1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:04,920 If you’d open your Bible at Hebrews and chapter 11 2 00:00:04,920 –> 00:00:07,540 and for those of you on the live stream as well, 3 00:00:07,540 –> 00:00:08,720 if you can do that, 4 00:00:08,720 –> 00:00:12,100 we’re going to focus on verse seven of Hebrews 11 5 00:00:12,100 –> 00:00:16,559 as we continue in our series, Living by Faith. 6 00:00:16,559 –> 00:00:21,559 And this remarkable chapter teaches us by way of examples. 7 00:00:23,219 –> 00:00:26,299 We’re told about people who lived by faith 8 00:00:26,299 –> 00:00:28,180 and each one of them 9 00:00:28,240 –> 00:00:31,219 highlights a particular aspect of the faith 10 00:00:31,219 –> 00:00:33,520 to which we are all called. 11 00:00:33,520 –> 00:00:35,900 We saw from the story of Abel 12 00:00:35,900 –> 00:00:38,919 that faith listens to God. 13 00:00:38,919 –> 00:00:40,799 We saw from the story of Enoch 14 00:00:40,799 –> 00:00:43,439 that faith walks with God. 15 00:00:43,439 –> 00:00:46,080 Today we’re going to see from the story of Noah 16 00:00:46,080 –> 00:00:49,820 that faith fears God. 17 00:00:49,820 –> 00:00:52,020 Look at verse seven with me if you would 18 00:00:52,020 –> 00:00:53,180 of Hebrews 11. 19 00:00:53,180 –> 00:00:57,599 By faith Noah, being warned by God 20 00:00:57,599 –> 00:01:02,599 concerning events as yet unseen in reverent fear, 21 00:01:03,240 –> 00:01:08,239 constructed an ark for the saving of his household. 22 00:01:10,720 –> 00:01:14,459 Now friends it seems to me that what we have before us 23 00:01:14,459 –> 00:01:17,400 in this verse today directly addresses 24 00:01:17,400 –> 00:01:22,400 a question that is pressing upon each and every one of us. 25 00:01:23,400 –> 00:01:28,099 We are all living in a time when believers 26 00:01:28,099 –> 00:01:33,099 are experiencing great sadness over the secret sins 27 00:01:36,180 –> 00:01:39,320 that have been revealed in regards 28 00:01:39,320 –> 00:01:42,639 to some Christian leaders. 29 00:01:43,779 –> 00:01:46,199 And along with our sadness I think 30 00:01:46,199 –> 00:01:48,980 that many of us are perplexed. 31 00:01:49,739 –> 00:01:53,220 We ask the question as one story 32 00:01:53,220 –> 00:01:54,440 seems to have given way 33 00:01:54,440 –> 00:01:56,739 to another over a period of time, 34 00:01:57,599 –> 00:02:00,019 how can these things be? 35 00:02:01,720 –> 00:02:03,860 Is there something missing? 36 00:02:05,480 –> 00:02:09,160 Have we somehow lost touch with something 37 00:02:09,160 –> 00:02:13,600 that we need to keep us on the right path? 38 00:02:14,919 –> 00:02:17,639 And I want to suggest to you from the Bible today 39 00:02:17,639 –> 00:02:19,759 that one thing that we may have lost 40 00:02:19,759 –> 00:02:21,820 is what is spoken of here, 41 00:02:21,820 –> 00:02:25,240 Noah lived with a reverent fear. 42 00:02:26,559 –> 00:02:31,559 Notice God warned Noah concerning events as yet unseen 43 00:02:33,500 –> 00:02:38,080 Noah, the world as you know it 44 00:02:38,080 –> 00:02:41,059 is soon going to pass away. 45 00:02:41,059 –> 00:02:42,479 It’s going to be destroyed 46 00:02:43,520 –> 00:02:47,139 and it will be destroyed through an unprecedented flood. 47 00:02:48,619 –> 00:02:53,339 And Noah believed the warning and he feared. 48 00:02:53,339 –> 00:02:55,880 That’s what this verse tells us. 49 00:02:55,880 –> 00:02:59,539 The verse seems to be saying, if you look at it with me, 50 00:02:59,539 –> 00:03:02,100 that faith can lead to fear. 51 00:03:02,960 –> 00:03:05,259 By faith Noah feared. 52 00:03:06,600 –> 00:03:08,940 Now, someone will say, 53 00:03:08,940 –> 00:03:10,020 oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. 54 00:03:10,020 –> 00:03:11,539 Surely not. 55 00:03:11,539 –> 00:03:13,380 Surely not. 56 00:03:13,380 –> 00:03:16,699 Surely faith is what delivers us from fear. 57 00:03:16,740 –> 00:03:18,419 Isn’t the whole point of faith 58 00:03:18,419 –> 00:03:21,220 that we have peace and have joy in believing? 59 00:03:21,220 –> 00:03:22,660 Yes, that’s true. 60 00:03:22,660 –> 00:03:26,380 There is a fear that faith relieves, 61 00:03:27,259 –> 00:03:28,440 but there’s more. 62 00:03:29,399 –> 00:03:31,460 There is also, and I want us to see this 63 00:03:31,460 –> 00:03:32,820 in the Bible clearly today, 64 00:03:32,820 –> 00:03:36,860 there is also a fear that faith brings. 65 00:03:36,860 –> 00:03:39,460 And the reason for this is that God has given us 66 00:03:39,460 –> 00:03:41,880 not only promises that relieve fear, 67 00:03:41,880 –> 00:03:45,179 he’s given us warnings as well. 68 00:03:45,179 –> 00:03:49,679 And the faith that rejoices in God’s promises 69 00:03:49,679 –> 00:03:52,559 is the same faith that also fears and trembles 70 00:03:52,559 –> 00:03:55,080 in regards to his warnings. 71 00:03:55,080 –> 00:04:00,080 By faith, Noah being warned by God in reverent fear, 72 00:04:00,800 –> 00:04:04,179 constructed an ark. 73 00:04:04,179 –> 00:04:06,500 So I want us to see today 74 00:04:06,500 –> 00:04:10,440 that the fear that faith brings, 75 00:04:10,440 –> 00:04:13,559 and it’ll be important for that truth in itself 76 00:04:13,559 –> 00:04:14,800 to settle in our minds. 77 00:04:15,360 –> 00:04:17,359 There is a fear that faith brings. 78 00:04:17,359 –> 00:04:19,640 I want us to see that the fear that faith brings 79 00:04:19,640 –> 00:04:23,940 is a gift from God, it’s a wonderful thing, we need it. 80 00:04:23,940 –> 00:04:27,200 In fact, it is vital to the pursuit 81 00:04:27,200 –> 00:04:30,239 of an authentic, godly life. 82 00:04:31,160 –> 00:04:35,600 So I want then to make seven observations 83 00:04:35,600 –> 00:04:38,920 about godly fear, and I’ll give you a scripture 84 00:04:38,920 –> 00:04:42,839 for each of them as we try to settle this important truth 85 00:04:42,839 –> 00:04:47,320 that I think we need to recover in a clear and fresh way 86 00:04:47,320 –> 00:04:49,040 and settle in our minds. 87 00:04:49,040 –> 00:04:54,040 Number one, then, godly fear is a gift from God. 88 00:04:54,079 –> 00:04:56,079 Jeremiah 32 in verse 40. 89 00:04:56,079 –> 00:05:01,079 God says, I will make with them an everlasting covenant. 