Verse 8, But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

I. Grace

A. Before he was born - Gen. 5:29 - Noah means "rest".

1. Grace is "unmerited favor".

2. Therefore Noah was not good, therefore God chose him to build the ark.

3. Noah was like everybody else, and he found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and God used him.

B. Gen. 6:9-10 - After he was born.

1. Walked with God - like Enoch - 5:25.

2. God took one and left the other to be used here.

3. God will use us for something if we will walk with him.

C. Noah preached while he built.

1. Heb. 11:7 - built by faith and condemned the world.

2. I Peter 3:19, 20 - 4:6 - This is Noah who preached, perhaps also Methuselah and Lamech, and Noah’s sons.

3. II Peter 2:5 - Noah was a preacher of righteousness.

Verses 9 and 10, These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

I. The generations of Noah.

A. The earth was getting progressively worse, but Noah found a wife to follow the Lord and him.

1. Compare this to Gen. 4:17 - Cain found a woman who followed him, and was against God.

2. If you desire a Godly spouse, God will provide you one.

3. Even in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation.

B. Noah’s sons also found wives in the midst of sin.

1. There surely wasn’t very many faithful women to choose from.

2. The women had to be able to withstand abuse just like their husbands and their preacher father-in-law, Noah.

3. They had to turn their backs on their own families (Gen. 2:24, 25) and cleave to God and their husbands.

4. It’s very likely they had no children until after the flood.

a. Gen. 7:7 - eight people got in the ark.

b. Gen. 8:16 - eight people got out of the ark.

c. Gen. 11-10 - Arphaxad (Shem’s son) born two years after the flood.

5. Therefore the women didn’t stay with their husbands for the children’s sake.

6. We don’t know how long they had been married.

C. We don’t know if Noah’s three sons were triplets.

1. Some use Gen. 5:32 to prove they were.

2. They may have been, don’t be dogmatic.

D. Note that the life of the Godly must go on even if everybody else is in sin.

1. Noah and his wife continued a normal relationship -- others didn’t.

2. Noah and his wife evidently taught the three sons about Godly marriage and the Holy Spirit led the boys to believe it would work, even though the only evidence it would work was in their own parents. The world around them certainly didn’t point in that direction.

3. Noah’s sons surely faced ridicule from their "friends", but they had learned (by example) to remain true to God.

II. Noah’s life.

A. Just man and perfect. (complete - not sinless.)

1. A result of the grace of God.

2. Noah being a good man didn’t cause the grace of God to be on him.

3. Noah did not frustrate the grace of God (Gal. 2:21) but used it daily in his life.

B. Walked with God.

1. Said only about Enoch (Gen. 5:24).

2. God took Enoch out of the world because he walked with God.

3. God left Noah in the world and removed the world from him because he walked with God.

4. It’s God’s choice what He does with us. (Rom. 9:21 - the potter has power over the clay.)

Verses 11, 12, and 13, The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

I. Compare Noah to the rest of the world.

A. All the world is corrupt and full of violence.

B. Before God - all things are done in the sight of God.

1. God condemns them because of their actions.

2. Man is not condemning himself.

C. Compare to Gen. 1:31.

II. The wickedness

A. Caused the earth to be corrupt.

B. Filled with violence (violating the rights of others.)

1. Robbery

2. Murder

3. Sexual crimes

III. The end.

A. I wonder if the people were so filled with violence and wickedness God could see if they continued on this downward path, they would destroy themselves with diseases and war.

1. God determined to kill all the wicked so his people (those that would be born in the future) would be allowed to live and fulfill his purposes for them.

2. Man has not really changed, for during the "cold war" Russia developed plans to build a ship with so many atomic weapons on it that if they were going to lose the war, the ship would be able to destroy the entire world, them included. This ship was never built, because God stopped it.

B. Note the history of religion in England as proof that this world is getting farther and farther away from God.

1. Before discussing this, consider the ‘big picture’. Before World War II, around 40% or more of the population of England attended church. However, an independent UK news source recently published statistics for all denominations, showing that in the last ten years only 7.5% of the population went to church. They predicted that at the present rate of decline the church would be ‘dead and buried within 40 years’, with only 0.5% of the population attending services.

2. Though people may argue about statistics, there is certainly very little of Biblical Christianity remaining in English public life. Many church buildings have been turned into offices, shopping centres and the like

C. God determined the end.

1. God will allow only so much sin.

a. Gen. 15:16 - when the iniquity of the Amorites is full, God will use Israel to destroy them.

b. Ps. 76:10 - God will restrain all wrath that doesn’t give Him praise.

