Matthew chapter 24. We'll go
back to Genesis in a moment, but beginning at verse 35, our
Lord, in answering the disciples' question about the end of the
world and the destruction of Jerusalem, He says that prior
to His return that the world will be in the same condition
as it was in the days of Noah before God destroyed it in his
wrath. Verse 35, heaven and earth shall
pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Whatever he says
will come to pass, whether men believe it or not, whether they'll
listen or not, Doesn't affect it whatsoever. He says, my words,
what I'm telling you, shall not pass away. But of that day and
hour knoweth no man. You remember, even after our
Lord rose from the dead, just moments before he ascended back
to glory, the disciples asked him, when will you restore the
kingdom back to Israel? He said, that's not your business.
Go preach the gospel. But of that day and hour knoweth
no man, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the
days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man
be. For as in the days that were
before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving
in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, right
up to the very day. And the ark was a hundred years
in the making. And knew not, verse 39, and knew
not until the flood came and took them all away, so shall
also the coming of the Son of Man be. Then shall two be in
the field, the one shall be taken and the other left. Two women
shall be grinding at the meal, the one shall be taken and the
other left. Watch therefore, Remember he's
talking to his disciples. Watch therefore, for ye know
not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if
the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief
would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his
house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready, for
in such an hour as you think not, the Son of Man cometh. The title of my message is Jesus
Christ, the Ark of God. We often, often usually refer
to the Ark that we read about in Genesis 6 and 7 as Noah's
Ark. And in a sense it was. But really,
it was God's ark, wasn't it? It originated with God. It was
God's purpose. God provided Noah with every
detail of how to build the ark, what to use, every detail, every
item, what to bring into it, what to provide it with. The
ark would never had existed had it not been purposed and provided
by God. The Ark wasn't an afterthought. No, it was purposed by God Almighty
as the method of deliverance for Noah and his family. And so it is with Jesus Christ. as the savior of his people,
it wasn't an afterthought in the purpose of God. That's why
again and again in scriptures you'll run across the expression
concerning the Lord Jesus as being the lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. The covenant of grace is referred
to as an everlasting covenant of grace. When the fullness of
the time was come, we read in Galatians 4, when that time had
come. But that's not when God had purposed
his Son to come. He purposed, as you've often
heard said, before there was a sinner, there was a Savior. Before Adam fell, the Lamb stood
as his glorious substitute. In Galatians 4, though, we read,
when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his
Son. made of a woman, made under the
law for this purpose, to redeem them that were under the law
that we might receive the adoption of sons. And after the building
of this ark was completed, took a hundred years, we read in verse
7 of chapter 7 in Genesis, and Noah went in. Noah entered the ark. And we
read it earlier. The ark had only one entrance,
didn't it? Only one entrance. One door by
which to enter in. Everything that entered into
the art could only go in one way. And you see the metaphor
there. You see the illustration. Remember
what our Lord said. And he was speaking to the religious
leaders when he spoke these words in John 10 verse 9. He said,
I am the door. I am. Oh, I would that this religious
generation would see that. But they won't until God opens
their eyes. It is the fashion of our day
to be broad-minded and to say, well, there are different avenues,
different ways. All religions basically are the
same and they all lead to the same place, heaven, whatever
man's concept of heaven might be. But our Lord said, not so. That's not so. He said, I am
the door, singular. There's only one. I am the door
by me, by me. If any man enter in, what did
he say? He shall be saved. He shall be
saved, whoever he may be, no matter how far fallen. No matter
how long away from the Father's house is the prodigal son, whoever
he may be, if he comes to me, if he enters in by me who am
the door, he shall be saved. Remember that night? Just before
he went to the garden and was betrayed by Judas, he told his
disciples, I am the way. I'm the way. Follow me, and you're
following the way to the Father's house. You know the way if you
know me. I'm the way, the truth, and the
life, he said. No man. It's never happened. It didn't happen in the Old Testament.
Not one time. It never happened in the New.
