forever. Made us accepted. in the blood,
the lamb's blood. I thought about this, you know,
perhaps the world, all that dead flesh from that flood, perhaps
there was still a stench in the air. Reckon? I don't know, but
perhaps there was. There's only one thing that will
really get rid of the most noxious smells. You've burned something. Burned
something. Well, here's the good news. Christ was a burnt offering.
Christ is a burnt offering. And the only thing that will
get rid of this noxious flesh in the nostrils of our God is
a burnt offering of Christ, and Christ was sacrificed. He does not smell it. He does
not smell it. Like Jacob who came to his father
Isaac, he wanted the blessing. He wanted to be accepted like
the elder brother, Esau. He wanted to have the father's
blessing. But the blessing was for the
elder brother, the firstborn, the heir. The blessing was for
him. So his mother dressed him like
his brother. His mother gave him the meat
that his father loved, the sacrifice, the meat he loved. His mother who knew the father
and who knew her oldest son made him to be just like his brother. And he came to his father and
his father said, Are you my son, my oldest son, the heir of all
things? And Jacob, that usurper, That
sinner who has no right to it, he said, I am. He said, well,
come near. Let me put you to the test. So
he came near, and he said, do you have that meat I love? Do
you have that sacrifice I love? Huh? If we're to approach unto
God, we've got to have that sacrifice that God loved. The lamb. And
then he said, come closer. Kiss me. Kiss me. And it says that the
father, who was not fooled, the father smelled him. He said, the voice is of Jacob,
but the smell is of my son Esau. He's seeing bliss. What a picture
that is. Have you had that sweet-smelling
savor? Christ, that's how we come nearer to the Father. Now
look at this. The blessing is not only what
God promised He would do, but what He promised He would not
do. Look at it. He said, I will not. Verse 21. He smelled that savor and the
Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground anymore. for man's sake, even though the
imagination of his heart is evil from his youth, neither will
I again smite any more everything that I have done. I will not,
I will not, I will not smite because of this sacrifice." That's
good news. And while the earth remaineth,
seed time and harvest bringing in, time to gather, time not
to, cold and heat, you're going to be up and down, Night and
day shall not cease. You're going to go through all
of this, but you're not under the curse anymore. Why? Sacrifice. That's it.