90 00:05:01,079 –> 00:05:04,279 I will not turn away from doing them good. 91 00:05:05,380 –> 00:05:10,380 And I will put the fear of me 92 00:05:11,059 –> 00:05:13,279 in their hearts. 93 00:05:13,279 –> 00:05:14,119 Why? 94 00:05:14,959 –> 00:05:19,019 That they may not turn from me. 95 00:05:21,339 –> 00:05:23,660 Now I say, this is in the Old Testament, yes, 96 00:05:23,660 –> 00:05:25,059 the Old Testament scripture, 97 00:05:25,059 –> 00:05:27,200 and it’s referring to the new covenant. 98 00:05:28,519 –> 00:05:32,059 The relationship that all of God’s people have with him 99 00:05:32,059 –> 00:05:34,859 through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 100 00:05:34,859 –> 00:05:36,739 And notice that in this covenant, 101 00:05:36,820 –> 00:05:40,640 wonderfully God is committed always to doing us good. 102 00:05:41,660 –> 00:05:44,640 And part of the good that he does for us 103 00:05:44,640 –> 00:05:46,640 is that he works in such a way 104 00:05:46,640 –> 00:05:51,339 that we will be kept from turning away from him. 105 00:05:51,339 –> 00:05:53,859 And how does he keep us from turning away from him? 106 00:05:53,859 –> 00:05:58,859 He says, I will put the fear of me in their hearts 107 00:06:00,220 –> 00:06:02,420 that they may not turn away from me. 108 00:06:02,420 –> 00:06:04,239 Now, do you see, this is a gift from God. 109 00:06:04,239 –> 00:06:06,059 This is something God will do. 110 00:06:06,059 –> 00:06:07,420 When you come to faith, 111 00:06:07,420 –> 00:06:09,459 this is something that comes with faith. 112 00:06:09,459 –> 00:06:11,920 Not only the joy of believing his promises, 113 00:06:11,920 –> 00:06:14,339 but you come to tremble at his warnings as well. 114 00:06:14,339 –> 00:06:18,119 God puts that into your heart, and it’s a gift from him. 115 00:06:18,119 –> 00:06:19,640 It comes from his hand. 116 00:06:19,640 –> 00:06:21,000 It’s a wonderful thing, 117 00:06:21,000 –> 00:06:24,700 because it keeps you from turning away from him, 118 00:06:24,700 –> 00:06:25,700 if you have it. 119 00:06:27,000 –> 00:06:32,000 Second, godly fear is the fruit of forgiveness. 120 00:06:32,119 –> 00:06:33,079 It’s something actually 121 00:06:33,079 –> 00:06:36,119 that only forgiven people really know. 122 00:06:36,119 –> 00:06:39,119 Psalm 130, in verses three and four. 123 00:06:39,119 –> 00:06:42,320 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, 124 00:06:42,320 –> 00:06:45,220 O Lord, who could stand? 125 00:06:46,119 –> 00:06:49,600 But with you, there is forgiveness 126 00:06:50,660 –> 00:06:54,119 that you may be feared. 127 00:06:56,040 –> 00:06:58,799 Now you would think that that verse would say, 128 00:06:58,799 –> 00:07:02,179 O Lord, with you there is forgiveness 129 00:07:02,200 –> 00:07:05,160 that you may be loved, and that would be true. 130 00:07:05,160 –> 00:07:08,940 The one who has forgiven much, loves much, 131 00:07:08,940 –> 00:07:10,899 but that’s not what this verse says. 132 00:07:12,220 –> 00:07:15,459 What this verse says is with you there is forgiveness 133 00:07:15,459 –> 00:07:20,059 and here’s what comes of it, that you may be feared. 134 00:07:20,980 –> 00:07:23,579 In other words, there is a fear of the Lord 135 00:07:23,579 –> 00:07:26,059 that forgiveness actually brings, 136 00:07:26,059 –> 00:07:30,019 that it begets, that it creates in the soul. 137 00:07:30,899 –> 00:07:35,320 When you know that the forgiveness of your sins came 138 00:07:35,320 –> 00:07:39,399 at the cost of all that Jesus Christ endured on the cross 139 00:07:39,399 –> 00:07:41,959 and that He endured all of this personally 140 00:07:41,959 –> 00:07:45,519 and directly for you, you begin to have something 141 00:07:45,519 –> 00:07:49,079 of an awe of the gift that you have been given 142 00:07:49,079 –> 00:07:51,859 and a fear of sinning against it. 143 00:07:53,519 –> 00:07:56,279 Forgiveness brings you into the fear of the Lord. 144 00:07:56,279 –> 00:08:01,279 How could I sin against a love like this? 145 00:08:01,920 –> 00:08:05,619 Now, do you see, then, that this Godly fear 146 00:08:05,619 –> 00:08:08,899 is something that only forgiven people actually know? 147 00:08:08,899 –> 00:08:12,040 It’s born of a loving relationship. 148 00:08:12,040 –> 00:08:17,040 It is bought at an infinite cost. 149 00:08:17,320 –> 00:08:19,920 It’s the fruit of forgiveness, 150 00:08:19,920 –> 00:08:22,640 and that is confirmed by the fact 151 00:08:23,559 –> 00:08:27,880 that it is the wicked who have no fear of God. 152 00:08:27,880 –> 00:08:30,720 You find that in Romans, in chapter three, 153 00:08:30,720 –> 00:08:35,419 the Apostle Paul lists, at length, 154 00:08:35,419 –> 00:08:40,080 the spiritual state of the ungodly. 155 00:08:41,340 –> 00:08:44,359 And he speaks about their lies, 156 00:08:44,359 –> 00:08:45,960 he speaks about their venom, 157 00:08:45,960 –> 00:08:47,520 he speaks about their curses, 158 00:08:47,520 –> 00:08:49,640 and he speaks about their violence, 159 00:08:49,679 –> 00:08:52,739 but his bottom line, when he’s got through all of the list, 160 00:08:52,739 –> 00:08:54,280 his bottom line is this, 161 00:08:54,280 –> 00:08:58,299 there is no fear of God before their eyes. 162 00:08:58,299 –> 00:09:00,099 That’s Romans three and verse 18. 163 00:09:02,460 –> 00:09:06,859 So the fear that God puts into the hearts of the godly 164 00:09:06,859 –> 00:09:09,140 is a fear that is born of love. 165 00:09:09,140 –> 00:09:11,159 It’s birthed at the cross. 166 00:09:12,039 –> 00:09:14,820 It is derived from seeing clearly 167 00:09:14,820 –> 00:09:17,900 what it took for me to be forgiven. 168 00:09:18,859 –> 00:09:21,080 With you there is forgiveness 169 00:09:22,380 –> 00:09:23,960 that you may be feared. 170 00:09:25,039 –> 00:09:25,859 Thirdly, 171 00:09:26,840 –> 00:09:28,080 godly fear, 172 00:09:29,219 –> 00:09:30,359 when you have it, 173 00:09:31,200 –> 00:09:32,799 will keep you from sinning. 174 00:09:33,840 –> 00:09:36,739 This is Exodus chapter 20 in verse 20. 175 00:09:36,739 –> 00:09:38,380 A very clear statement. 176 00:09:38,380 –> 00:09:40,320 Moses said to the people, 177 00:09:41,419 –> 00:09:43,419 do not be afraid. 