Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
The life and times of Ambassador Noah, part 3. Pastor John Farley.
Friday, January 12, 2007
One of the greatest periods of evangelism in all of history resulted in millions hearing the Gospel, yet there were only eight converts before the civilization was destroyed!
God is just, and the justice of God would never send any creature to the eternal Lake of Fire without ample chance to believe on The Lord Jesus Christ.
God would not have given them 120 years to repent unless there was some way for them to be saved!
Evangelism would continue for 120 years more before the flood came and ended the ministry of God the Holy Spirit in common and efficacious grace.
The grace policy of God never executes judgment on mankind before every grace opportunity has been given to believe.
Grace always precedes judgment.
By the grace of God, the true humanity of Christ would be born as a descendent of Shem, one of the eight survivors of the flood.
Under the principle that Jesus Christ controls history, it becomes necessary to wipe out the evil – but first evil must have a chance.
ROM 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.
1CO 1:18 For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
During Noah’s time, Satan tried to counterfeit the human race in the natural realm.
During our time, Satan is trying to counterfeit things in the spiritual realm.
Counterfeit doctrine, 2TI 4:1
Counterfeit ministers, 2Cor 11:13-15
A counterfeit gospel, 2CO 11:3-4
“By faith” is the instrumental of pistis and should be translated “by means of doctrine.”
Pistis refers to what is believed, the body of belief, or doctrine, GAL 1:23; 1TI 1:19; 1TI 4:1,6, 6:10; 2TI 2:18;2TI 4:7.
GAL 1:23 But only, they kept hearing, he who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.
The first 500 years of Noah’s life are passed off in silence.
He stood out as the only one who “walked with God,” GEN 6:9, as was true of his great-grandfather Enoch.
Aor/pass/part of chrematistheis = to be divinely instructed, or “having received special divine revelation which included specific and detailed instructions.”
The constantive aorist contemplates the action of the verb in its entirety:
Noah arrived at a point where he understood what was going on in human history.
Noah stuck it out with doctrine and became spiritually mature, and received divine warning from God concerning the future!
The circumstantial participle has antecedent action with the main verb, which is to prepare an ark.
Action is an important function of doctrine in the soul.
JAM 2:14 “What use is it or profit, my brethren, if a man keeps on alleging that he has doctrine, but he keeps on having no works?”
“works” = ergons – divine production, and actually it refers to any production that is based upon Bible doctrine.
Doctrine always makes a person in the minority.
JDG 6:16 But the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man.”
EXO 23:2 “You shall not follow a multitude in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice.”
MAT 22:14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
The majority is always wrong, and there will always be a minority which is right.
REV 12:9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world.
Super-grace believers or mature believers always receive accurate warning for any major catastrophe in history.
The ship that Noah constructed represented action from doctrine, and it was a source of ridicule – until the floods came!