THE ARK
By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet,
moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house,- by
the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the
righteousness which is by faith — Hebrews 11:7.
It is a
wonderful fact of human nature that we learn far more
easily from example than we do in any other way. Now, you have in
this passage an example of a sinner saved by faith. It shows you
how a sinner is saved. And as Noah fled into the ark which he had
prepared, so should you. You too, have an ark provided; and just
as Noah thereby condemned the world — that is, shewed that the
world was righteously condemned so will you; if you enter in, you
will show by your faith that its condemnation is just.
Let us go over these things and see:
First, Noah's warning: "By faith Noah, being warned of God of
things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the
saving of his house." We have an account given us of the warning
of Noah in the 6th chapter of Genesis:
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of
the earth ... that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that
they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
And the LORD said, My Spirit shall not always strive with man,
for that he also is flesh; yet his days shall be an hundred and
twenty years; verses 1-3.
That was the first warning.
And the LORD said, I will destroy man, whom I have created from
the face of the earth; both man and beast and the creeping thing,
and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made
them; verse 7.
This is the second warning. That was the warning which God gave
Noah; he told him that the Holy Spirit would not always strive
with man, and then he told him that he would destroy man whom he
had created. Now, if Noah had been like some of you, he might
have said, God is a merciful God — he will not destroy the souls
that he has made. Or, like some of you, he might have said, O! it
is a long time yet; it will be time enough to turn to God a year
before the flood comes. But, no; "Noah, being warned of God of
things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the
saving of his house."
Now, brethren, if you would be like Noah, you should be moved
with fear. God has warned you, not once, nor twice, but a hundred
times. God warns you in the Bible that "his wrath is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men" -
Romans 1:18. It says, "Except ye be converted ... ye shall not
enter the kingdom of God" - Matthew 18:3; it says, that if you
commit such things you shall die; it says that if you do not
believe you shall be damned - Mark 16:16; it says that if you are
not converted and become as little children, you shall not enter
the kingdom of God - Matthew 18:3. Ah, then, man, have you ever
trembled at the warning of God? No; then you are not like Noah;
you are not like him, for he believed God. I tell you, you could
not live on as you do, if you believe God's Word; it is because
you are infidel at heart - that is the reason why you do not
tremble at his Word: "By faith Noah, being warned of God of
things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the
saving of his house."
Again, you are warned by ministers. We are to receive the word at
God's mouth, and warn the people; and if we do not warn you, God
says he will require it at the watchman's hands. This is one of
the chief parts of a minister's duty — to warn the unconverted.
This is what I have done, both in public and in private. I have
warned you, and how have you received it? O, you say, do you
think I would be afraid of the word of a man? Well, if so, I tell
you that it is not our word, it is the Word of God; and, oh! if
you do not take the Word of God, spoken through the minister, you
are not like Noah.
Again, you are warned by providence. Some of you have seen souls
cut down, and yet you are left. Some of you have seen those whom
you led into sin taken away, and yet you are left. Ah, brethren,
can you say that you have not been warned? and how have you taken
it? Some of you have gone deeper into sin. Ah! you are not like
Noah. But some of you will make this objection. I do not like to
be moved with fear; I like it to be all love. It is quite true
that none were ever brought to Christ by fear. We must be brought
to Christ by a sight of his love. But then, it is quite as true
that you will never be brought out of your security but by fear:
you must be drawn out by fear, and drawn in by love.
Ah, brethren, do not you despise fear. How was the jailer brought
to Christ? "He called for a light, and sprang in, and came
trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them
out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" - Acts 16:29.
What was it that made him ask the question? It was fear. What was
it that made the three thousand on the streets of Jerusalem cry,
"Men and brethren, what shall we do?" - Acts 2:37. It was fear.
What was it that made Saul cry, when he lay on the ground, "Lord,
what wilt thou have me to do?" - Acts 9:6. It was fear. And so
must it be with you, if ever you are brought to Christ. Awake,
"What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God" - Jonah
1:6. Ah! do not despise fear. I tell you, as long as you remain
in that carnal lifeless state, like wine settled on its lees, you
will never come to Christ. The Holy Spirit is like a dove, but
the first thing he does is to convince of sin.