178 00:09:44,340 –> 00:09:47,460 God has come to test you 179 00:09:47,559 –> 00:09:52,419 so that the fear of God will be with you. 180 00:09:52,419 –> 00:09:53,260 Why? 181 00:09:53,260 –> 00:09:57,020 To keep you from sinning. 182 00:09:59,140 –> 00:10:00,179 Take that in. 183 00:10:01,380 –> 00:10:03,460 These are words that Moses, of course, 184 00:10:03,460 –> 00:10:04,799 spoke at Mount Sinai, 185 00:10:04,799 –> 00:10:06,500 and you remember what happened there. 186 00:10:06,500 –> 00:10:08,320 It was absolutely terrifying. 187 00:10:09,200 –> 00:10:11,580 The presence of God came down on the mountains, 188 00:10:11,580 –> 00:10:13,080 smoke, 189 00:10:13,080 –> 00:10:14,659 fire, 190 00:10:14,659 –> 00:10:17,140 the whole mountain shaking, 191 00:10:17,140 –> 00:10:20,460 even Moses says I am trembling with fear. 192 00:10:20,460 –> 00:10:22,400 And yet, the man who was trembling with fear 193 00:10:22,400 –> 00:10:25,479 says don’t be afraid for this reason. 194 00:10:25,479 –> 00:10:27,119 The fear that you know, 195 00:10:27,119 –> 00:10:29,059 right now, in the presence of God, 196 00:10:29,059 –> 00:10:30,400 he says to these people, 197 00:10:30,400 –> 00:10:32,520 is a very good thing. 198 00:10:33,400 –> 00:10:35,280 And here’s why. 199 00:10:35,280 –> 00:10:37,239 It’s a gift 200 00:10:37,239 –> 00:10:39,219 that as long as it stays with you, 201 00:10:39,219 –> 00:10:41,159 will keep you from sinning. 202 00:10:42,260 –> 00:10:43,159 When you’re tempted, 203 00:10:43,159 –> 00:10:44,299 you remember the fire, 204 00:10:44,299 –> 00:10:45,440 you remember the smoke, 205 00:10:45,440 –> 00:10:46,640 you remember the trembling 206 00:10:46,640 –> 00:10:47,760 of the whole mountain, 207 00:10:47,760 –> 00:10:49,260 at the presence of the Lord. 208 00:10:49,260 –> 00:10:52,559 You remember who your God is. 209 00:10:52,559 –> 00:10:53,880 You remember the terror 210 00:10:53,880 –> 00:10:56,659 you felt in the immediate presence of God. 211 00:10:56,659 –> 00:10:59,059 And when you remember the fear of the Lord 212 00:10:59,059 –> 00:11:01,119 will keep you from sinning. 213 00:11:02,599 –> 00:11:05,340 Now of course, there are other motivations 214 00:11:05,340 –> 00:11:06,840 that keep us from sinning. 215 00:11:06,840 –> 00:11:08,619 Love for Christ, 216 00:11:09,679 –> 00:11:11,760 joy in Christ, 217 00:11:12,739 –> 00:11:17,200 but the power of temptation is so strong. 218 00:11:18,880 –> 00:11:21,719 And there are times when our love for Christ burns low. 219 00:11:21,719 –> 00:11:24,679 There are times when our joy in Christ is diminished. 220 00:11:24,679 –> 00:11:29,679 Fear is your friend in the fight against temptation. 221 00:11:31,320 –> 00:11:34,719 We need more than godly fear, but we didn’t have less. 222 00:11:36,840 –> 00:11:39,159 The fear of the Lord, think of it this way, 223 00:11:40,140 –> 00:11:44,520 acts as a brake on the impulse to sin 224 00:11:44,520 –> 00:11:47,419 that remains in the heart, even of godly people. 225 00:11:49,380 –> 00:11:52,919 A car without a brake is headed for disaster, 226 00:11:52,919 –> 00:11:57,760 and a believer without the fear of the Lord 227 00:11:57,760 –> 00:11:59,679 is headed for disaster, too. 228 00:12:01,400 –> 00:12:06,400 When Joseph was tempted, what was his defense? 229 00:12:06,659 –> 00:12:07,979 Was the fear of the Lord. 230 00:12:08,000 –> 00:12:11,859 He says this, how can I do this great wickedness 231 00:12:11,859 –> 00:12:13,799 and sin against God? 232 00:12:16,219 –> 00:12:18,619 The fear of the Lord will keep you from sinning. 233 00:12:19,619 –> 00:12:23,780 Now what happens if a person loses the fear of the Lord? 234 00:12:23,780 –> 00:12:26,460 What happens if someone gets to the place of saying, 235 00:12:26,460 –> 00:12:28,700 well now I’m a believer and everything is well 236 00:12:28,700 –> 00:12:30,880 and I’m gonna sail into heaven and everything is peace 237 00:12:30,880 –> 00:12:34,820 and I don’t need to worry too much and so forth and so on? 238 00:12:34,820 –> 00:12:37,900 What happens if a person loses a sense of the fear 239 00:12:38,559 –> 00:12:39,400 of the Lord? 240 00:12:40,419 –> 00:12:43,380 Listen to this in Psalm 36 and verse one, 241 00:12:43,380 –> 00:12:45,320 here’s what happens. 242 00:12:45,320 –> 00:12:50,320 Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart. 243 00:12:55,020 –> 00:12:57,039 Notice these words. 244 00:12:57,039 –> 00:12:58,119 Why? 245 00:12:58,119 –> 00:13:02,840 Because there is no fear of God before his eyes. 246 00:13:04,719 –> 00:13:07,479 Now you see, you hear about someone who commits 247 00:13:07,539 –> 00:13:09,479 a terrible sin. 248 00:13:11,520 –> 00:13:14,799 And you say to yourself, and I say to myself, 249 00:13:14,799 –> 00:13:16,840 how could this possibly be? 250 00:13:19,799 –> 00:13:23,219 How could even the thought of doing that 251 00:13:23,219 –> 00:13:28,219 worm it’s way so deep into that man or that woman’s heart 252 00:13:28,900 –> 00:13:32,280 that they could do what they did? 253 00:13:32,280 –> 00:13:37,280 And the answer is, there is no fear of God before his eyes. 254 00:13:37,520 –> 00:13:40,039 There is no fear of God before their eyes. 255 00:13:41,880 –> 00:13:46,880 That’s how transgression worms it’s way deep into the heart. 256 00:13:49,299 –> 00:13:51,599 That’s what happens when there is no fear 257 00:13:51,599 –> 00:13:53,039 of God before the eyes. 258 00:13:53,039 –> 00:13:54,039 Do you see that? 259 00:13:56,239 –> 00:13:58,280 So the fear of the Lord, Moses, says, 260 00:13:58,280 –> 00:14:00,520 it’s a marvelous gift. 261 00:14:00,520 –> 00:14:04,700 Lord let me never, never, never be without this fear. 262 00:14:04,700 –> 00:14:06,840 It’s your gift in my life. 263 00:14:06,900 –> 00:14:09,200 So much that I am forgiven at an infinite cost 264 00:14:09,200 –> 00:14:12,239 and in as much as I has this present awareness 265 00:14:12,239 –> 00:14:14,599 it will be a break. 266 00:14:14,599 –> 00:14:19,000 The fear of the Lord will keep you from sinning. 267 00:14:19,000 –> 00:14:20,260 He didn’t be without it. 268 00:14:22,260 –> 00:14:26,559 Fourth, the fear of the Lord will also foster 269 00:14:26,559 –> 00:14:29,679 your pursuit of holiness. 