IV. It’s hard to believe from the natural standpoint that all of the trouble and misery described in Gen. 6:11, 12, 13 came as a result of interfaith marriage (Gen. 6:1-3). This seems like a giant step forward in sin.

A. Remember only one law of God was broken to plunge man into sin. (Gen. 2:16, 17). Look around you and see the lengths sinful mankind has gone to. Look inside your own heart and mind and see the lengths sin has gone in our own lives.

B. Remember that about 1400 years have gone by since Cain left home and God looks upon Noah, telling him to prepare for a world-wide flood.

C. Remember in the first generation of an interfaith marriage, the one spouse would desire to serve God and the other would desire to serve pleasure.

D. If the one spouse remained faithful all of their lives, the children probably wouldn’t remain faithful. If the children did remain faithful, and married an unbeliever, the "odds" are that they would not remain faithful.

E. Most likely, in the interfaith marriage, there would be a difference of opinion as to how to raise the children. One spouse would desire to teach them the things of God, while the other would call such things nonsense. The children would be confused, and would probably wind up serving their own pleasure.

F. Certainly in the passage of 10 generations (recorded in Gen. 5) the service of God would be greatly diminished.

G. Maybe it would be good today for us to take one more look at the result of interfaith marriage.

Verse 14, Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

I. The word "ark" means "box".

A. The ark of the bulrushes Moses was placed in was a box, not intended for sailing, but for finding.

B. The ark of the covenant was a box with a lid on it, not intended for sailing.

C. The common idea that the ark was shaped like a boat is completely wrong.

1. The imagination of man is always wrong when considering the things of God.

2. The only reason the ark is thought to have a shape like a boat is because it was on water.

II. Heb. 11:7 - Noah built the ark by faith. God could have saved Noah by letting the angels bear him up, and Noah wouldn’t have had to work. This is not God’s plan for Noah, nor for us. He desires us to "work out our own salvation " - Phil. 2:12.

A. Noah told how to save himself before God told him of the destruction to come (v. 17)

B. We don’t know many of the details of the ark’s construction because we don’t need to know.

1. The few details we know all point to Christ, not just to satisfy our natural curiosity.

2. We have the detailed description of the tabernacle because:

a. It is a place of worship.

b. All the articles mentioned point to Christ in one way or another.

C. God had never sent rain before (Gen. 2:5).

D. Christ has never come the way He’s going to come. We, by faith, believe He is coming.

E. II Peter 3:3, 4 - Don’t be like the scoffers of the last days.

F. I Thess. 4:13-18 - God’s promise was sure in the days of Noah and the promise of His return is sure today.

G. An "impossible job" - Mark 10:27 - All things are possible with God.

1. John 3:36 - Believe to salvation of Soul.

a. Mark 3:5 - Christ telling the man with the withered hand to stretch it forth.

b. John 11:43 - Christ raising Lazarus from the dead.

2. Eph. 2:10 - To live a Christian life.

3. Matt. 28:18-20 - "Impossible" for 120 members to reach the world for Christ.

4. All of the above is done by Grace through faith in Christ, not by the works of the flesh.

III. Gen. 6:3 - Noah didn’t know the exact time of the flood, only general (120 years).

A. Matt. 24:36 - We know in general terms when the Lord will return, but not the day or hour.

B. When the time came to get in the ark, God told Noah to get in. (Gen. 7:1)

C. When it comes time for us to be raptured, God will call us home. (I Thess. 4:16, 17)

IV. Gopher wood

A. The only time used in the Bible.

B. Only two thoughts as to the kind of tree.

1. Resinous trees such as pine, fir, cedar, etc;

2. Cypress trees. This is because the Greek word for cypress comes from a word similar to the Greek word for gopher. But the Old Testament is written in Hebrew.

C. Doesn’t really make too much difference because the boards are completely covered with pitch.

1. I Cor. 3:11-13 - The works done with faith in Christ don’t rot either. No matter what kind of person does the works (as long as they’re God’s).

2. The blood of Jesus Christ completely covers our sins and will keep us from destruction.

3. Matt. 6:19-21 - We need to lay up treasure in heaven where they’re covered by the blood of Jesus.

V. Rooms

A. We don’t know the size or placement of the rooms.

1. John 14:1-3 - We don’t know what "heaven" will look like.

2. I Cor. 2:9 - We can have no idea of the glories of heaven except it be revealed by the Spirit. (V. 10) "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."

