Today, I want us to look again
in the book of Genesis, and the title of the message today will
be The Ark, A Picture of Christ. I want us to begin reading in
Genesis chapter six, beginning in verse 13. And God said unto
Noah, the end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth
is filled with violence through them. 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 it of. 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 thou shalt 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 I will
establish my covenant, and thou shalt come into the ark, thou,
thy sons, thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. And of every
living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring
into the ark, to keep them alive with thee, they shall be male
and female. Of fowls after their kind, and
of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth
after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee to
keep them alive. And take thou unto thee of all
food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee, and
it shall be food for thee and for them. Thus did Noah, according
to all that God commanded him, So did he. In verse one of chapter
seven, And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house
into the ark, for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Today, with the Lord's help,
I want us to look here at this picture of the ark that God instructed
Noah to build and how that it is a perfect, beautiful picture
of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. There are three arcs
that are mentioned in the scriptures. The first one is the Ark of the
Covenant, which contained the two tables of stone, the law
of God that was written. It was placed in the ark under
the mercy seat. The second one was the Ark of
Bulrushes. Remember that Moses' parents held that Pharaoh intended
to kill all the male children, and they built this ark and put
Noah in it, I mean Moses in it, and it protected him. It kept
him from the wrath of the king. Then the third arc we have is
this arc here that which God instructed Noah to build. And this arc was for the salvation,
for the protection of Noah and his family. All these arcs, all
three of them, picture the grace of God and the salvation of God's
chosen people. Noah and his family were saved
by this arc. There was but one ark in the
days of Noah. They weren't two or three arks,
there was only one ark. And all the world was destroyed,
every living creature, except for Noah and his family and all
those animals that God called into the ark. Apart from them,
everything else died, everything else perished, and the only way
that they were preserved, the only way that they were protected,
the only way that they were kept safe was by this ark, which God
told Noah, to build. There is none other name under
heaven whereby men must be saved than the Lord Jesus Christ. There's
not two or three ways. There's not two or three arcs.
There's only one way, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. If a man
is to be saved from the wrath of Almighty God, you must flee
to the ark that God has prepared, the one that God has provided.
It is the only refuge and place of safety for guilty sinners. The first thing I want us to
look at, this ark was a planned ark. It says in Genesis 6, 13
through 16, And God said to Noah, the end of all flesh has 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. Room shalt thou make in the ark,
and thou shalt pitch it within and without. And this is the
fashion which thou shalt make it. The length of the ark shall
be 300 cubits, the breadth 50 cubits, and the height 30 cubits. A window shalt thou make in 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." God instructed
Noah how to build this ark. This was not Noah's plan. This
was God's plan. God planned it, purposed it,
and God provided it. The ark was not an afterthought
with God. Long before the flood came, God
had provided a place of safety. God did not hurry around after
it began to rain and say, what am I going to do? And try to
figure out a means of saving Noah. God determined the size
of the ark. He determined the material of
the ark. God alone determined who would
be saved by the ark. The ark was designed and stocked
to house a specific number of people, both a man and beast. It was made exactly how God told
Noah to make it. Noah didn't decide, well, this
is how long I think I should make it or how wide or how tall.
God told him how to make it. God told him to put one window
in it, one door in it, and put three levels in it. This is how
God told him and instructed him. God determined where, how, and
when the ark would be built. God determined this. In just
the same way, the Lord God determined and purposed the salvation of
his people before the world was ever made. It wasn't an afterthought. God didn't say, well, after Adam
sinned, then God came up with a plan. God had a plan before
the world was ever made. The Lord Jesus Christ was determined
by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. He was
foreordained before the foundation of the world, before the world
was ever made. The plan, now listen, the plan
of salvation is not a path we follow to find God. It's the
path God follows to find his elect. God's plan. As the ark
was a provision of pure, free, sovereign grace, so Christ is
the provision of God of pure, free, sovereign grace. Not our plan. God's plan. God provided it. God purposed
it. Purposed it on purpose to save
Noah. To save Noah. And you know what
it did? It saved Noah. And God's going
to save His people. Why? He purposed it, planned
it, and He's going to bring it to pass in His own time. Secondly, the ark was a sufficient
ark. We see here in verse 15, the
ark was about 450 feet long. 75 feet wide, so it was a little
over one and a half football fields long. 75 feet wide and
45 feet high. This is a pretty good size ark.
