Today I'd like us to look at
Noah as a type of Christ. Consider Noah, man who most people
have heard of, most people saved or lost, they've all heard about
Noah. I'd like us to consider how Noah was a type of Christ
and how, like all types, they're not perfect. They break down. They break down. An example of
that would be the cities of refuge, which we know are a picture of
Christ. The manslayer would flee to the city of refuge. And once
safe in one of the cities of refuge, they were safe from the
avenger of blood, but the type breaks down when we see that
there's six cities of refuge. Well, there's only one Savior.
That's the Lord Jesus Christ. So as Brother Henry often says,
types break down that way. They're not perfect. But they
do point us to Christ. They do point us to Christ. So
with that in our minds, let's Turn to Genesis chapter 5, Genesis
chapter 5, where we see the genealogy of Noah's bought forth. Genesis
chapter 5, and we'll read verse 29 here.
The scriptures tell us that Noah's father Lamech named his son Noah,
Noah. And he called his name Noah,
saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil
of our hands because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed. Noah's father called him Noah,
named him Noah. Well, this name foreshadowed
the one who would come for his people. Noah in Hebrew means rest. rest. Noah's father regarded him as
one who would be the rest giver, as one who should provide comfort
from the toil incurred by the curse. This same shall comfort
us concerning our work and toil of our hands because of the ground
which the Lord hath cursed. I ask you, beloved of God, who
is our rest? His name foreshadowed the one
who is our rest. See, biblical names always have
meanings. Always have meanings. Who's the
rest of every born-again, blood-washed saint of God? Well, we know it's the Lord Jesus
Christ in Him alone. He's our rest. So Noah's name
foreshadowed the one who is our rest. This ancient prophecy,
as Robert Hawker brings forth, receives its fulfillment in Christ. Turn, if you would, to Isaiah
chapter 11. Isaiah chapter 11. We'll read
verses 1 to 10. 1 to 10. And remember, his name is Rest. Isaiah chapter 11, verses 1 to
10. And there shall come forth a
rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of
his roots. Well, we know the Lord Jesus
Christ is called the Branch. And the Spirit of the Lord shall
rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the
Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the
fear of the Lord, and shall make him of quick understanding in
the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge after the
sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears,
but with righteousness shall he judge. Well, the Lord is the
Lord our righteousness, beloved. So he judged the poor and reproved
with equity for the meek of the earth. He shall smite the earth
with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips shall
he slay the wicked. Who shall the wicked stand before
at the great white judgment throne? None other than the Lord Jesus
Christ. None other than He. In righteousness
shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of
His reins. Our Lord is full of righteousness.
While He walked upon this earth, He is perfect, sinless, spotless
Lamb of God. And He's rotting out of righteousness
for His people. And who's He faithful to? He
is faithful to God in all things, wasn't He? Everything. We'll
see that later on. He's perfect. He's perfect in
everything He did, beloved. The wolf also shall dwell with
the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the
calf and the young lion and the fat one together, and the little
child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall
feed the young ones, shall lie down together, for the lion shall
eat straw like an ox, and the suckling child shall play on
the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand
on the cocktail stand. They shall not hurt nor destroy
in all my holy mountain for the earth shall be full of knowledge
of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Now remember Noah's
name. What's it mean? Again, it means rest, doesn't
it? It means rest. Look at verse 10. And in that
day, there shall be a root of Jesse, which will stand for an
ensign of the people. Who's our ensign? That's the
Lord Jesus Christ. He's the branch. He's our ensign,
beloved. And look at this. The inside
of his people. To it shall the Gentiles seek. Who do we seek? Well, we seek
the Lord Jesus Christ. And look at the latter part of
this verse. And his rest shall be glorious. It's glorious, isn't
it? The rest that we have in Christ,
beloved, is glorious. It's absolutely glorious. And
verse 10 with us speaks of Christ, beloved. Verse 10, He's the ensign
of His people. It's to Him that God's people
find refuge. We flee to Him. We seek Him. And we find rest. In this rest,
when God's people are born again by the Holy Spirit of God, we
proclaim that this rest we have in Christ is glorious. It's glorious. It's wondrous. All our sins forgiven. All our sins forgiven. It's absolutely
wondrous. Christ rest is truly glorious
for the believer. What a rest we have. What a rest
we have from the burden and guilt of our sin. The burden and guilt
of our sin. What a rest we have from the
power of it. Now we still have the presence of it, don't we?