3. Rev. 21:10-27 - We don’t know the placement of "rooms" in the New Jerusalem just a general view of the highlights.

B. The "rooms" seem to be a part of the structure.

1. Noah built a perimeter, then added the rooms inside the structure.

2. The rooms would add structural strength.

3. Structural strength would be necessary to survive the uproar of the flood. Gen. 7:11

4. Evidence of an uproar is seen by fossil remains.

a. Some fossils high, others low.

b. Many animals evidently crammed into one place by the flood waters.

c. Paluxy River Bed near Glen Rose, Texas. Dinosaur and human footprints together, running. Not running from each other - but from the flood waters? Why did the footprints form a fossil - probably covered with a different kind of earth very quickly.

d. "Giant" footprints also found there. About three times the size of human footprints.

e. "Giant" footprints also found in:

1) Arizona

Near Mt. Whitney in California.

Near White Sands in New Mexico.

Other places.

VI. Pitch within and without.

A. Definition.

1. The first word "pitch" is from the Hebrew "Kaphan" meaning "to cover" as in The atonement.

a. The word is like a verb, which speaks of action.

b. The atonement is an action of Christ, when he covers our sins with his blood (which is represented by the pitch that covered the ark).

2. The second word "pitch" is from the Hebrew "Kophan" meaning "bitumen" as in an asphalt like substance.

a. The word is like a noun, which describes the substance being used.

b. The word atonement can also be used as a noun, as blood is a noun, and the word "pitch" is a noun.

3. Pitch is a tar like substance, mineral or asphalt. It bubbles up from subterranean fountains in a liquid state, hardens on contact with air, and softens when heated.

B. Ex. 2:3 - Used to make a vessel water-tight.

C. Completely covered the vessel, inside and out and in between each board.

1. Teaches us security of the believer.

a. Water (sin) can’t get in.

b. It is the pitch that keeps the boards of the ark from rotting.

c. It is the blood of Christ that keeps us from destruction.

2. In our Christian life, we are safe only in Christ, not by our works, kept by something else.

3. Pitch makes the ark ugly.

a. Faith is ugly (unappealing) to all unbelievers.

b. I Cor. 1:18 - Lost people don’t like the preaching of the word.

c. Salvation is not appealing to the natural man.

d. Heb. 9:22 - We have a bloody religion and lost people don’t like that.

Verse 15, And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

I. What the ark didn’t look like.

A. "Noah’s Ark" in St. Charles, Missouri.

B. Not a "V-bottom boat", or rounded bottom at all.

II. Ark looked like.

A. A black shoe box.

B. No motor (means of motivation).

1. Had no place to go -- we don’t either.

2. God directs the movement of the ark by faith. So it is with us.

3. We don’t need to take the church anywhere; God moves the church.

4. We don’t need to take our own lives anywhere, God is supposed to be in charge of our movement.

III. This is supposed, according to ship building experts, the best size for structural stability.

A. A Cubic is about 18".

1. This measurement is based on the length from the tip of the fingers to the elbow.

2. The measurement would be different with different people.

3. There are some who believe Noah was approximately 12’ tall.

4. This would make his cubic almost 36" long.

5. Therefore the ark would be much larger than we have calculated with the cubic based on 18".

6. The truth is that we do not know how long Noah’s cubic was, therefore we do not know how big the ark was.

B. 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, 45 feet tall.

1. 101,250 sq. feet of floor space.

2. 1,518,750 cubic space as 522 box cars.

3. Same cubic space as 522 box cars.

C. Simply going by the size of the ark, we know the flood was world-wide, not local. It’s ridiculous to think of a man spending 100 years building a boat to escape a local flood, when he could have escaped the flood by simply moving.

D. Was not built on an earthly foundation.

1. The foundation of the ark was integrated into the structure of the ark, just as Jesus Christ, our foundation, is integrated into salvation.

2. Its foundation (that makes it permanent) is the promise of God.

E. The ark was built as sound as humanly possible, but only Christ could keep it afloat. We drive our cars as carefully as we can, depending on God, not our driving ability, to cause us to reach our destination.

F. Some assorted thoughts.

1. What did Noah do for a living? We don’t know, but we do know that Noah not only prepared for daily necessities, but also prepared for the necessities during the time spent on the ark.

a. This is not only talking about physical necessities, but,

b. Spiritual necessities.

2. Did Noah ever doubt what he was doing? According to Heb. 11:7, he built the ark by faith, believing the promises of God. We need to get to the place of not doubting God’s promises.

3. God could have rescued Noah and his family by arranging for the angels to take them out of the world while the flood destroyed the remainder of the people. The fact that God did not do this is important.

a. God used the work of Noah to get glory to himself.

b. Today, we expect God to do many and great things, while we sit and watch. This is not the way God works. God expects us to obey him, and we can be sure He will hold up His end of the bargain.

