The Heir Of Righteousness Because Of The Faith

Hebrews 11:7
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 comes by faith.

Q: Why did Noah build the ark? - HOLY FEAR What is holy fear?
Healthy respect for God, obedience, reverent spirit and a fear of God’s coming judgement

Today. We’ll learn from Noah and how by his faith he become the heir of righteousness.

1. Filled with pain

Genesis 6:5-8
5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.
6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.
7 So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth--men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air--for I am grieved that I have made them."
8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

Q. How did pople behave in those days?
All they ever did was evil.

How did God feel?
- His heart was filled with pain
- He was grieved that he made us (VS.7)

So he decided to send a flood. How does God feel about hunger, hatred, murder, violence, drunkenness, poverty and jealousy? -Pain

C. We need to see and feel the pain of people around us. We need to hurt for their sin, and share our faith with them to help save them.

Share yourself about someone you know that made you feel pain for their sins.

2. Find a righteous man

Genesis 6:9-14
9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.
10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence.
12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.
13 So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.
14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.

Genesis 6:17-7:1
17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.
18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark--you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you.
19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.
20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.
21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them."
22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
7:1 The LORD then said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.

Q.When God saw the sin of the world, how did he react?
He decided to find a righteous man and save him and start over again.

Why was Noah’s righteousness such a great example?
Because everyone else was evil, he had the conviction to do what was right anyway

Have you ever done wrong because the people around you led you into sin?

Let them share and share yourself

What is God looking for today as we look forward to a new millenium?
Just few righteous people who will stand up for the truth despite our surroundings

Q. Can you imagine what Noah’s neighbours said while he built the ark “He is crazy “, he thinks God spoke to him

Why did he persevere?
He had faith !

Then the flood comes and everybody got destroyed except Noah and his family.

He was saved because of his faith in God. He was willing to act on his faith and build the ark .

Similarly against opposition we have to act on our faith to build the kingdom of God in our cities.

Challenges : Rituals and festivals, urgent work for family need, worldly friends, cigarette or a drink, extra work during financial problems or relatives visiting from out of town .

3. Fruitful and multiply

Genesis 8:1
But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.

Genesis 8:21-9:7
21 The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.
22 "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."
9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.
2 The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands.
3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.
4 "But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.
5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.
6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.
7 As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it."

Q: After the flood what did Noah do?
He built an altar to God and sacrificed animals to show his gratitude

Do we need to sacrifice animals? No, but we need to be grateful to God. How can we show gratitude to God?
By praying to him, fasting, listing the things that you are thankful for, letting others know about God, being pure, reading His word

What did God tell Noah to do in 9:7?
Be fruitful and increase in number

Did God care about the food Noah ate?
[No]

Each can eat what he likes without judging others.

But what does God want us to do?
To be fruitful and multiply

C. Think about your life. Are you devoted to being fruitful and multiplying the church?

Do you have a dream to help your family group grow?

Is your dream to multiply your family group so that it would become a zone of 50 soon?

Do you want to be a righteous person like Noah to lead others to God even though others are misled by Satan?

Share: About a disciple who’s being abundantly fruitful especially in the last six months.

Challenge

- Do something this week., that you’ve been afraid of doing before.
- Invite a group of people and have an open talk with your family (without arguing), stand up against your friends and your boss and share it next week. Let’s pray !