By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household.” Hebrews 11:7 (NASB)
The Bible teaches us that “without faith it is impossible to please God.” Without faith it is also impossible to be eternally saved by God. The writer of Hebrews gives us an excellent example of faith in the person of Noah.
Noah is one of those rare Bible characters that almost everyone has heard of. The story of Noah’s Ark is well known to Christians and Non-Christians alike. A lot of times we simply see it as a “cute” story about a man who took care of animals. But Noah’s story goes much deeper than that. The story of Noah’s Ark is a story of God’s judgment against sin – and God’s salvation through faith. Noah was warned by God that devastation was coming; and he was told to prepare for it by building a massive boat.
Put yourself in Noah’s place and ask yourself what you would do. You might have been prone to ignore God’s commandment. After all, building an ark takes a lot of time and resources. Furthermore, friends and neighbors might mock you as a fanatic for taking such drastic steps. But notice what Noah’s response to God was: “in reverence he prepared an ark.” In other words, Noah had a healthy reverent and respectful fear of the Lord; and he knew that God would do exactly what he said he would do. Do you have that same reverent fear of God? And are you acting accordingly based upon what God has said?
A day is coming in which Jesus Christ will return to the earth and judge us with eternity hanging in the balance. And just as Noah was righteous “because of his faith” – so too will we be judged by our faith, or the lack thereof. But our faith must be in the proper place. We must place our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord of our life. We must turn from our sin and follow Jesus forever. This is the faith that saves the soul. It’s a faith that will make you look different than the world at large. It’s a faith that might get you mocked as Noah undoubtedly was. And it’s a faith that fears the Lord more than it fears the persecutions that come from men. Do you possess this faith?
In Noah’s day, God warned of coming judgment; and everyone except the eight people in Noah’s immediate family ignored the warning. In our day, Jesus warns us that judgment is coming and the vast majority of people ignore the warning. Many perished in Noah’s Day. Many more will perish in our day. Will you be one of the perishing, or one of the saved? That depends upon whom you fear; whom you trust; and whom you place your faith in. Only Jesus has the power to save you. Trust in Him today and follow Him forever.
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