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.

I. Window

A. Hebrew "Tsohar" meaning "noon" or "noonday", dual, double light.

B. We don’t know the placement or size of the window, but we know there was one.

1. I John 1:5 - Jesus is the light.

2. John 12:46 - Jesus is come a light to the world.

3. Matt. 5:14 - We, through Christ, are a light in the world.

C. The window was probably used for ventilation.

D. "Window" of Gen 8:6 - a covered window. The window of Genesis 6:16 is a "bright object", or dual, double light.

1. They must have been different.

2. Gen. 8:6 - Window comes from the Hebrew "Challon" meaning "a piercing."

E. A cubit shalt thou finish it above.

1. The window, 18" high all around the top of the ark.

2. The window, 18" square; was placed in the top of the ark.

3. #1 explanation is much more acceptable.

II. Door

A. We don’t know the size or placement of the door.

1. The door was big enough to let all the animals in.

2. Christ is big enough to let every sinner in.

3. Mark 19:24 – "And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." - The door is also small enough that the camel has to crawl on his knees to get in.

B. According to Genesis 7:4, Noah and his family, and all the animals went into the ark seven days before the flood began.

1. It may have been that the unbelievers of that world mocked, but there is no record of that happening.

2. There are some that say when the flood waters began, many people tried to get into the ark, but the Bible does not record that as happening.

3. According to Genesis 7:16, God shut them in, (God shut the door).

4. When God shuts the door, no body else will be able to get in.

5. No human will be able to open the door once God shuts the door.

6. The time to get into the ark is seven days before the flood starts – that is when God said to get into the ark.

7. The time to be saved is today, because God says that today is the day to be saved.

8. Tomorrow may be too late.

9. Today is the day of grace, not tomorrow.

10. Tomorrow is the day of judgment.

C. Christ is the door and we can’t understand Him.

1. John 10:7 - Christ is the door.

2. Is. 40:13, 14 - We are unable to understand God.

3. Ps. 147:5 - God’s understanding is infinite.

Verse 17, And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.

I. God tells Noah the result of sin, after he told him the way of salvation.

A. God cannot stand to look upon sin.

B. All sin must be paid for:

1. By Christ

2. By the sinner.

II. God tells Noah of the flood after he has told him of the way of safety.

A. Nobody can be saved simply because they are afraid of going to hell.

B. They’ll see their destruction to come.

1. That won’t be enough to turn.

2. They must see their just judgment before God.

Verse 18, But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.

I. The promise to Noah. Note the word "But".

A. Noah’s obedience in building the ark is the condition.

B. Noah’s family will be saved if Noah obeys God.

1. We should take care of our own obedience.

2. Our obedience will affect others.

3. Parents ought to obey for the sake of their children.

C. God makes Noah a blessing to the world.

1. The human race is kept alive through Noah.

2. A type of Christ - preached righteousness to them I Peter 3:18-20.

D. The Covenant refers to 9:9

Verse 19 and 20, And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. This is the command to keep animals alive in the earth.

I. No "re-creation". Gen. 1& 2 is not a "recreation", but a creation.

II. There is no problem about the animals coming into the ark.

A. V. 20 - The animals shall come to Noah.

B. Gen. 1:28 - God over rules the dominion of man over animals because of the sins of the people.

C. Come with complete trust in Noah - "to keep them alive."

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 for thee, and for them.

I. Noah was to take all food.

A. Had to know what kind of food (for the various animals and people).

B. Had to know how much food (God must have told him in some way how long they were going to be on the ark.)

II. Noah was to prepare all food.

A. A picture of study.

1. God could have provided all the food for Noah and the animals, but he didn’t.

2. God could have caused wings to grow on Noah and his family and they could have escaped the flood by flying in the sky while the water was on the earth, but he didn’t.

3. God could give us all spiritual knowledge without studying, but he doesn’t.

B. We must study and God must reveal.

Verse 22, Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. Noah’s faithfulness - Heb. 11:7

I. Fearing the destruction and believing the promise -

A. Built the ark

B. Preached the gospel

C. Prepared the food

II. A lesson of obedience for us.

A. Remember - in Old Testament, sinful acts are described.

B. In New Testament, by grace, they’re left out.

III. Didn’t stop until he finished.

A. Ezra 4:24 - Israel stopped building the temple.

B. Luke 9:62 - If we put our hand to the plough, we shouldn’t look back. We won’t be fit for the Kingdom of God.