But it don't have the grip on us. It used to. Oh my. And what
a rest we have from the bondage of sin in Christ. Oh, we have
rest from the curse and the condemnation of the law. Have you ever considered
that? The believer has rest from the curse and condemnation of
the law. The believer has rest from the
divine wrath of God, because Christ died as our substitute
before God's law and justice. And God's law and justice, again,
is totally satisfied in Christ, totally satisfied in him. We
have a rest, knowing that all our sins are forgiven, all of
them. There's not one that's not covered
by the blood. That's glorious. That's a glorious rest. There's
not one sin for the believer that's not covered by the blood.
I was talking to a dear preacher this week, and we were rejoicing
on the phone at the wonder that all our sins, past, present,
and future, are totally forgiven. And we were having a little revival
right there. It was wonderful. Because it
fills your heart with joy. It fills your heart with joy.
It really does. Absolutely wondrous to think.
And what a glorious rest the believer has in Christ. We have
a full pardon of our sins. Paid in full. Everything God
demanded for our sins, for the sins of his elect, is paid in
full. Everything. Nothing left out. Absolutely
nothing. And we've been redeemed. We'd be purchased by the blood of Christ. Purchased
by the blood of Christ. We know that the life of the
flesh is in the blood. He gave his life for his people.
Wonder of wonders. The sinless, spotless lamb of
God. God himself, God incarnate in the flesh, that he'd give
his life for sinners. Purchased we can't purchase we
can we could have all the money in the world And we can't purchase
our soul what's your profit man if he gained the whole world
and lose his own soul Lord Jesus Christ if you're a
believer he purchased you with his own precious blood That's
a glorious rest, isn't it? That's glorious. That fills the
believer's heart with joy. We also have rest in Christ in
our afflictions, don't we? In the things that come our way
through this life. Now, we don't always like going through
afflictions. I don't know anyone who likes going through afflictions.
I really haven't met many people that like that. But we go through
them, don't we? And God carries us through them.
Carries his people through their afflictions. And what gives us
rest? Knowing that in the midst of
a storm, that he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Never. Oh, what rest, what peace comes
to the believer's heart. And we have an eternal rest too,
beloved. We've not yet experienced that
yet. But the saints who went before us, they're experiencing
it right now. An eternal rest. The believer
in Christ has an eternal rest in glory. And just think of this. We will spend eternity beholding
the one who redeemed us with his own precious blood. Oh my. All because it pleased him to
do so. Just because it pleased God to do so. Turn, if you would,
to Matthew 11. Matthew chapter 11. Matthew chapter 11. And when we're there in glory,
when we see our Savior face-to-face, beloved, we will praise Him forever. Forever. Forever we'll thank
Him for what He's done for us. And what does the Lord, who is
the believer's rest, tell us in Matthew chapter 11? Let's
turn there. Matthew 11, verses 25 to 30.
Look at this. I was talking to a dear sister
today, or not today, this week, on Friday. And we were talking about someone
that they know, and the person said to them, well, I'm too great
of a sinner. Christ will never accept me. And I said, you let them know
that Christ will accept all who come to him. That's the truth. All who come
here except he won't turn him away. And she said, in it wonderful. And we rejoice in because he
didn't turn us away. He never turned any who come
to him, you're not turn them away. You won't look what it
says here. At that time Jesus answered and
said, I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because
Thou hast hid these things from the wise, and prudent has revealed
them unto babes. Even so, Father, for it seemed
good in Thy sights. All things are delivered unto
Me of My Father, and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father. Neither
knoweth any man the Father, save the Son. And He to Whomsoever
the Son will reveal Him. Come unto Me. all ye that labor and are ever
laden. And I will give you rest. Rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn
of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest
unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden
is light. Noah's name foreshadowed the
very one who would be the believer's rest. Noah's name in Hebrew means
rest. And that points right to Christ,
beloved. That points right to the Lord
Jesus Christ. What does the scripture say about
those who find rest in Christ? It says we've ceased from our
labors. Turn, if you would, to Hebrews chapter 4. See, this
is how you can know if someone is truly trusting in Christ or
not, right? Have they ceased from their labors?