It's never happened since. No man cometh to the Father but
by me. Noah's very name means rest. comfort. Again, remember what
our Lord said, come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden,
burdened down, weary, come unto me and I will give you rest. Rest. Fall into the arms of of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Come to me, he said, and I will
give you rest. Oh, the rest in the arms of his
everlasting mercy and grace. Again in Genesis 7, look at verse
1. And the Lord said unto Noah,
Come thou and all thy house into the ark. The ark, although it
was built, He was completed, it was perfect, lacking nothing
that Noah might need for the time that he was in it, still
he must enter into it. He must come inside the ark. God chose Noah? Yes. God purposed
to save Noah? Yes. Redeemed? Yes, by the Messiah
who was to come. But I must still come to Christ. The truths of election and redemption
give no comfort to my soul or provide no assurance that I'm
one of God's own until I enter in. Is that not so? Until I come
to Christ, I have no way of knowing whether I was chosen. I have
no way of knowing whether He died for me until I come to Him. And again, in Galatians 4, Paul
says, and because you're sons, yes, God sent forth his son on
purpose. Yes, he came to redeem on purpose. Oh, but he has sent forth the
spirit of his son into your hearts because you're sons, crying,
Abba, Father. I must experience God's grace. I must come into the ark. I must
come to Christ. Come, God said to Noah. He didn't say, Noah, go into
the ark, did he? He said, come. Come. God was in the ark, saying, Noah,
come. Come to me. Come to God, your
Lord, your Savior. And we're told, Noah went in. And he found everything he needed,
didn't he? He didn't lack anything. And
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 4 that God had made Jesus Christ. I like this. God had made Christ
to be unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
everything that he demands. He gives us in Christ. Everything
that a sinner needs, He has in Christ to such a degree that
Paul says we're complete in Him. We don't lack anything, John.
If we have Christ, we have everything. And Paul said, who can separate
us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus? It has been my prayer. Been a
burden. Been heavy-hearted about it.
When I read this passage and thought about that door into
the ark, and what a joy it is to be in that ark. In that ark, we read on down,
and God shut him in. Noah was perfectly secure, was
perfectly safe in the ark of God. Oh, but God shut the door. and multitudes were shut out.
And I thought about some folks I love dearly that right now
are on the other side of the door. They've not entered in. And I thought, as I often do,
always do, before I stand here, oh God, if I'm speaking to anyone
that's never entered in, Would you do for them what they can't
do for themselves? Would you open their heart like
you did, Lydia? Would you come to them and drop
in your glorious mercy and grace? Bring them in. to the Lord Jesus
Christ, the Ark of God. Oh, may He enable any that I
speak to this morning that have never truly come to Christ. You've come to other things. You've experienced religion.
You've experienced various things, but you've never really entered
in. You've never really come to Christ. You've never experienced the
mercy, the grace, the rest that only He can give. You can't have
it anywhere else. He's the only door. The hymn
writer expressed it this way. Can you join in the song? Does
this find an echo in your heart? He wrote, other refuge have I
none. Hang my helpless soul on thee. Leave, oh leave me not alone.
Still support and comfort me. All my trust on thee is stayed. All my help from thee I bring. Cover my dispenseless head with
the shadow of thy wing. Oh yes, Christ, you are all and
all to me. My only refuge, my only hope
is that I've entered into that one that God himself has provided. Paul, when he was on Mars Hill,
and all those men who thought they were smarter than God, the
Stoics and the philosophers and the religious doctors, said,
let's give this man an audience. Let's see what this babbler has
to say. And Paul said, let me declare
unto you the God that you confess you don't know. Let me tell you
about Him that you admit to you is an unknown God. And Paul declared
the sovereign Lord of all. And he concluded his message
by telling them God have appointed a day. God Almighty has appointed
a day in which he shall judge the world in righteousness. Absolute righteousness by that
man whom he has ordained, the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember what
we read a moment ago in Matthew 24. Our Lord said, as it was
in the days of Noah, so will it be at his second coming. In Genesis chapter 6, the people
of Noah's day, as our Lord taught in Matthew 24, were completely
taken up. Completely taken up with pleasure. They lived every day. And they
lived longer than men do today. What did it profit them? But
they spent all their time seeking the pleasures of this world,
grabbing all they could get. Think about that. They lived
day in and day out, year after year after year. A hundred years. Noah was 500
years old when he began to build the ark, 600 years old when it
was completed. And it stood for a week. After
it was completed, we read, it stood for seven days with the
door wide open. And Peter tells us that Noah
preached to his generation. He warned them to flee from the
wrath to come. The door is open. Enter into
the ark. And they mocked him. They laughed
at him. They thought he was crazy. The
old man and his ark, it's never rained before. What's he talking
about? It's a fairy tale. All their
time, they lived without a serious thought of God Almighty. Without giving God a serious
thought. They woke in the morning and
spent all their energy. They were consumed with grabbing
all they could get of this world. All that it had to offer. It
was never enough. Never enough. They never gave
eternity a serious thought. Never considered judgment. And
no one preached to them. But it all seemed like a fable. Doesn't that sound familiar? Doesn't it? Here in Genesis 6
and 7, chapter 6 and 7, I'd like for us to consider three things,
three certainties. There was the certain judgment
of God. God told Noah, I will destroy
the earth. I will destroy all flesh. But
that wasn't all the story, was it? No. We read of the certain
grace of God. Certain grace. Noah found grace. And then the ark is that certain
refuge that God provided. First of all, consider this certain
judgment. Look at verse 5 of chapter 6.