God instructed Noah how to build it. This was a very large vessel.
It would house Noah, his family, and all the animals, and all
the food, and everything that they would need. This is what
that ark was provided. This is how big it was made.
God instructed Noah. Noah didn't know how big to build
it. He didn't know. God did. And what's amazing is God told
him. And in Hebrews it said that when God revealed this to Noah,
Noah moved with fear. He believed God. Before it ever
rained one drop, he believed God. The ark is a picture of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who is an all-sufficient refuge for
sinners of every kind. They were clean and they were
unclean animals. They were ants, they were giraffes,
they were elephants, and they all came into the ark. And the
ark was sufficient to float through the storm of God's wrath. What
if this ark sunk? It could not sink. It endured
the wrath, the storm of God's judgment. Everybody outside the
ark couldn't endure it. They perished. Why? They died
under God's wrath. So our Savior is able, sufficient. He's able to deliver all His
people. All of them. All his elect that
he chose before the foundation of the world and he's going to
bring them safely through the wrath of almighty God. He's going
to protect them. He's sufficient. He's all sufficient. Firstly, when this, the ark was
sufficient, there was one door and that was sufficient. One
door. We don't know how big this door
was. Someone said it was like a big gaping side in this ark.
Well, this door was big enough where a giraffe could go through,
wide enough for an elephant to go through. What does this say? Male or female, bond or free,
rich or poor, all come through this one door. It's big enough
for everybody that comes. One door, not two doors, one
door. And this door was able to support
their weight when they came up this door into the ark. There
is but one door of salvation for sinners. The door was the
size that God told Noah to make it. The door was able to support
all who came by the door. Listen, our Lord said, I am the
door. By me, if any man enter in, he
shall be saved and go in and out and find pasture. How are
you going to get in the ark? There's only one way, one door,
and that's by Jesus Christ, not some other way. Everybody wants
to invent a new way. It wasn't the way Noah thought.
God says, you make one door, one door. You say, well, we need
two or three doors. No, one door. Our Lord said, I am the way,
the truth, and the life. No man comes into the Father
but by me. Not some preacher, not some priest,
but by Jesus Christ. It's coming by Jesus Christ.
And if you come any other way, you won't go into the ark. One
way. The only way to enter into this
ark, who's a picture of Christ, is by this one door. We can't
come to God except as sinners in need of grace, trusting His
son. The door is sufficient. And it's
a way of access. And when you come into this door,
you have access to everything that's in the ark. All the benefits
of being in the ark was through the door. Everything. Everything
that you need. Everything that you'd ever want
was in the ark. And how'd you get in the ark?
Through the door. There was plenty of room for all who came in through
that door. Everything that God can or will
do for sinful men and women, He has done for them in Christ.
Everything. And all that He can or will require
of the sinner, He has supplied in Christ. It's all in Christ. Everything Noah needed was in
Christ. Everything those animals needed
was in Christ, was in the ark. And all that God can or will
give to a sinner, He has given to a sinner in Christ. It's not partly in the ark and
partly on the outside of the ark. Everything that God provided
to save Noah and to keep him safe and to preserve him and
to protect him from God's wrath was in that ark. No other place
in the ark. Do you see the picture? It's
so clear. It's so plain. It's plain when
you've entered into the ark. And God gave you faith to enter
in. How do you enter in? Through the door. There's one
door, excuse me, and there's one window. One small window in the top of
the ark, only measured 18 inches by 18 inches. You said that seems
so small. Now listen, now this is not a
porthole in the side of the ship. It's in the top of the ship.
The window was for what purpose? To let light in. This picture's
Christ, who in him is life, and he is the light of the world. The window, now listen, the window
did not let light in to the outside world. You had to be in the ark
to see the light, and you have to be in Christ to see his glory. You won't see it anywhere else.
Do you see what faith brings you to see? You see His glory.
But you had to be in the ark. Even our Lord's own half-brothers
and sisters saw no glory. You know why? They were not in
the ark. If God ever opens your eyes and
you're able to see Christ, you behold His glory. Can you imagine
being in that ark and the doors shut and everything closed in
and you look up and in that little small window, here comes this
glory shining in. That one window was enough. It
gave light to all that were in the ark and it was all the light
that they needed. I don't need any other light,
it's in Him. John said, we beheld his glory.