270 00:14:29,679 –> 00:14:33,859 2nd Corinthians chapter five verses nine and 10. 271 00:14:34,219 –> 00:14:38,960 So the apostle Paul says whether we are at home or away 272 00:14:38,960 –> 00:14:43,539 we make it our aim to please him. 273 00:14:43,539 –> 00:14:45,479 Wonderful statement, 274 00:14:45,479 –> 00:14:49,260 we make it our aim to please him. 275 00:14:49,260 –> 00:14:50,719 Now how do you get there? 276 00:14:51,619 –> 00:14:54,140 How do you make it your aim to live always 277 00:14:54,140 –> 00:14:56,159 to please the Lord Jesus Christ? 278 00:14:56,159 –> 00:14:57,559 Well, notice what he says next, 279 00:14:57,559 –> 00:14:59,859 four, this is the explanation. 280 00:15:00,859 –> 00:15:06,320 We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. 281 00:15:08,559 –> 00:15:10,280 Now you see the logic of this? 282 00:15:10,280 –> 00:15:11,619 You see the force of it? 283 00:15:14,080 –> 00:15:19,080 One day, I will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ 284 00:15:19,799 –> 00:15:22,419 and I will give an account of the way 285 00:15:22,419 –> 00:15:24,559 that I have lived my life. 286 00:15:27,000 –> 00:15:28,359 There’s no avoiding this 287 00:15:29,080 –> 00:15:30,479 for any of us here. 288 00:15:31,900 –> 00:15:36,900 We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 289 00:15:39,320 –> 00:15:42,960 Therefore, I didn’t live to please myself. 290 00:15:45,159 –> 00:15:48,400 Therefore, I didn’t make the agenda of my life 291 00:15:48,400 –> 00:15:50,059 to please everybody else. 292 00:15:52,200 –> 00:15:55,080 I have to have this single aim 293 00:15:55,500 –> 00:15:58,260 if the ultimate reality that’s ahead of me 294 00:15:58,260 –> 00:16:02,599 is clear in my mind, I have to have this single aim 295 00:16:02,599 –> 00:16:07,340 that I will make it my aim to please Him. 296 00:16:09,159 –> 00:16:12,859 Now again, this is not the only motive 297 00:16:12,859 –> 00:16:14,340 for pleasing the Lord. 298 00:16:14,340 –> 00:16:17,440 We make it our aim to please Him because we love Him. 299 00:16:18,619 –> 00:16:20,580 We make it our aim to please Him 300 00:16:20,580 –> 00:16:24,340 because we are unable, fully, to thank Him 301 00:16:24,340 –> 00:16:26,479 for what He has done for us. 302 00:16:26,479 –> 00:16:27,960 We make it our aim to please Him 303 00:16:27,960 –> 00:16:29,960 because we find joy in Him 304 00:16:29,960 –> 00:16:32,679 and we find joy in pleasing Him. 305 00:16:32,679 –> 00:16:36,099 Yes, these are higher motives, for sure! 306 00:16:37,679 –> 00:16:40,119 But again, there will be times when your love burns low. 307 00:16:40,119 –> 00:16:43,400 There will be times when your joy is diminished 308 00:16:43,400 –> 00:16:46,880 and God gives you this motive that none of us should despise. 309 00:16:46,880 –> 00:16:48,820 We make it our aim to please Him 310 00:16:48,900 –> 00:16:53,140 for we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 311 00:16:55,659 –> 00:16:57,960 Fifth, trying to build a picture 312 00:16:57,960 –> 00:17:01,059 from the scripture of why this is so important 313 00:17:01,059 –> 00:17:03,700 and why this is such a wonderful gift from the Lord. 314 00:17:03,700 –> 00:17:08,699 Fifth, godly fear will sustain you in faithful service. 315 00:17:10,739 –> 00:17:13,260 How do you keep going when it’s difficult? 316 00:17:14,180 –> 00:17:16,420 Well, look at this snapshot from the Apostle Paul, 317 00:17:16,420 –> 00:17:19,160 same place, 2 Corinthians 5, 318 00:17:19,160 –> 00:17:22,540 we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, 319 00:17:22,540 –> 00:17:23,819 and what does he say next? 320 00:17:23,819 –> 00:17:28,819 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. 321 00:17:30,979 –> 00:17:34,780 Now, Paul experienced tremendous opposition 322 00:17:34,780 –> 00:17:37,459 in the course of his apostolic ministry. 323 00:17:37,459 –> 00:17:39,479 You read what he endured. 324 00:17:39,479 –> 00:17:41,760 You read the opposition, the discouragements 325 00:17:41,760 –> 00:17:43,459 that just kept coming at him, 326 00:17:43,459 –> 00:17:44,739 and you ask the question, 327 00:17:44,839 –> 00:17:47,099 how in the world did this man keep going? 328 00:17:48,060 –> 00:17:50,959 And here he gives us an answer. 329 00:17:51,939 –> 00:17:56,599 He knew that something of overwhelming consequence 330 00:17:56,599 –> 00:17:59,439 lies ahead of every person born into the world. 331 00:17:59,439 –> 00:18:02,140 We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, 332 00:18:02,140 –> 00:18:05,699 not just Paul, but everybody else. 333 00:18:05,699 –> 00:18:08,380 And so he says, well, now how can I think of doing nothing 334 00:18:08,380 –> 00:18:10,219 when every person I ever meet 335 00:18:10,219 –> 00:18:11,939 has this destiny ahead of them? 336 00:18:11,939 –> 00:18:14,739 How can I remain silent when I know this is true? 337 00:18:14,739 –> 00:18:19,140 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. 338 00:18:20,219 –> 00:18:22,420 And again, of course, there are other motives. 339 00:18:22,420 –> 00:18:24,199 You only need to read on a few verses, 340 00:18:24,199 –> 00:18:29,199 and Paul says that he is controlled by the love of Christ. 341 00:18:31,660 –> 00:18:36,540 But here in sustaining ministry, 342 00:18:36,540 –> 00:18:40,380 he tells us that this also plays its part. 343 00:18:41,219 –> 00:18:44,339 We are sustained in ministry 344 00:18:44,339 –> 00:18:47,300 not only by the love of Christ, joy in Christ 345 00:18:47,300 –> 00:18:50,760 and a desire to see people enter into the blessing of Christ, 346 00:18:50,760 –> 00:18:53,079 but by a sense of the urgency that comes 347 00:18:53,079 –> 00:18:56,619 because of the fear of the Lord that is within us. 348 00:18:56,619 –> 00:19:01,619 Sixth, Godly fear will keep you from abandoning the faith. 349 00:19:03,500 –> 00:19:04,939 Here’s something really important 350 00:19:04,939 –> 00:19:08,579 in a time when so many people who have once professed faith 351 00:19:08,579 –> 00:19:12,119 are apparently walking away from what they once professed. 