Are they constantly telling you what you have to do? I used to
be one of those fellas. I praise God He delivered me
from that. Oh, what rest the believer has
in Christ. The believer in Christ has ceased
from their labors, beloved. They've ceased from trying to
save themselves. They've ceased from trying to
save themselves, because trying to save yourself, if God leaves
you in that situation, will only lead to your condemnation. You'll
die and perish in your sins. Look at this scripture in Hebrews
chapter 4. And again, remember Noah's name,
Rest. Look at this, Hebrews chapter 4, verse 9. There remaineth therefore
a rest to the people of God. A rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his
rest, well, who's our rest? The Lord Jesus Christ. Come unto
me, all ye that labor and are heavily laden, and I'll give
you rest. For he that is entered into his rest, entered into Christ,
he also seeth from his own works. We can't save ourselves, but
we look to the one who saves our souls. the one who did all
the work. All the work that was needed
for us to be accepted by God was done by Christ and Christ
alone. The believers ceased from their
labors. It's wonderful, isn't it? It's absolutely wonderful.
Ceased from his labors. Ceased from his own works as
God did from his. Oh my. Wonderful. So we see how the name of Noah
foreshadowed Christ who is the believer's rest. Let's go back
to Genesis chapter 6. Genesis chapter 6. The name of
Noah foreshadowed Christ, who is the believer's rest. And it
is he and he alone who shall comfort us all. And our salvation
is all in Christ, and Christ alone. Genesis chapter 6, we'll
read verses 1 to 8. Or 1 to 18. 1 to 18, I'm sorry. And it came to pass, when men
began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were
born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men,
that they were fair, and they took them wives of all which
they chose. And the Lord said, My spirit
shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh,
yet his days shall be in a hundred and twenty years. There were
giants in the earth in those days. And also after that, when
the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they
bear children to them. The same became mighty men, which
were of old, men of renown. And God saw that the wickedness
of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of
the thoughts of his 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
men whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man
and beast, and creeping things, and the fowls of the air. For
it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah, look at this,
verse 8, but Noah, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. These are the generations of
Noah. Noah was just man and perfect in his generations. And Noah
walked with God. And Noah begot three sons, Shem,
Ham, and Jephthah. The earth also was corrupt before
God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked
upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had
corrupted his ways upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end
of all flesh is come before me, for the earth is filled with
violence through them. And behold, I will destroy them
with the earth, make thee an ark of gopher wood, rooms shalt
thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with
pitch. And this is the fashion which
thou shalt make of it. The length of the ark shall be
300 cubits, the breadth of it 50 cubits, and the height of
it 30 cubits. A window shalt thou make to the
ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above, and the door
of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof. With lower,
second, and third stories shalt thou make it. And behold, I,
even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all
flesh. Wherein is the breath of life from under heaven and
everything that is in the earth shall die. But with thee, remember,
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. But with thee will
I establish my covenant. And thou shalt come into the
ark, thou and thy sons and thy wife and thy son's wife with
thee. Note in verse eight here, it
says Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Noah found
grace in the eyes of the Lord. Now, this is true of every born-again
blood-bought saint of God. This is true of every born-again
blood-bought saint of God. We're saved because we found
grace in the eyes of the Lord. Let that just sink into your
soul, deep into your soul. The only reason you're saved
is for Christ's sake. And because as Noah found grace
in the eyes of the Lord, we found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
That's the only reason. And who is the one who saved
us? Well, the one who's full of grace
and truth. The one who's full of grace and
truth. Turn, if you would, to John chapter 1, and we'll read
verse 14. The one who's full of grace and
truth. If Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, how much
more would God's Son, who's the sinless, spotless Lamb of God,
If Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, how much more would
God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the sinless, spotless
Lamb of God, who is said to be full of grace and truth, look
at this, John 1.14, and the Word was made flesh, and the Word
was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory as
the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. He's full. So how much more in
the eyes of the Lord would God's Son, If He said to be full of
grace, oh my, He's sinless, He's spotless. He's the only one who
pleased the Father, beloved. He's the only one. If you and
I get any grace, it has to come in and through the Lord Jesus
Christ. He's the fountain of all grace, beloved. He's the
fountain of all grace. He's the Word of God. He's God
incarnate in the flesh. And what did He do? He came here
to save His people from their sins. Turn, if you would, to
Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter one, we are saved by
grace and we know it's a gift of God. It's a gift from the
sovereign hand of the Lord. And this grace comes to us in
and through the Lord Jesus Christ. All spiritual blessings are in
him. All of them beloved. All of them. Look at verse three
of Ephesians chapter one. Blessed be the God and father
of our Lord Jesus Christ who had blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Now note that, who
had blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ. All our spiritual blessings are
knit together in Christ, beloved, the one who is full of grace
and truth. In verse 4 we see, what are some
of these spiritual blessings? In verse 4 we see that we're
chosen in Christ in eternity in this chapter. Well, what a
blessing that is, beloved. In verse 5, we see that we're
predestinated unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
Himself according to the good pleasure of His will, because
it pleased God to do so. That's a great blessing, beloved.