This light was that it may illuminate the inside of the ark. This represents
the Holy Spirit of God through whom Christ, the light of the
world, the son of righteousness, shines into the hearts of sinful
men. Noah and the rest of his family
and everybody else and all the animals that were in the ark
were not to be looking down on the scene of destruction beneath
and all around them, all around them was death, but they were
to look upward to God. Set your affections on things
above, not on the things of this earth. It's looking to Christ. Why don't we look to Him? He's
the one who brought me in the ark. How do I see His glory?
In the ark. Something else. The Ark had three
stories. Now this can represent, I believe,
the Trinity. God the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit. But you don't see this and understand
this until you come into the Ark. On the outside of the Ark
you see one Ark. You see Christ as humanity. But
when you enter the ark through the door and the light shines
in through the window, you see all the work of the Godhead in
the salvation of the sinner. Three distinct works, but one
person. And all this is to save those
who were in the ark. Read Ephesians chapter 1. God
the Father chose before the foundation of the world. God elected a people. Then the Lord Jesus Christ came
and redeemed and shed his blood to redeem those people that the
Father gave him before the world was ever made. But then God sends
His Spirit to quicken and regenerate dead sinners. All work together. And when you come into the ark,
you understand this. How did I get in the ark? God
chose me. The Son redeemed me. And the
Spirit called me. Three stories. Christ is the
fullness. of the Godhead in a pot. He is. Oh, to be in that ark. And you don't
understand this till God brings you in the ark. Something else. Noah was called
to enter the ark. Chapter 7, verse 1, And the Lord
said to Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark, for thee
have I seen righteous before me this generation." Noah and
his family came into the ark by divine invitation. I know on one side when we look
at this one, God calls, it is a command. God commands all men
everywhere to repent. Yet when this invitation comes
to a needy, helpless, guilty sinner, it's the sweetest, most
gracious invitation you've ever heard. He said, Noah, Noah, come. Are you weak and heavy laden?
Come. Are you thirsty? Come. Do you
see yourself under the wrath of God? What's the word? Come. Who invited him? God invited
him. Every time the gospel is preached,
sinners are invited to come. Come where? Come to the ark.
Come into Christ. And if God ever opens your eyes,
you know what you'll do? You'll come. You'll come. That's the message today. Come
to Christ. If you believe that judgment's
coming, come to Christ. If you're needy, come. All the
fitness he requires for you to enter in is you to feel your
need of him. That's all it is. People say,
well, I don't need him. Okay, well, don't come. You know
what'll happen if you don't come? You'll perish. under God's wrath. And this is what Noah preached
to those people as he prepared this ark. He was a preacher of
righteousness. If God had not revealed himself
to Noah and called him to the ark, he would have perished with
everybody else. This was a divine call. A divine
call. It was a personal call. It was
a particular call, and it was a distinguishing call. He said,
Noah. Our Lord said, my sheep, hear
my voice, and they'll follow me. And they're coming. Why? He called them. Called them. Noah's family benefited from
this call, but only Noah was called. This was a sovereign,
powerful, effectual, irresistible call. cannot be resisted. He wanted to come. And when he
was called, he went in. When this irresistible call comes
to a sinner, it makes him willing in the day of God's power. When
Noah was called, he fled to Christ the ark. And all who hear his
voice to enter into the ark, as they are called by the gospel,
they come. Today, if you will hear his voice,
harden not your heart and come. Don't say, well, I'll take my
chances. I think I can build me an own
boat. Let me tell you, you'll perish.
And it's not anywhere else. It's in Christ. If anybody else
tells you to look anywhere else, they're a deceiver. It's in Christ. That's the picture here. That's
the picture of this whole book. It's in Christ and nowhere else. The ark is a picture of the atonement. In the ark, we see a picture
of the atonement of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
we see two things here. Now listen, Noah was commanded
in verse 14 of chapter 6, he was commanded to cover the ark. He says, thou shalt pitch it
within and without with pitch. This word pitch simply means
to cover or to take away. The pitch was a covering which
sheltered Noah and all that were in the ark from the terrible
storm of God's wrath. It protected it. It sealed it. Kept the water out. Kept the
judgment out. If you ever see anything, you
may paint a picture of anything and you see Noah in the ark and
it's Noah running around trying to stop up water hose and that
ain't how it was. There wasn't one drop of water in that ark.
