Singled out by the sovereign
grace of God, Frank Hall. In the days of Noah, the entire
world was given over to ungodliness, sin, and corruption. Violence,
hate, and wickedness had reached an all-time high. All men without
exception were proud, arrogant, and ungrateful. They, like all
natural men, were opposed to the rule of God over them. These
ignorant, unthankful rebels sought to shove God off His throne,
so that they, like Adam and Eve in the garden, might be as gods. Hear the Spirit's testimony concerning
the days of Noah. The Lord saw how great man's
wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of
the thoughts of his heart were only evil all the time. The Lord
was grieved that He had made man on the earth, and His heart
was filled with pain. So the Lord said, I will wipe
mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, men
and animals and creatures that move along the ground and birds
of the air, for I am grieved that I have made them. But Noah
found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Genesis 6, 5-9 As it was
in the days of Noah, so it is now. Our generation is just as
wicked as Noah's generation. Spiritually, men have not improved
one iota. Lost men are still corrupting
God's truth and God's worship upon the earth. Men still love
darkness and hate light. Men are still grieving God with
their sin. Every imagination of the thoughts
of our heart are still evil continually. Nothing has changed. Men still
serve themselves, not God. They love themselves and hate
God. they still oppose and exalt themselves
above God. But the day is fast approaching
when God's fury will once again be unleashed upon all the children
of disobedience, who will not have Christ to reign over them,
who will not believe the gospel of His grace, who will not trust
Him for life, righteousness, and salvation, who will not turn
from their wicked ways to serve the only true God. Noah was just
like everyone else by nature, born dead in trespasses and sin,
corrupt to the very core, self-serving, self-centered, self-willed, and
self-righteous, wholly given over to the lusts of His own
flesh, under the complete control and dominion of the Prince of
the Power of the Air. The fact that Noah found grace
in God's eyes is proof enough that he was sinful and vile,
for were he righteous and holy in himself, he wouldn't need
God's grace. Noah was singled out by the sovereign
grace of God to be saved from the flood of God's wrath. Noah
found grace in the eyes of the Lord, not because he was worthy
of God's favor, not because he was better than others, and not
because he deserved it, but because God is gracious to whom he will
be gracious. Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. What grace? redeeming grace,
justifying grace, sanctifying grace, pardoning grace, regenerating
grace, preserving grace, glorifying grace, all grace. Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. What kind of grace? Free, undeserved
grace. Eternal, everlasting grace. Almighty, overpowering grace. Effectual, irresistible grace. Saving grace. if we would be
forgiven of our sins, saved from the wrath to come, cleansed from
all our filth, protected from the avenger of blood, preserved
forever from falling away, and live forever blameless before
the presence of God's glory, then we must come to Christ by
faith and receive from Him what only He can give—sovereign, free,
amazing grace. God's grace is distinguishing
grace. Noah was no better than any man
who was destroyed in the flood. He was saved by God's sovereign,
discriminating, distinguishing grace. God set His heart on Noah,
loved him by His grace, chose him by His grace, redeemed him
by His grace, regenerated and called him by His grace, preserved
him by His grace, and saved him by His grace. The God of all
grace made the difference, not Noah. God's grace is effectual
grace, grace that saves absolutely and everlastingly, grace that
cannot be successfully resisted or denied. This grace, this irresistible
grace, raises dead sinners to life, dispels the darkness of
unbelief, causes sinners to trust Christ, and keeps them from departing
from Him. Only effectual grace will save
you, for it cannot be resisted, overturned, successfully opposed,
or lost. The grace that chosen sinners
find in the eyes of the Lord is effectual grace.