That's a great blessing. In verse 6, we're accepted by
God in Christ. In verse 7, we're redeemed by
the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we have the
forgiveness of all our sins. You see? All spiritual blessings
are in Him. In verse 9, we have revealed
to us the mystery of God's will. and how He purposed to save us
from eternity. Not everyone in this world knows
that. They don't have that revealed to them. But God's people do.
God's people do. And these are all spiritual blessings
that God's people have in Christ. In verse 13, we've obtained an
inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of God,
who works all things. After who? After whose counsel?
After the counsel of His own will. He saves whom He pleases. It's wonderful. In verse 13,
we're born again by the Holy Spirit of God. We're given ears
to hear the gospel of the word of truth. We're granted faith
to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's the gospel of
our salvation, isn't it? It's the gospel of our salvation.
And we're sealed by the Holy Spirit of promises. These are
spiritual blessings that the believer has in Christ. And there's
many, many more. We're justified. We're sanctified
in Christ. We're redeemed by Christ. It's
amazing. It's just countless how many spiritual blessings
we have in him. And they all come through Christ.
They all come through him. Now, Noah found grace in the
eyes of the Lord. Where do we find grace? In Christ. And through Christ alone. Nowhere
else. Nowhere else. We are accepted
in the beloved. We are accepted in Christ. And
it's Christ who saved us. It's Christ who's called us with
a holy call. Not according to our works, not
according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace
which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.
It's wondrous. It's absolutely wondrous. And
what comfort a saint of God can draw from these truths as we
travel through this world of woe. And this world is a world
of woe. Again, it's the only tribulation we face, the only
trials we face, beloved, is in this world. In this world. Let's
go back to Genesis chapter 6 and look at verse 9. The scripture
proclaims that Noah was a just man. Noah was a just man. Genesis chapter 6 verse 9. These
are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect
in his generations. And Noah walked with God. The
Hebrew word for just is defined as just, lawful, righteous. Just, lawful, and righteous.
Now, as a man, if Noah was just and perfect, imagine what the
Lord Jesus Christ was. We know Noah is just like us.
He's a sinner just like us who found acceptance with God through
Christ and justified by faith in Christ. But Noah possessed
no inherent righteousness of his own. This righteousness is
imputed, beloved. It's imputed by faith to those
who believe. There's only one man who's ever
walked this earth who was inherently and intrinsically righteous,
and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. No one else. No one else. So, and that's who Noah foreshadowed,
when it says he's a just and perfect man. In his generation,
that's who Noah foreshadowed, beloved. It pictured Christ,
the only true, just and righteous one. Turn, if you would, to 1
John chapter 2. 1 John chapter 2. How do we know
this? Well, in our study on Wednesday
nights, we've been going through 1 John. We're in chapter 2 now,
but this is a portion that we hit a few weeks before. But look
what it says here, 1 John chapter 2. Remember, Noah was a just man,
which means righteous. Look at this. 1 John 2, verses
1 and 2. My little children. Now John's
writing to believers. These things write I unto you,
that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the what? Righteous. Righteous. He is the only righteous
man. Oh my, and He is the propitiation
for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the sins of
the whole world, for all the elect of all the ages, beloved. Think of this, no one was or
ever will be as perfect as the Lord Jesus Christ. He's sinless,
spotless. Think of this, He was just in
all His dealings with man, beloved. That's why He's called Jesus
Christ the righteous. He was just in all His dealings
with man. And he was just in all his dealings
with God, too, wasn't he? He was. He was perfect. And he walked, just like now,
he walked in his generation, didn't he? Perfectly before God. Righteous. Spotless. Sinless. Perfect in all his ways. Think of that. Not a thought
sin, not a spoken sin, not a sin in action. Absolutely perfect. We can't imagine that, can we?