352 00:19:14,060 –> 00:19:17,540 And that of course was exactly the temptation 353 00:19:17,540 –> 00:19:19,780 that was behind the book of Hebrews. 354 00:19:19,780 –> 00:19:21,939 Why was the book of Hebrews written? 355 00:19:21,939 –> 00:19:24,000 Because there were these Jewish believers 356 00:19:24,000 –> 00:19:26,619 and the whole pressure of the culture 357 00:19:26,619 –> 00:19:29,520 was against their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 358 00:19:29,520 –> 00:19:31,520 Some of them had suffered greatly 359 00:19:31,520 –> 00:19:33,839 and some of them were being tempted 360 00:19:33,839 –> 00:19:37,239 to abandon the faith that they had professed. 361 00:19:37,819 –> 00:19:39,800 And the book of Hebrews as we’ve seen 362 00:19:39,800 –> 00:19:42,300 provides robust encouragement. 363 00:19:42,300 –> 00:19:44,920 I mean, it’s really straight talking 364 00:19:44,920 –> 00:19:47,660 about what it means if you walk away 365 00:19:47,660 –> 00:19:49,979 from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 366 00:19:49,979 –> 00:19:52,780 And let me give you, for example, Hebrews chapter 10. 367 00:19:53,939 –> 00:19:55,819 He says to these people, 368 00:19:55,819 –> 00:19:57,439 and God’s word says to us, 369 00:19:57,439 –> 00:20:01,660 for if we go on sinning deliberately 370 00:20:01,660 –> 00:20:05,640 after receiving the knowledge of the truth, 371 00:20:06,180 –> 00:20:08,839 there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 372 00:20:08,839 –> 00:20:12,680 but a fearful expectation of judgment, 373 00:20:12,680 –> 00:20:16,079 and then later it is a fearful thing 374 00:20:17,099 –> 00:20:21,119 to fall into the hands of the living God. 375 00:20:22,420 –> 00:20:24,439 Now, you see, the force of what 376 00:20:24,439 –> 00:20:26,500 the writer to Hebrews is saying here. 377 00:20:27,560 –> 00:20:30,900 You’ve faced some really tough things 378 00:20:30,900 –> 00:20:34,760 in taking your stand for the Lord Jesus Christ, 379 00:20:34,839 –> 00:20:37,119 and you have done it very commendably. 380 00:20:38,760 –> 00:20:42,099 But be clear about this. 381 00:20:43,939 –> 00:20:47,640 If you were to abandon faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, 382 00:20:49,140 –> 00:20:52,420 you have something much worse to face. 383 00:20:54,000 –> 00:20:55,520 So don’t even think about it. 384 00:20:56,739 –> 00:21:00,800 Jesus Christ is the one and only sacrifice for sin. 385 00:21:00,800 –> 00:21:03,000 If you walk away from faith in Him, 386 00:21:03,000 –> 00:21:05,040 there is no other sacrifice that remains, 387 00:21:05,040 –> 00:21:07,760 no other way in which you can find peace with God. 388 00:21:07,760 –> 00:21:12,760 Don’t even think about abandoning your faith in Jesus. 389 00:21:14,079 –> 00:21:16,719 Godly fear will keep you from abandoning the faith. 390 00:21:18,880 –> 00:21:23,619 And seventhly, godly fear, and this is very wonderful, 391 00:21:24,800 –> 00:21:26,979 will deliver you from other fears. 392 00:21:27,819 –> 00:21:32,819 This is Psalm 112, blessed is the man who fears the Lord. 393 00:21:35,520 –> 00:21:39,300 Notice this is a blessing, something we want in our lives. 394 00:21:39,300 –> 00:21:42,739 It’s a gift, belongs to the forgiven. 395 00:21:44,099 –> 00:21:46,880 Why is the person who fears the Lord blessed? 396 00:21:46,880 –> 00:21:48,140 Well, there are many things said, 397 00:21:48,140 –> 00:21:51,319 but this in verse eight surely is most striking. 398 00:21:51,319 –> 00:21:56,319 His heart is steady, he will not be afraid. 399 00:21:57,920 –> 00:22:00,959 If you have this godly fear, 400 00:22:02,739 –> 00:22:06,540 it will steady your heart in an uncertain world. 401 00:22:07,619 –> 00:22:12,479 The fear of the Lord will actually put strength into you, 402 00:22:13,920 –> 00:22:18,920 and it will enable you to face and overcome other fears. 403 00:22:19,560 –> 00:22:22,180 Growing up in Scotland we used to sing a hymn 404 00:22:22,180 –> 00:22:24,420 that’s a paraphrase of Psalm 34, 405 00:22:24,939 –> 00:22:28,619 it has these two lines in it that I just love. 406 00:22:28,619 –> 00:22:33,619 Fear him, you saints, and you shall then 407 00:22:33,660 –> 00:22:37,260 have nothing else to fear. 408 00:22:37,260 –> 00:22:38,479 Isn’t that great? 409 00:22:39,579 –> 00:22:42,599 Fear him, you saints, and you shall then 410 00:22:42,599 –> 00:22:46,359 have nothing else to fear. 411 00:22:46,359 –> 00:22:48,420 Now, of course, we’re living in a world 412 00:22:48,420 –> 00:22:50,939 that experiences exactly the opposite. 413 00:22:50,939 –> 00:22:52,160 Do you see this? 414 00:22:53,160 –> 00:22:56,839 In losing the fear of the Lord, what has happened? 415 00:22:56,839 –> 00:23:00,939 We’ve been overwhelmed by an epidemic of other fears. 416 00:23:02,060 –> 00:23:04,719 Fears about health, and about money, 417 00:23:04,719 –> 00:23:06,959 and about the future, and about not measuring up, 418 00:23:06,959 –> 00:23:10,420 and about what people think, and what people don’t think. 419 00:23:10,420 –> 00:23:13,760 Lose the fear of the Lord and here’s what happens. 420 00:23:13,760 –> 00:23:16,140 Other fears run rampant! 421 00:23:18,400 –> 00:23:22,040 Learn the fear of the Lord, and here’s what happens. 422 00:23:22,040 –> 00:23:26,239 You begin to get some strength to face your other fears. 423 00:23:27,719 –> 00:23:31,060 Do you see what a marvelous gift this is? 424 00:23:31,060 –> 00:23:34,380 We rejoice that there is a kind of fear that faith relieves 425 00:23:34,380 –> 00:23:36,640 because it brings us into peace with God, 426 00:23:36,640 –> 00:23:39,439 but we should equally rejoice that there is a kind of fear 427 00:23:39,439 –> 00:23:41,280 that faith brings. 428 00:23:41,280 –> 00:23:44,219 Because it’s a gift of God, it’s a fruit of forgiveness, 429 00:23:44,219 –> 00:23:45,500 it keeps you from sinning, 430 00:23:45,500 –> 00:23:47,920 it fosters your pursuit of holiness, 431 00:23:47,920 –> 00:23:50,119 it sustains you in faithful service, 432 00:23:50,140 –> 00:23:52,280 it keeps you from abandoning the faith 433 00:23:52,280 –> 00:23:54,000 and it delivers you from other fears. 