Monday, January 16, 2017

Noah, A Man of Faith

Hebrews 11: 6-7 (NIV) 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. 7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. 
   
The world loves to make fun of us Christians for believing such an incredible story – that a man built a huge ark, and that two of each animal came to it and were saved from a world-wide flood. But if you believe in the supernatural, you have no trouble believing this account. You also believe that God created the universe, that Jesus was born of a virgin, and that he rose from the dead. If you don’t believe in the supernatural, you don’t believe any of this, but if you have faith, you believe it all. 
    And if you don’t believe in the supernatural, then you don’t believe you will see your loved-ones who have passed away ever again. How sad not to have that hope. Einstein said there are two ways to live your life: as though everything is supernatural, or as though nothing is. Do you believe Noah was a historical figure? Jesus did. Peter did. The writer of Hebrews did. 
    We celebrate Noah because of his faith. Genesis said he was righteous. It says he walked faithfully with God. And he didn’t just believe, he put his faith into action – that is what real faith is. James says faith is dead if it doesn’t cause us to act. Does your faith make you act upon it? Noah’s did. And it took him about a hundred years to build the ark. I’m sure his neighbors laughed, but he kept his faith. 
    The ark symbolizes how God provides a way of salvation for those who believe, those who have faith. Do you have Noah’s faith? Believe, put your faith into action, and be a hero of the faith.