Because we're sinners. Everything we do is tainted with
sin. But he's the God-man, beloved. He is God incarnate in the flesh,
and he came to save his people from their sins, and he was perfect
before God as our substitute, too. Remember that. He's perfect before God is our
substitute. He's perfect in all his ways
before God and man. He came to do the father's will
in John chapter 6 verse 39. It says, and this is the father's
will, which had sent me that of all which he had given me,
I should lose nothing but should raise it up at the last day.
He came to do the father's will. You can come do his own will.
He can do the father's will. Father sent him to save his people
from their sins. And he did it. He did it. He
came to do the will of the Father. He came to save those whom the
Father had given Him before the foundation of the world. His
bride. And how did He save them? By shedding His precious blood
on Calvary's cross. By dying as their substitute on that cross. By having the
wrath of God that was deserving them. fall upon him. And praise God, he cried, it
is finished. And the scripture says he's raised
for our justification. What a glorious Savior. Perfect
in all his ways. Perfect in all his ways, beloved. Before God and man. Salvation
is only in and through the Lord Jesus Christ, the righteous.
Only in Him. He's the only Savior of sinners.
The only way that a sinner can be accepted before God, the only
way that you or I, anyone in this room or anyone who will
hear this message, the only way that we can be accepted by God
is in and through Christ and Christ alone. There is no other
way. There's no other way. No other way. Neither is there
salvation in any other. No one else but Christ. No one
else but Christ and Christ alone. Oh, there's none other than Him,
under heaven, given among men, whereby we'd be saved, only through
Christ, only through Him. Oh, my. Turn to Psalm chapter
40, if you would. Psalm chapter 40. We see these
words penned by David, but they have reference to our Lord and
Savior, again, in how He came to do the will of the Father.
He came to do the Father's will. And he did it perfectly. He was
perfect again before God, and he was perfect before man. Look
at this in Psalm 40, verses seven and eight. Then said I, lo, I
come in the volume of the book it is written of me. This book
is written about Christ. This book right here is all about,
it's a hymn book. Like Brother Henry said, H-I-M.
It's a hymn book. It's all about Christ. It's all
about him. Then said I, lo, I come, and
the volume of the bucket is written to me. I delight to do thy will,
O God. Yea, the law is within my heart. Christ delighted to do the Father's
will. Why? Because He came to save
His people from their sins. His bride. When we get a hold of that, when
we get a hold of how we are the bride of Christ, and how he came
to save us, and how his love was set upon us for eternity.
It'll take you away from the cares of this world for a while.
It's a wonderful thing to think upon, to meditate upon, the everlasting
love of Christ for his people, for his bride, and he purchased
us with his own precious blood. And the fact that he came to
do the will of the Father, which was to save his people from their
sins. The volume of the book is written
about Him, it says there, and the Bible is all about Christ.
The Old Testament and in the New. He said, the Law and the
Prophets, they testify of Me. That's the words of the Master.