434 00:23:54,000 –> 00:23:58,699 That is a really good gift from God. 435 00:23:58,699 –> 00:24:01,199 And the more that I look at this, brothers and sisters, 436 00:24:01,199 –> 00:24:03,959 in this scripture, the more convinced I am 437 00:24:03,959 –> 00:24:05,560 that in large measure, 438 00:24:05,560 –> 00:24:08,719 we have lost sight of something vital 439 00:24:10,319 –> 00:24:15,060 for the pursuit of an authentic Christian life. 440 00:24:16,020 –> 00:24:21,020 In reverent fear, Noah constructed an ark. 441 00:24:27,640 –> 00:24:31,939 Now, what are we to do in the light of this? 442 00:24:31,939 –> 00:24:34,900 Now, taking time, the main part of the message 443 00:24:34,900 –> 00:24:38,380 to try and press the case from the Bible 444 00:24:38,380 –> 00:24:42,060 that this is a wonderful gift and that we need it. 445 00:24:42,060 –> 00:24:44,660 What then are we to do in the light of this? 446 00:24:44,660 –> 00:24:49,160 Three things, very simply, by way of application. 447 00:24:49,160 –> 00:24:54,160 First, believe all that God has revealed. 448 00:24:57,500 –> 00:25:00,199 Believe all that God has revealed 449 00:25:01,579 –> 00:25:05,500 by faith Noah being warned by God. 450 00:25:05,500 –> 00:25:10,500 See, faith not only trusts God’s promises, 451 00:25:10,800 –> 00:25:13,920 it also believes God’s warnings. 452 00:25:14,959 –> 00:25:16,160 It listens. 453 00:25:17,339 –> 00:25:18,839 It heeds. 454 00:25:18,839 –> 00:25:20,339 That’s what faith does. 455 00:25:22,020 –> 00:25:24,380 Now, something within us, of course, 456 00:25:24,380 –> 00:25:29,380 wants to believe the promises and ignore the warnings. 457 00:25:31,380 –> 00:25:34,599 Something within us wants to believe, 458 00:25:34,599 –> 00:25:37,839 and this is all round about us in the culture that 459 00:25:37,839 –> 00:25:40,160 wants to believe that God will pardon sin 460 00:25:40,160 –> 00:25:41,839 but not that God will punish it. 461 00:25:42,800 –> 00:25:46,780 Wants to believe in heaven, not so much in hell. 462 00:25:48,420 –> 00:25:51,459 Listen to these words of C.H. Spurgeon. 463 00:25:51,459 –> 00:25:56,459 Faith in God must treat all God’s word alike. 464 00:25:59,219 –> 00:26:01,900 For the faith that accepts one word 465 00:26:01,900 –> 00:26:05,780 of God and rejects another is not faith in God at all 466 00:26:05,780 –> 00:26:07,420 but faith in our own judgment. 467 00:26:09,380 –> 00:26:11,180 You see, what you’re really putting 468 00:26:11,280 –> 00:26:12,680 your faith in is your saying I like this, 469 00:26:12,680 –> 00:26:14,819 I don’t like that, and it’s your judgment 470 00:26:14,819 –> 00:26:16,099 that is the focus of your faith. 471 00:26:16,099 –> 00:26:17,680 You’re not trusting the Word of God, 472 00:26:17,680 –> 00:26:20,339 you’re trusting what you judge to be the Word of God. 473 00:26:22,199 –> 00:26:23,260 That’s not faith. 474 00:26:25,300 –> 00:26:27,979 Faith believes all that God has revealed. 475 00:26:27,979 –> 00:26:32,979 Faith does not pick and choose what it likes in the Bible. 476 00:26:35,339 –> 00:26:37,280 Faith believes all that God has revealed 477 00:26:37,280 –> 00:26:40,479 that means the warnings as much as the promises 478 00:26:40,479 –> 00:26:42,780 because we need both. 479 00:26:45,180 –> 00:26:49,619 When God promises, faith trusts him and rejoices, 480 00:26:50,939 –> 00:26:55,400 and when God warns, faith believes him and fears. 481 00:26:57,260 –> 00:27:00,900 Listen to how Paul puts this in Romans and chapter 11, 482 00:27:00,900 –> 00:27:05,900 note then the kindness and the severity of God. 483 00:27:06,160 –> 00:27:08,239 The severity of God. 484 00:27:09,219 –> 00:27:11,339 Severity towards those who have fallen, 485 00:27:11,339 –> 00:27:16,140 but kindness to you provided you continue in his kindness. 486 00:27:16,140 –> 00:27:21,140 Take note, consider, behold, two things, 487 00:27:23,780 –> 00:27:25,939 and neither of them in isolation. 488 00:27:27,540 –> 00:27:31,300 Don’t get fixated on the severity of God alone 489 00:27:31,300 –> 00:27:33,119 to the exclusion of his kindness, 490 00:27:33,119 –> 00:27:36,040 don’t get fixated on the kindness of God 491 00:27:36,040 –> 00:27:40,420 alone to the exclusion of his severity. 492 00:27:40,420 –> 00:27:44,439 Dwell on the kindness and the severity of God together 493 00:27:44,439 –> 00:27:45,439 because you need both. 494 00:27:45,439 –> 00:27:47,280 We need all that is in God 495 00:27:47,280 –> 00:27:49,579 and we need all that he has revealed. 496 00:27:51,359 –> 00:27:56,359 Both have their place in forming a faithful Christian life. 497 00:27:58,959 –> 00:28:02,800 And when some part of the truth gets lost, 498 00:28:02,800 –> 00:28:06,140 some part of the life will get distorted. 499 00:28:08,839 –> 00:28:12,680 If you should find yourself actively considering 500 00:28:12,680 –> 00:28:16,359 pursuing a path that you know to be sinful, 501 00:28:18,359 –> 00:28:21,979 you should be gripped by fear that will keep you from it. 502 00:28:24,959 –> 00:28:27,219 And if not, you really are in great danger. 503 00:28:30,040 –> 00:28:32,560 So how do you get this fear of the Lord? 504 00:28:33,160 –> 00:28:35,979 Well it is the fruit of faith. 505 00:28:35,979 –> 00:28:40,939 It’s the effect of believing all that he has revealed. 506 00:28:40,939 –> 00:28:45,939 So if you believe, you will fear the Lord. 507 00:28:47,599 –> 00:28:51,680 We saw from the life of Abel that faith listens to God. 508 00:28:51,680 –> 00:28:53,719 From Enoch, faith walks with God. 509 00:28:53,719 –> 00:28:56,280 Now we’re learning from Noah that faith fears God. 510 00:28:58,300 –> 00:29:00,119 As you listen to God through his word, 511 00:29:00,180 –> 00:29:03,420 as you seek after God in your heart, 512 00:29:03,420 –> 00:29:08,420 you will find that this godly fear grows in your soul. 513 00:29:09,339 –> 00:29:10,619 It’ll be a gift to you. 514 00:29:12,579 –> 00:29:15,180 And the fear of the Lord will keep you from sinning. 515 00:29:16,180 –> 00:29:18,079 You need as much of it as you can get. 516 00:29:20,599 –> 00:29:23,500 Believe all that God has revealed. 517 00:29:23,500 –> 00:29:25,380 Second thing we must do is this. 518 00:29:25,380 –> 00:29:30,040 Rest in all the Christ has accomplished. 