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. In chapter 1, we're told God
looked on all that he had made, in verse 31, and said, it's very
good. Very good. Nine generations later
from Adam, he looked at the earth and said, it's all evil. Man
has corrupted the face of the earth. God said to Noah, I'm
going to destroy him. I must destroy him. I must punish
sin. That's God. All your life, you've
heard it, I heard it. A loving God won't send a man
to hell. Let me ask you this question.
If God Almighty doesn't send men to hell, who does? Who doesn't? It's not the devil. The devil is not the king of
hell. The devil's not in hell now ruling. The devil's not near hell. You
remember what our Lord said? Don't fear those who can kill
the body, and that's all they can do, but fear Him. Fear Him
after that He has killed the body, cast the soul into hell. And He was speaking of God. But
God won't punish sin without a cause, will He? As we said,
Peter tells us in chapter 3 of his first epistle that Noah preached
and warned these people, the people of his day. God punished
those in Noah's day, in Lot's day, and you know the greatest
evidence, the greatest proof that God will punish sin? When
he saw sin on his darling son, he punished him, didn't he? When
he saw sin on his darling son, the sins of his people, when
God made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, he didn't spare
him, did he? He cried, Awake, O sword, the
sword of divine justice. Awake, O sword, against the man
who is my fellow. Smite the shepherd without mercy. without mercy. Now, how shall
we escape if we neglect so great salvation? Again, verse 5, God
saw that the wickedness and the imagination of man's thoughts
was only evil continually. Does that not sound familiar?
As our Lord said in Matthew 24, does that not sound like our
day? I think it's reflected. in our
entertainment, the television programs. Those which are most
popular are those who promote every conceivable perversion
that you can think of. And the murder of unborn babies
in this country that's been going on for years is now accepted
without a thought. It's become commonplace, and
men don't even bat an eye at it anymore. Homosexuality is
something people are proud of. Imagine, can you imagine? Gay
pride? Proud? Every imagination of the
heart, evil continually. And our president, our leader
endorses it. endorses it, signs laws making
it acceptable, congratulates those who come out and confess
that they are one. They get a call from the president
saying, you're a brave man. No you're not. No you're not. And daily, daily almost, We're
confronted with being told that it's normal. You must accept
it. If you don't, something's wrong
with you. Your thinking's wrong. Oh no. And remember what our
Lord said? Because iniquity shall abound. In that same passage, Matthew
24. And brothers and sisters in Christ,
we have to be careful here. He said, because iniquity shall
abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Watch, therefore, and
pray. Be prayerful, be watchful. Don't
be influenced by the evil all around you. If you're not watchful
and prayerful, it'll take a toll on you. That's why we're exhorted,
child of God. That's why we're exhorted. Forsake
not the assembling of yourselves together. as the matter of some
is as you see the day of approaching. But exhort one another, and so
much the more, meet together, worship together, encourage one
another, seek God's glory together. Don't forsake that. How much
time? And it's required. We're in the
world, but not of the world. But compared to the time that
we must spend there. hearing God's name, like just
like. We're told that while he lived
in Sodom, he was vexed. Thank God that he was. He was
vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked that he heard every
day. It vexes the heart, the soul
of a child of God. Thank God that it does. But compared
to the time that we're forced to be amongst that, to what little
time, the minutes that we're here, surely we can meet to exhort
one another as we see the day approaching. In 2 Peter he wrote
that God, let's turn there if you will, 2 Peter 3, verse 9. Look what the faithful apostle
writes, and under the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit. Along this
same line of thought, Peter says in chapter 3 of verse 9, his
second epistle, The Lord is not slack concerning his promise,
like the scoffers and the mockers were saying. As some men count
slackness, but as longsuffering to us were his people, like he
was Noah. not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will
come, just like the flood came, as a thief in the night, into
which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and
the elements shall melt with verbent heat, and the earth also. and the works that are therein
shall be burned up. Seeing then, child of God, seeing
then, that all these things shall be dissolved, all that we see,
all that we touch, all that we possess, all be dissolved, what
manner of persons are ye to be in all holy conversation and
godliness? looking for and hastening unto
the coming of the day of God wherein the heavens being on
fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with verben
heat. Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for new
heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness." Righteousness. God's judgment was not without
reason and was not without warning. They were warned year after year
after year. Judgment's coming. God will judge. Turn to God. Repent. And they just mocked. Just brushed
it off. I wonder how many times have
some of you been warned. How many messages, how many messages
have you heard that you just slept under? How many times have
you been exhorted, pleaded with, flee from the wrath to come,
look to Christ, enter into the door, the ark, the only refuge,
the Lord Jesus Christ, and you just brushed it off. and went
your way back out into the world. Our Lord, again in Matthew 24,
said they knew not. The people of Noah's day knew
not until the flood came and took them all away. Swept multitudes. All those who weren't in the
ark, how many millions populated the earth then? I don't know.