You know why? It was protected. It was sealed. It was covered. No one was sheltered in the ark
from this terrible storm of God's wrath. As the mercy seat was
sprinkled with the blood of Christ, of that sacrificial lamb, and
covered the broken law, we are protected from God's wrath. God
said, told the children of Israel, said, when I see the blood, I'll
pass it over you. This is a picture of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ, his blood that made an
atonement, atonement for sin. The pitch without represents
redemption accomplished. You know what it is? When Jesus
Christ died, he accomplished salvation for somebody. And if
Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ, had died for all men,
nobody would ever perish. But his blood secured and sealed
all who were in the ark. It accomplished it. The pitch
within represents redemption applied. God applies it to your
heart. He sprinkles that blood on your
conscience. The storm of God's wrath fell
upon the ark with all of its fury and all of its wrath. As
the rains descended and the depths of the earth were broken up,
the angry billows of God's wrath beat down upon that ark. But
everyone in the ark, everybody in the ark, went through the
storm of God's wrath. But only the ark felt the punishment. Do you see the picture? It fell
upon Christ, the substitute. When Christ was made to be sin
for us, the terrible storm of God's wrath fell with full force
upon him until God's wrath was fully satisfied. I can just see
the waves bashing against the side of the ark. The rain descending upon the
ark, it endured the wrath. And how was it able to endure
it? His blood. All the sacrifices in the Old
Testament could not take away one sin. But when Jesus Christ
died and shed his blood, it made full and complete atonement for
sin. And that's the only thing, the
only thing that can save you from the wrath of Almighty God. It's not your works. It's not
your efforts. It's the pitch. It's the atonement.
It's the blood. It's the blood. When Christ hung
upon the cross, he died as our substitute. And he cried, all
thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. As all those who
were in the ark went through the flood, so all God's elect
have come through the storm of his holy wrath. You know why?
Because when Jesus Christ died, we were in him. And when he died,
we died. And he took the wrath of God
for us. He took the punishment. Having
once endured God's wrath, Noah had no cause to fear another
flood. God said, I'll never do it again.
And every time Noah looked up and saw the rainbow, which was
a promise of Almighty God, he remembered God's promise that
God would never destroy the world again with a flood like this.
All who are in Christ, now listen to me, all who are in Christ
will never have to endure to any degree, nor at any time,
any of God's wrath. Why? He punished my substitute. All the wrath came against the
ark. Why? He was made sin. Safety is in the ark. In verse
16 of chapter 7 it says, the last part of the verse. No, verse
16. And they that were winning, male
and female, in all flesh, as God had commanded them, and the
Lord shut him in. The Lord brought him in, the
Lord shut him in, and the Lord kept him in. The ark was a place
of peace and rest for those who were in the ark. God shut him
in. That's good news who shut him
in God did who shut Noah could have never picked up that door
God shut the door God sealed the door and God shut him in
God shut us up in Christ before the world was made and we're
kept kept Mmm, that's good news To a hell-deserving sinner Though
Noah and his family may have been tossed about in the ark,
they were safe. And let me tell you, if you're
His, if God has showed you mercy and God has called you by His
grace and brought you into His ark, you may have trials, you
may have afflictions, but you're safe in the ark. In the ark. Satan cannot harm
you. The law cannot condemn you. And the Lord Jesus Christ cannot
fail. He cannot fail to save all who
trust in Him. That's what this art pictures.
This is not just some little story. This is a picture of how
God Almighty saves sinners. Isn't that such a clear picture?
And I'm glad God is still calling His people to Himself. And my
question to you today is, are you in the ark? It is not. If not, my advice to you is flee
from the wrath to come. Come to Christ. Come to Christ,
the ark. of salvation. If you hear His
voice today, flee from the wrath to come. Run to Him. Look to Him. Rest in Him. And when you come, you'll see.
You behold His glory. May God take this message and
use it for His honor and for His glory. Till next week, may
God bless you. Amen.