They testify of Him. Let's go back to Genesis chapter
6. Genesis chapter 6. Oh, our Savior, delighted to
do the will of God. He's perfect before God and perfect
before man. Note here in Genesis chapter
6 verse 8, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And
then look down at verse 18 and take note that says that God
established the covenant with him, not with anyone else. He
established the covenant with Noah. So verse 8, it says, but Noah
found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And then verse 18, it said,
but with thee will I establish my covenant. With Noah. And thou shalt come into the
ark, thou and thy sons and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with
thee. God made this covenant with Noah
at this time, that on making an ark, as God directed him,
and going into it as He commanded, He would preserve him even while
He's building it from the rage of man, from wicked man, and
then He'd save him in it, in his family. When this flood will
come, and it will come, God said the flood's going to come, and
it came. He came. And we say the wrath of God's
coming. There'll be a day when all men
will stand before the judgment, the great right throne. Oh, my. My, oh, my. That's why we say
flee to Christ. Flee to Christ. He's the only
safety. He's the only refuge. But God told him, he said, you
build that ark. I'll save you and your family and you'll come
out safe on the other side of the flood. How do we receive
grace in the eyes of the Lord? How do we receive grace in the
eyes of the Lord? Only through Christ. Nowhere
else. Nowhere else. Only through Christ. And it was God the Father and
the Son. Think of this. It's God the Father and the Son
and the Holy Spirit who established the covenant in eternity. In
eternity. We're saved because of a covenant
that was established in eternity, beloved. That the Father and
the Holy Spirit made with the Son. It's called the everlasting covenant.
It's God who purposed to save his people. The whole Trinity's
in action in the salvation of a sinner. We've seen that many,
many times in our studies. God the Father planned and purposed
to save a people in Christ. The Son of God, the Word, became
flesh and dwelt among us and redeemed us with His own precious
blood. All that the Father gave Him,
He redeemed. He redeemed. The Holy Spirit
regenerates them, born again by the Holy Spirit of God, born
again by the almighty power of God. By the power of God, given
faith. One day the believer has enmity
with God, the scripture says that. The next day they're born again
and they're praising and worshiping the very God they had enmity
with. That's a miracle. That's a miracle,
isn't it? That's a miracle, beloved. Miracle
of, and it's God's work. It's all God's work. It's all
his work. And it's all done because of
a covenant that was established. eternity between the father the
son and the Holy Spirit of God the source of this covenant the
everlasting covenant was God the source of this covenant that
was made with with Noah was God he's the one who executed this
covenant and he's the one who will make it all come to pass
just like the everlasting covenant It's all in God's hands. Remember,
it is Christ the God-man and only Him in whom salvation is
found. It's only He who has found favor in the eyes of the Father.
And the only way we find favor in the eyes of the Father is
in and through Christ and Christ alone. Remember what the Father said?
This is my beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased. Thus, at the early period in
human history here, God was revealing the great principle by which
redemption should afterwards be effected by his Son. Namely,
that of representation, the one acting for the many, the many
receiving blessings through the one. Lastly, let's look at Genesis
chapter 8. Genesis chapter 8, turn over
there if you would. We're seeing Noah sent out a
dove out of the ark. Noah sent a dove out of the ark. Genesis chapter 8, verses 9 to 11. But the dove found no rest for
the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark,
for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. Then he put
forth his hand and took her and pulled her into, or unto him,
into the ark. And he stayed yet another seven
days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. And
the dove came in to him in the evening, and lo, in her mouth
was an olive leaf plucked off, so no one knew that the waters
were abated from off the earth. Now let us remember that the
ark, the ark, was a picture of Christ. All who were in the ark
were safe from the wrath that was outside. All who were in
the ark were saved from the wrath of God. And that wrath of God,
which the rain, was the wrath of God falling down upon those
people. All who were outside the ark
perished. Every one of them. Every one
of them. The wrath of God fell upon those
outside the ark. And they perished. They all drowned.
But inside the ark, Not a drop of rain, not a drop, not even
a little wee, nothing. Not a drop fell upon those in
the ark. Turn back over to Genesis 6,
just real quick, and look at verse 14. The ark was pitched,
it says. It was pitched. The scriptures
bring forth this in Genesis 6. 14, that this pitch and we know
that the pitch here, beloved, it pictures the precious blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ, because we're covered under the blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're covered. We're safe under
the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Make thee an arc of gopher wood
rooms shall now make in the arc and shall pitch it within and
within and without with pitch within and without both sides.
Now the word pitch there in the Hebrew means to cover, figuratively
means to expiate, to appease, to make an atonement. It pictures
the blood of Christ, beloved. The pitch pictures the blood
of Christ. It means to cleanse, forgive, be merciful, pacify,
pardon, to purge away, put off, make reconciliation. So the ark
was covered with pitch, both inside and out, both inside and
out. And this pitch, beloved, was
to keep the waters out. And as I read more about it,
it turns almost into a cement, almost. I remember reading Brother
Henry in one of his commentaries, and he said, the blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ, remember, we're built up a spiritual house.