519 00:29:30,140 –> 00:29:34,280 We must rest in all that Christ has accomplished. 520 00:29:34,280 –> 00:29:39,280 Noah constructed an ark for the saving of his household. 521 00:29:42,319 –> 00:29:43,760 What a remarkable statement. 522 00:29:45,119 –> 00:29:46,920 Now what does that mean for us today? 523 00:29:46,920 –> 00:29:50,199 Noah constructed an ark for the saving of his household. 524 00:29:50,199 –> 00:29:52,760 Does that mean that there is something 525 00:29:52,760 –> 00:29:56,140 that we Christians can do to save our loved ones, 526 00:29:56,160 –> 00:29:57,219 our household? 527 00:29:57,219 –> 00:29:58,739 No. 528 00:29:58,739 –> 00:30:03,000 Christ saves and Christ alone. 529 00:30:03,000 –> 00:30:04,339 We are not the savior, 530 00:30:06,280 –> 00:30:08,060 but here in the Old Testament, 531 00:30:08,060 –> 00:30:10,859 and you find this often in the Old Testament, 532 00:30:10,859 –> 00:30:13,540 Noah is what’s sometimes referred to 533 00:30:13,540 –> 00:30:16,819 as a type of Christ. 534 00:30:16,819 –> 00:30:18,140 Or to put that another way, 535 00:30:18,140 –> 00:30:20,859 he’s a representation of Christ, 536 00:30:20,859 –> 00:30:22,880 a foreshadowing of Christ. 537 00:30:22,880 –> 00:30:26,119 Someone who has a certain resemblance 538 00:30:26,119 –> 00:30:28,959 to Jesus and what Jesus will do. 539 00:30:28,959 –> 00:30:30,599 Think about a portrait. 540 00:30:31,880 –> 00:30:34,180 You see a portrait that’s been painted. 541 00:30:35,479 –> 00:30:38,599 The portrait is not the person. 542 00:30:39,780 –> 00:30:40,959 You look at the portrait, 543 00:30:40,959 –> 00:30:42,780 the person is not there. 544 00:30:42,780 –> 00:30:43,839 That’s not the person. 545 00:30:43,839 –> 00:30:44,880 It’s a portrait. 546 00:30:44,880 –> 00:30:47,739 But as you look at the portrait, 547 00:30:47,739 –> 00:30:50,000 you see the person’s features 548 00:30:50,000 –> 00:30:52,680 and you can, in a true sense, 549 00:30:52,680 –> 00:30:56,560 see the person in the portrait. 550 00:30:57,520 –> 00:30:59,680 Now, Noah is not Jesus. 551 00:31:01,160 –> 00:31:04,319 But you can certainly see Jesus in him. 552 00:31:05,619 –> 00:31:07,300 And think about the story of Noah 553 00:31:07,300 –> 00:31:11,439 as a portrait of Jesus and what he has accomplished. 554 00:31:11,439 –> 00:31:14,680 Think about who he was as that points us to Jesus. 555 00:31:14,680 –> 00:31:17,060 He found favor in the eyes of the Lord, 556 00:31:17,060 –> 00:31:18,619 we read this morning. 557 00:31:19,619 –> 00:31:23,579 He was a righteous man, he was blameless in his generation. 558 00:31:23,579 –> 00:31:26,699 Noah walked with God. 559 00:31:28,060 –> 00:31:29,699 And you look at that in the portrait 560 00:31:29,699 –> 00:31:32,500 and you see just something that’s pointing forward 561 00:31:32,500 –> 00:31:35,339 to the one of whom the father said, 562 00:31:35,339 –> 00:31:40,339 this is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased. 563 00:31:40,859 –> 00:31:45,359 Jesus Christ is the righteous one to whom Noah points, 564 00:31:45,439 –> 00:31:49,880 he was the one with the father before the world began. 565 00:31:51,199 –> 00:31:56,199 And then look at what Noah did, he constructed an arc. 566 00:31:56,339 –> 00:32:00,660 That is he made the way of escape 567 00:32:00,660 –> 00:32:04,479 from this dreadful judgment in the flood. 568 00:32:06,380 –> 00:32:09,939 And evidently he did this entirely on his own. 569 00:32:10,939 –> 00:32:13,380 We do not read of anyone helping him 570 00:32:13,380 –> 00:32:15,680 which is no doubt why it took such a long time. 571 00:32:16,900 –> 00:32:20,760 Single-handed, this one man 572 00:32:21,660 –> 00:32:25,579 made the way in which people could be carried 573 00:32:25,579 –> 00:32:27,300 through the judgment of God 574 00:32:27,300 –> 00:32:31,339 and brought safely into a new world. 575 00:32:32,900 –> 00:32:37,900 And single-handed, Jesus Christ made the one and only way 576 00:32:38,459 –> 00:32:41,260 in which we can be carried safely 577 00:32:41,260 –> 00:32:43,020 through the judgment of God 578 00:32:43,020 –> 00:32:45,619 and brought into the new heavens and the new earth 579 00:32:45,619 –> 00:32:48,180 that will be the home of righteousness. 580 00:32:50,380 –> 00:32:53,939 They look in the portrait at who was saved. 581 00:32:55,060 –> 00:33:00,060 Noah constructed an Ark for the saving of his household. 582 00:33:00,619 –> 00:33:01,619 Very significant. 583 00:33:01,619 –> 00:33:06,619 The people who were saved were all related to Noah. 584 00:33:07,560 –> 00:33:12,560 He had three sons, three daughters-in-law, 585 00:33:12,939 –> 00:33:17,780 his wife, and himself, eight people in all. 586 00:33:19,359 –> 00:33:22,180 He constructed an Ark for the saving of his household. 587 00:33:22,180 –> 00:33:23,140 Seven others. 588 00:33:25,140 –> 00:33:27,180 Matthew Henry says, 589 00:33:27,180 –> 00:33:32,180 it was well for these men that they were Noah’s sons. 590 00:33:33,119 –> 00:33:35,219 It was well for these women 591 00:33:35,219 –> 00:33:38,119 that they married into Noah’s family. 592 00:33:40,280 –> 00:33:45,280 Noah’s family entered into his Ark, 593 00:33:45,300 –> 00:33:49,160 the Ark that he built. 594 00:33:49,160 –> 00:33:51,459 In other words, Noah did not get his family together 595 00:33:51,459 –> 00:33:52,819 and say, now, 596 00:33:52,819 –> 00:33:54,699 God’s given me a remarkable warning 597 00:33:54,699 –> 00:33:55,939 of a judgment to come. 598 00:33:55,939 –> 00:33:57,560 Now here’s what we’ve all got to do, 599 00:33:57,560 –> 00:33:59,699 I want each of you to build your own Ark. 600 00:34:00,640 –> 00:34:02,099 Because you can save yourself 601 00:34:02,099 –> 00:34:03,619 if you build an Ark like mine. 602 00:34:03,619 –> 00:34:04,739 So here’s how we’ll do it. 603 00:34:04,739 –> 00:34:08,699 I’ll go first, I’ll build the model, 604 00:34:08,699 –> 00:34:10,860 you do what I do, 605 00:34:10,860 –> 00:34:13,699 and then we can divide up all the animals between us 606 00:34:13,699 –> 00:34:17,139 and each of us can be saved in our own little boat. 607 00:34:18,540 –> 00:34:20,300 Now, you know that’s not how it happened, 608 00:34:20,300 –> 00:34:25,300 the world was not saved by a flotilla of little boats, 609 00:34:25,540 –> 00:34:29,239 it was saved in one Ark built by one man. 610 00:34:30,239 –> 00:34:33,780 And those who were saved were all related to him. 611 00:34:33,780 –> 00:34:36,760 That gives us a wonderful picture of Jesus 612 00:34:36,760 –> 00:34:40,219 and what he accomplished and who it is that he saves. 