But it said man covered the entire earth. Millions and millions
were swept away in an instant. They were swept out of this world
into eternity. Swept away. Swept out of this
world, this world that they lived for. this world that their heart
was wedded to, this world that meant everything to them, this
world that they chose rather than to serve God for, this world,
and all that they gathered, all that they had, they didn't take
anything with them, they were swept into eternity, and all
that they labored for, The wise man said, what profit hath he
that has labored for the wind? Oh, but look at verse 8. The
second certainty. Oh, I'm glad to get to it. Verse 8 of chapter 6, but Noah. But Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. Certain grace. You know, this
is the first time The first time grace is used, the word is used
in the Bible. The first time. I wonder why. I wonder why. The first time
is here. Against this backdrop of man's
sin and depravity and God's certain judgment, we find grace. Is it not to teach us this? But
where sin abounded, grace doth much more abound. Is it not to
remind us of this? When we read, but Noah found
grace in the eyes of the Lord. Is it not to remind us against
that backdrop of the day that you and I live in? When men believe
a lie and turn away from the truth. But God hath from the
beginning, brethren, chosen you to salvation." Thank God for
that grace. Notice it says, Noah found grace
in the eyes of the Lord, not the other way around. Grace,
God's matchless, unmerited favor, begins with him. It comes from
God. Grace is God's work. It's God's
gift. But God. But God. I was a blasphemer, injurious. But God. Oh, what a beautiful
tune. What a beautiful word. What a
beautiful truth. What a beautiful experience.
But God. I was lost, Joe. But God. And I was blind. Man was I blind. But God. And I was dead. Like everybody else. Dead. Dead. And I lived like a dead
man spiritually in this world. Just like those men of Noah's
day. Dead to any understanding of
God, dead to any will to come to Christ, dead to any desire
whatsoever to know God and His dear Son, just dead, living in
this graveyard of the world with all other dead men, dead in my
trespasses and sins, but God, but God. Glory to His name. It was grace that wrote my name
in God's eternal book. It was grace that gave me to
the Lamb who all my sorrows took. It was grace that taught my heart
to pray and made my eyes overflow. And His grace has kept me till
this day and will not let me go. and will not let me go. But Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. That's why he wasn't destroyed
with the world. That's why God provided the ark.
He did it all for Noah. It was all for Noah. Isn't that
something? That's why I'm here today and
not somewhere else. Anywhere but here. Because grace
has made me different. Why I'm preaching the gospel
to you that I once mocked and ridiculed and thought was a joke
is because grace has made me the different. Why I stand here,
a trophy of him who is mighty to save and not in hell years
ago is because grace. John, there's only one reason. His grace wouldn't let me go.
wouldn't let me go. When that 16-year-old boy that
followed me and looked up to me and I taught to drink and
he died drunk in the back seat of a mangled car right behind
me. It's not a day goes by I don't
think about that. Why didn't I open my eyes up
in hell on September 4th, 1969? is because His grace wouldn't
let me go. Would not let me go. Oh, thank
God for that grace. And I believe, I believe that
that same grace that called me will keep me to His heavenly
kingdom. Where, brother Lloyd, in a few
days, I'll see him who loved me and gave himself for me. And
with Noah, who found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and a multitude
that none could number, I'll stand and sing unto him that
loved us and washed us white by his own blood. Oh, Larry,
don't forget. Oh, to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be. And then, last of all, we read
of a certain refuge here. Again, verse 1 of chapter 7,
And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and thy house into
the ark. Verse 7, And Noah went in. Verse 16, And the Lord shut him
in. The ark that God himself provided
was the only refuge there was, wasn't there? The only one there
was. In verse 23 we read, and Noah
only remained alive and they that were with him in the ark.
