Mat 24:37 – 39    As the days of Noe 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 Noe entered into the ark,   And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

 

 

We are to be prepared for the return of Jesus. Not as those of Noah's time who were caught unprepared, not ready for the flood, so will it be for many at the coming of the Son of man. In their unpreparedness, people will be going about the normal activities of life when the unexpected overtakes them. The wrath of God takes away sinners, the ungodly.

 
 

be ye ready

find so doing

 

 
Mat 24:44 -46   Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

 

 

If we are doing what Jesus said to do, we are ready, but if we are doing what the world is doing we are not ready for the return of Christ. The world follows wickedness, we as believers follow righteousness.

 

 

How was it in the days of Noah?

 

God saw the wickedness and repented

 

 
Gen 6:5 – 9    And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.  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.  But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.  These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

 

 

In the Day’s of Noah the hearts of men were greatly wicked; they were continually evil. God was grieved when He saw the evil within humanity and it repented Him that he had made man. But Noah was an upright man and he found grace with God. God warned Noah of the coming wrath upon the world. Noah moved with fear and built an ark accordion to the plans of God. Noah preached by the Spirit of Christ that was in him, to the lost world of the ungodly. God was longsuffering to the disobedient waiting while the ark was a preparing.  When we do not respond to God's love and grace His hand that blesses becomes the hand that judges.

 

 

Hbr 11:7   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.

 

 
2 Pet 2:5   And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth [person], a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

 

 
1 Pet 1:11   Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

 
 

1 Pet 3:19, 20    By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

 

 

 A flood of waters

 and

A covenant relationship

 

 

Gen 6:10 -18   And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 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.  Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. 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. 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.  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.  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.

 

 

God expresses His relationship to us in terms of a covenant; a contract, an agreement between two or more parties. God promised to save Noah and his family, but Noah had to believe God and make an ark. In any covenant there are terms and conditions stated that each party has to uphold.

 

 

Come into the ark for

I seen your righteousness among this evil

 

Gen 7:1 – 5    And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.  Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.  Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.  For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.  And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.

 

 

The Lord shows saving mercy on those that believe and trust; obey him.

 
 

God hath not appointed us to wrath

 

 

1 Th 5:8,9    But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

 

 

How do you prepare?

 

 

By faith Noah, moved with fear

 

 

Heb 11:7  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.

 
 

 faith tried with fire

 joy unspeakable

 

 
1 Pet 1:7,8    That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

 

 

lay aside and run with patience

 

 

Heb 12:1 – 4   Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.  Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

 

 

Jesus set the example for us; we should meet our suffering of the contradiction of sinners, and struggles against temptation and sin with God's divine grace; God's influence upon our hearts, to help us in this fight. God shows His love for us and leads us to Him and encourages us to endure life's suffering in faithfulness to Him.

 
 

be not conformed to this world

 

 
Rom 12:1,2    I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 

 

worship God, Follow peace with all

and

have grace and godly fear

 

 
 

Heb 12:12 - 15a and 28,29    Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;  And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.  Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God;

 

 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:  For our God is a consuming fire.

 
 

 

Where is the promise of his coming?

 
 

we according to his promise,

look for new heavens and a new earth

wherein dwelleth righteousness

 

 

2 Pet 3:3 – 14    Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.  For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:  Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:  But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.  Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

 
 

Heb 12:25  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

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