613 00:34:40,219 –> 00:34:44,860 Single-handedly, he has made atonement for our sins. 614 00:34:44,860 –> 00:34:49,620 He saves us bringing us into what he has accomplished 615 00:34:49,620 –> 00:34:54,260 and he saves all who by faith are related to him. 616 00:34:54,260 –> 00:34:55,939 That’s the great importance of faith. 617 00:34:55,939 –> 00:34:58,300 Why do Christians keep talking about faith? 618 00:34:58,300 –> 00:34:59,739 Because faith is the way 619 00:34:59,739 –> 00:35:03,479 in which you become related to Jesus Christ. 620 00:35:06,179 –> 00:35:10,060 So what must we do in the light of this vital principle 621 00:35:10,060 –> 00:35:12,739 for Christian life that we’ve been learning today, 622 00:35:12,739 –> 00:35:15,479 the fear of the Lord, this marvelous gift that we need, 623 00:35:15,479 –> 00:35:19,580 we must believe all that God has revealed. 624 00:35:19,580 –> 00:35:22,179 And as we believe all that God has revealed, 625 00:35:22,179 –> 00:35:23,979 the promises and the warnings, 626 00:35:23,979 –> 00:35:28,979 we must rest in all that Jesus Christ has accomplished, 627 00:35:30,659 –> 00:35:32,739 and the last thing, very simply, is this, 628 00:35:32,739 –> 00:35:37,739 that we must receive all that God has promised. 629 00:35:38,540 –> 00:35:40,919 Look at the last part of the verse, so wonderful. 630 00:35:40,919 –> 00:35:45,060 By faith Noah became an heir 631 00:35:46,439 –> 00:35:51,439 of the righteousness that comes by faith. 632 00:35:51,560 –> 00:35:53,179 Faith, an heir. 633 00:35:55,419 –> 00:35:58,040 Now, an heir is someone who inherits. 634 00:35:59,860 –> 00:36:03,280 An heir receives something that was earned 635 00:36:03,280 –> 00:36:04,840 by somebody else. 636 00:36:06,260 –> 00:36:10,800 It is freely given, and it is freely received. 637 00:36:11,959 –> 00:36:13,320 What did he inherit? 638 00:36:14,199 –> 00:36:19,199 He inherited the righteousness that was not his own, 639 00:36:19,639 –> 00:36:22,159 but the righteousness that came from another, 640 00:36:22,159 –> 00:36:27,159 Jesus Christ, that became his by faith. 641 00:36:28,500 –> 00:36:32,239 Noah became an heir of the righteousness 642 00:36:32,239 –> 00:36:33,560 that comes by faith, 643 00:36:33,560 –> 00:36:36,340 that is, by believing what God had revealed, 644 00:36:36,340 –> 00:36:39,219 by trusting in what God had promised, 645 00:36:39,219 –> 00:36:41,600 the promise to us in and through Jesus Christ. 646 00:36:41,600 –> 00:36:43,100 That’s what he looked forward to 647 00:36:43,100 –> 00:36:46,879 in the same way as we look back to that same promise. 648 00:36:46,879 –> 00:36:49,840 He became an heir of this righteousness, 649 00:36:49,840 –> 00:36:51,399 and that runs throughout this story. 650 00:36:51,399 –> 00:36:54,320 We saw in verse four that Abel, in the same way, 651 00:36:54,320 –> 00:36:57,959 was commended as righteous as he was a man of faith, 652 00:36:57,959 –> 00:37:00,120 that Enoch was commended, verse five, 653 00:37:00,120 –> 00:37:03,280 as having pleased God as he walked by faith, 654 00:37:03,280 –> 00:37:06,280 and now Noah becomes an heir of the righteousness 655 00:37:06,280 –> 00:37:09,040 that comes by faith also. 656 00:37:10,520 –> 00:37:12,260 How does faith make you an heir? 657 00:37:14,560 –> 00:37:16,639 Well, right at the beginning of the book of Hebrews, 658 00:37:16,639 –> 00:37:21,320 very wonderfully, this book tells us that there is one heir. 659 00:37:22,260 –> 00:37:24,060 Hebrews chapter one and verse two, 660 00:37:24,060 –> 00:37:29,060 Jesus Christ himself is the heir of all things. 661 00:37:29,719 –> 00:37:31,340 God appointed him such. 662 00:37:33,000 –> 00:37:38,000 And the reason we become heirs is that Jesus is the heir, 663 00:37:39,379 –> 00:37:41,260 and faith joins us to Jesus. 664 00:37:41,340 –> 00:37:46,340 The reason we become righteous is that Jesus is righteous 665 00:37:47,360 –> 00:37:49,879 and faith joins us to Jesus. 666 00:37:49,879 –> 00:37:53,800 The reason we are saved is that Jesus saves 667 00:37:53,800 –> 00:37:58,320 and faith joins us to Jesus. 668 00:37:58,320 –> 00:38:02,199 Faith joins us to Jesus and all who by faith in him, 669 00:38:02,199 –> 00:38:03,580 have faith in him. 670 00:38:03,580 –> 00:38:04,780 What’s gonna happen? 671 00:38:04,780 –> 00:38:09,780 We’re gonna be carried through the judgment of God 672 00:38:09,860 –> 00:38:13,580 and brought safely into the new world, 673 00:38:13,580 –> 00:38:15,739 the new heavens, the new earth, 674 00:38:15,739 –> 00:38:19,879 the home of righteousness that will be created 675 00:38:19,879 –> 00:38:21,000 by God himself. 676 00:38:21,000 –> 00:38:26,000 So rest in all that Jesus Christ has accomplished. 677 00:38:28,780 –> 00:38:32,459 Receive all that God has promised. 678 00:38:34,320 –> 00:38:39,320 And then as one who knows that you are loved, 679 00:38:40,500 –> 00:38:45,360 and you are accepted, and you are forgiven, 680 00:38:45,360 –> 00:38:49,860 and you are safe forever in Jesus Christ, 681 00:38:49,860 –> 00:38:54,860 then, you will always live in the fear of the lord. 682 00:38:57,459 –> 00:38:58,459 Let’s pray together. 683 00:38:59,459 –> 00:39:04,459 Oh father, give to us this godly fear 684 00:39:05,239 –> 00:39:10,239 that we may walk as your true children 685 00:39:13,780 –> 00:39:15,780 all the days of our lives 686 00:39:17,600 –> 00:39:19,820 until faith is turned to sight, 687 00:39:21,820 –> 00:39:26,260 and we rejoice with trembling in your presence, 688 00:39:28,139 –> 00:39:30,199 and enter into all that you have prepared 689 00:39:30,199 –> 00:39:35,219 for those who love you, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, 690 00:39:36,320 –> 00:39:38,760 in his wonderful name we pray, Amen.