Millions, millions were swept away into eternity. The only
ones who weren't were those who were in the ark. That's what
Peter preached, isn't it? There's none other name under
heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Outside the
ark, there was nothing but God's wrath and judgment. Outside the
ark, no mercy. No mercy. No mercy. None whatsoever. Only God's wrath. Only God's
judgment. Only this sort of divine justice. But no mercy. The waters covered
the highest mountain. I dare say, men, when they finally
realized too late that Noah was telling them the truth, that
it wasn't a fable, it wasn't a fairy tale, that he wasn't
crazy, And the waters began to rise.
Surely they climbed the highest mountain they could get to, but
it wasn't high enough, was it? Because the waters overflowed
the highest mountain. How shall we escape if we neglect
so great salvation? Noah went in. It wasn't enough
for Noah just to stand outside the ark and say, Something to
be admired. Would you look at that? Sons,
come here. Let's discuss the ark. Let's
discuss the ark. Let's have a conference and we'll
spend days talking about the ark. Let's walk around it, consider
it. Let's measure it. Let's see if
we can figure out all about it. No! No! No! No! No! It wasn't made for that. It was
made to go into Noah. It was made to be your refuge
from the wrath of God. And it's not enough for me to
know about Jesus Christ. Do you know anybody that doesn't?
Do you know anybody in this country that doesn't know something about
Jesus Christ? I'll even go further than that.
Can you find almost anybody who doesn't profess to believe in
Him, hasn't made a decision, doesn't claim to know Him, doesn't
claim to have been saved by Him, but they've never entered in? It's not possible to be saved
without coming to Him. Noah went inside. Noah went inside. He that hath the Son has life. He has life. The very life of
Christ. And he'll never perish. He'll
never be plucked out. He's safe. Though the ages roll,
he's safe. Though the storm of God's wrath
descend, he's safe in the ark of Christ Jesus. But he that
hath not the Son, the wrath of God abideth on him. The Lord shut him in. The waves
beat upon the ark. The storm of God's wrath fell
upon the ark. But they never touched Noah,
did they? The ark absorbed all the wrath of the flood. And that's
what Jesus Christ did, didn't he? God made him to be sin for
us who knew no sin. He absorbed all God's wrath for
me. As Noah went through the flood,
the ark bore the fury of it all. So Christ for His people. We
suffered in Him and will never suffer again. Listen, child of
God. We'll never suffer again. Anytime,
for any reason, the Lord has shut us in. And payment God cannot
twice demand. First at my bleeding, sure at
His hand, and then again at mine. It'll never happen. It'll never
happen. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them who what? Pray a lot? Study a lot? Give a lot? Weep a lot? Repent a lot? Preach a lot? No. No, no, no. There is no condemnation
to those who are in Christ Jesus. Oh, that's sweet. Isn't that
sweet? In Christ Jesus. In Christ Jesus. Safe as Noah
was in the ark. God said, Noah, come into the
ark. Have you entered in? Our Lord
in Luke 13 said, Strive to enter in at the straight gate. For
many shall seek to enter in, he said, and shall not be able.
For once the master of the house has risen up and shut the door,
and you begin to stand without a knock, he'll say, I can't open
up to you. And we're told in verse 3 of
chapter 6, God said, my spirit shall not always strive with
man. I'm sure I've shared this with
you before, but I don't think I'll ever forget it, hearing
about a mother, a so-called mother, that went out one night to the
nightclubs and left her five children at home by theirself. And there was a fire. They interviewed
the fireman. He said by the time they got
to the house, it was just engulfed. He tried to enter in, but he
just couldn't. And he could hear those children just crying. So
he stood at the door and shouted, follow my voice, follow my voice,
come this way, come to the door. And he said he heard the sound
of the footsteps of each child as they tried to find their way
through the smoke and the flame. And he said, but not one of them
reached the door. They all perished. Christ says,
I'm the door. If you don't enter by Him, you're
going to perish. You're going to perish. Paul
said, oh, in that day, I want to be found in Him. Be found
in Him. I listened to a song David Coleman
sang this morning. And he said, come to Jesus, come
today. The Father and the Son and the
Spirit say, and the bride repeats the call. For he can cleanse
your guilty stains. His love will soothe your weary
pains. And you'll know that Christ is
all. Christ is all, all in all. And the Spirit and the bride
say, come. And let him that heareth say,
come. And let him that is a thirst come. And whosoever will, let
him take the water of life freely. God give you grace to come. Amen.