I come now, in the second place, to consider the ark. "By faith
Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with
fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house." are told about
the preparation of the ark in the 6th chapter of Genesis, 14th
verse: "Make thee an ark of gopher-wood: rooms shalt thou make in
the ark, and shall pitch it within and without with pitch"; then,
verse 16: "A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit
shalt thou finish it above: and the door of the ark shalt thou
set in the side thereof, with lower, second, and third stories
shalt thou make it"; verse 21: "And take thou unto thee of all
food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it
shall be for food to thee, and for them. Thus did Noah; according
to all that God commanded him, so did he."
Observe, brethren, how completely the ark represents Christ. It
was of God's planning; and so it is with Christ and the gospel
salvation. All the men that lived could not have devised an ark
to hold so many: so, in like manner, neither man nor angel could
find a way whereby the sinner could be saved. "God so loved the
world that he gave his only begotten Son..." - John 3:16. It is
said, the angels desire to look into the plan of redemption. It
is said, "it is unsearchable". It is a plan that saves the
sinner, and that gives glory to God. It is a plan laid so as to
bring the sinner to God — a plan that gives glory to God in the
highest, peace on earth, and good will to man.
Observe still further, the strength of the ark. God knew what the
billows were it would have to contend with. So it is with Christ;
God made him strong enough to bear all that came against him, so
that he is able to save to the utmost all that come unto God by
him.
And it was a roomy ark. So it is with Christ; the commission
given to ministers is, "Yet there is room" - Luke 14:22.
And you will notice there was a door made in the side of it. So
it was with Christ; there was a spear thrust into his side; so it
is said, "I am the door" - John 10:9. "We both have access by one
Spirit unto the Father" - Ephesians 2:18. "He that cometh unto me
I will in no wise cast out" - John 6:37. There are no steps up to
it, so we have nothing to do but to believe.
Again, there was a window on the top of it, that looked up to
heaven. So, in Christ, we can look up to a reconciled God.
Again, there was provision in the ark. So is there in Christ; "My
God shall supply all your need" - Philippians 4:19. You need
gold? Christ has it to bestow. You are polluted, and need a
fountain? There is a fountain opened for sin and uncleanness. You
are hungry, and need bread? Christ says, "I am the bread of life"
- John 6:3 5. There is everything you need in the ark. Brethren,
how will you escape, if you neglect so great salvation? If you
despise an ark so strong, so filled with provision, how will you
escape?
This leads me to the third point, and that is to inquire how Noah
saved his house. "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things
not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving
of his house." Noah saved his house by fleeing from all other
refuges. "And the LORD said unto Noah, Come, thou and all thy
house into the ark" - Genesis 7:1. "And Noah went in, and his
sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark,
because of the waters of the flood. Of clean beasts, and of
beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that
creepeth upon the earth, there went in two and two unto Noah in
the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah" -
Genesis 7:7-9.
Observe, dear brethren, that the way in which Noah saved his
house was by entering in. First of all, he entered in. Carnal men
would have said, Better go to the top of the mountains; but Noah
believed God, and fled from all other refuges; and not only did
he go to the threshold, but he entered in, and his Wife and his
sons, and their wives with him, into the ark, and the Lord shut
him in. So must it be with you if you would enter in.
First of all, you must forsake all other arks. Carnal men will
say, There are arks as good as it. Some rest in the ark of God's
general mercy, but that is a false ark. Some rest in the ark of
their decent moral character. Some rest in their knowledge of the
ark, but these are all false arks; all that proceeds from man is
false. Brethren, we must flee from all refuges of lies, and
remember you must not stop on the threshold; there are many that
look in, but do not enter in. There are many that know what is in
the ark, but they do not enter in. But come thou into the ark,
thou and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee, and the Lord
will shut you in. You must not only hear about the ark, but you
must enter in. You are not safe because you have wept and prayed.