He said, what's the one thing that keeps us all connected?
He said, the blood of Christ is like a cement. Keeps us all
together, beloved. Keeps us all together. But this
pitch would not allow any water to come in, not even a drop,
not even a drop. Well, think of this. And also,
it would preserve the art from sun and from the water and from
worms, one commentator said, from worms as well. Oh, my. Well, we know that the waters
pitched pictured the wrath of God, and we know that all who
were inside the ark were safe from those waters. We know not
a drop fell on them. Well, think of this, beloved.
We who are in Christ are safe from the wrath of God. We're
safe from the wrath of God. It's already being poured out
on Christ. Just like that wrath was poured out on that ark, it
hit the ark and it Everyone inside was safe. They were all safe,
beloved. The wrath of God against his
people is being poured out on Christ. Oh, my. And just as that pitch protected
so that not a drop would fall upon the people in Christ, so
the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, beloved, so covers God's people. that not a drop of the wrath
of God will ever fall upon us. It's glorious. Do you see how
this rest is glorious? Do you see how the rest that
we have in Christ is absolutely glorious? It's wondrous. It's
absolutely wondrous. Now let's go back over there
and in Genesis, we'll read that again in verses, Genesis 8, verses
9 and 10. Actually, let's just read verse
11. And the dove came in to him in
the evening, and low in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off.
So Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. He sent the dove out to see if
the waters had abated. And the dove came back to Noah
with an olive branch in her mouth. And this told Noah that the wrath
of God, which was pictured in the rain, had ceased, had ceased,
because an olive And all of branch would be from the lower trees,
beloved, from the lower trees. Turn, if you would, to Matthew
chapter, Matthew chapter three, and then put your finger in John
chapter 14. We're almost finished. Listen
to what the scriptures proclaim in Matthew chapter three. In verses 16 and 17. And Jesus, when He was baptized,
went up straight away out of the water, and, lo, the heavens
were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending
like a dove and lighting upon Him. And, lo, a voice from heaven
saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Now, remember in our study in
John chapter 14 a few weeks ago, we looked at how the Lord would
send the Holy Spirit But he's told his disciples,
I must die first. I must die first. Turn, if you
would, to John 14. He had told them, I must die first. I must
die first, and then the Holy Spirit will be sent to you. And
he said, I'll not leave you comfortless. I won't leave you comfortless. John 14, verses 16 to 18. And
I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another comforter,
that He may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth, verse
17, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither
knoweth Him. But ye know Him, for He dwelleth
with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless.
I will come to you. Now remember, Noah sent out that
dove. He came back with an olive. Olive branch. When did the Holy Spirit come? Who's pictured like a dove? When
did the Holy Spirit come? After Christ's death. After the
wrath of God had been satisfied. Had been satisfied. After the
wrath of God for his people had been extinguished in Christ. We have before us, beloved, A
picture of how the Holy Spirit comes
after the wrath is gone after the wrath is gone. And think
of that. We have glad tidings in Christ Jesus, our Lord. The
wrath of God. That was rightly and justly should
have fell upon us, has been totally appeased in Christ. extinguished in Christ. And what glad tidings this is,
what glad tidings this is for sinners who flee to Christ, who
flee to Christ. The wrath of God has been appeased
in my place, the believer can say. by Christ. What a rest, what a glorious,
glorious rest we have in Christ. Heavenly Father, we thank you
again for allowing us to gather together today, allowing us to
look into thy word. Oh, we pray that the truths that
we looked at today, oh, that they be honey to our souls for
this week, Lord, that we'd meditate upon them and and think upon
these precious, precious truths, oh Lord. We glorify your name
and we magnify your name. We pray for any who do not know
you, Lord, oh, that you'd make the words effectual, oh, that
you'd grant them faith, faith to believe upon thee, oh, Lord,
oh, that you'd make them willing in the day of your power. Glory
to your name, Lord, honor and praise in Jesus' name.