You are only safe when you enter in. "If any man be in Christ he
is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things
are become new" - 2 Corinthians 5:17.
All the beasts entered in. There came a lion and a lioness —
they, too, entered in. And then there came in the tall cattle;
there came a camel-leopard, with its long majestic neck bent down
- it, too, entered in. And then came the birds; the eagle that
loves to soar aloft in the sky, and feed upon its prey - it, too,
entered in. And then the creeping things; there came a serpent,
and perhaps, Noah might say when he saw them creeping along the
ground, "These will bite us" - but they, too, entered in. So,
brethren, it is true that all kinds of sinners may enter in. And
it is sweet to see what a change came over them when they entered
in. The lion lay down beside the lamb, and the leopard beside the
kid. So it is with those that came to Christ. The lion-like
nature is changed into the gentle nature of the lamb — the proud
man is made humble. "If any man be in Christ Jesus he is a new
creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are
become new." Some of you think you are Christ's and yet your old
nature is not taken away.
Fourthly, what came of the world. It is said he condemned the
world. When Noah entered into the ark he condemned the world; not
that he judged them, for it is said he was a preacher of
righteousness — but he entered in, and thereby condemned the
world. So is it yet; when a child in an ungodly family is saved,
he enters into the ark, and thereby condemns those that do not.
Brethren, the most of the world did not know when Noah entered
the ark.
"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, and knew not until the
flood came, and took them all away" - Matthew 24:37-39.
Brethren, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in
marriage. The bride was standing up putting her hand into the
bridegroom's hand, and promising herself many happy days — that
day the flood came. Some said, Come, let us see a man making a
ship on the dry land. They mocked Noah until the day that the
flood came. So it is still. Though we tell you of a better ark,
yet you go on with your ways. "Eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage."
Brethren, I believe that the most of you, who ever will be, are
gathered already, you are becoming gospel proof, and so you will
live on, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,
until the flood of wrath come and sweep you away. Ah, brethren,
you mock at the man building the ark; you do this by not entering
in. Ah, my brethren, many of you say, when you see persons
striving to enter in, they are mad, and this is what they said to
Noah. O brethren! it is a happy madness to enter into the ark.
But, brethren, I believe that there are many that did not mock
Noah, and, perhaps, they helped to build the ark; they, perhaps,
went and cut down wood to build it, but they did not enter in.
Ah! so it is with you; there are many who say that we are good
people, but we carry things too far. Ah, there are many ministers
who help to build the ark, that do not enter in themselves; there
are many Sabbath school teachers help to build the ark, but do
not enter in themselves.
It is very probable that some came down to the ark that morning
when Noah entered in; but it was too late; God had shut him in. I
believe that most of you will come when it is too late. I know
that many of you have your convictions, but do not enter in; you
will come to the door when it is shut, like the foolish virgins,
saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us", but he shall say, "I know you
not" - Matthew 25:11-12. You will seek to enter in when you hear
the rumbling of the chariot of Emmanuel, but it will then be too
late. Brethren, it is the devil that is shutting your eyes from
seeing these things.
Last of all, it was an awful deluge that came. It came on them
before they were aware — when they were "eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage". The taverns were all full, the
bride was happy, all were full of mirth. And so it will be when
the Son of Man comes. It will be a sudden flood.
And it was a deep flood. It lifted the ark to the top of Ararat.
It is calculated that the water rose four hundred feet the first
day. Ah, brethren, it was a deep and awful flood, none were able
to stand against it — it covered the proudest. Ah, brethren, it
is the same word that reserves the world for a flood of fire. And
it is said, "In that day who shall be able to stand?" O be
warned, by a sinful worm like yourselves, to flee! "Can thine
heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I
shall deal with thee?" - Ezekiel 22:14.
The flood came upon Christ, and oh, how fearful was his agony!
But if you are his, it will not come upon you - if you are in
this ark, you will be saved; but, if not, you will be lost. God
pity you, dear friends, I cannot. God grant that he may do it,
before the flood come and sweep you all away. Amen.
