Hebrews 11: Noah

Dear TVCC Students,
We hope you are enjoying the fall weather these days! We are so encouraged to see you all coming out on Wednesday evenings to worship and divide the Word of God. It has been such a blessing to go through Hebrews along with you all and see all that the Lord wants to share with us through His Word. Last night we studied the life of Noah from Hebrews 11 and Genesis 6. Here is a recap...

Before jumping into the story of Noah, we must remember Hebrews 11:1.  Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things unseen. Faith is unique in that it cannot literally be seen (as in someone "holding" faith) but it can be "seen" in the way one lives. The people he was writing to thought that works (following the law) were what made them righteous but it was faith all along. Works reveal faith. What really pleased the Lord under the law was those that obeyed the law out of a heart of faith and love towards Him (remember Abel and how his faith led to him giving sacrifices to the Lord). Faith has attributes that we can identify through our lives. 

Recap from Hebrews 11:1-6:

~Abel worshipped God through faith and offered to God a sacrifice because he loved the Lord. Worship filled sacrifice flowed from a heart of love. (Romans 12:2). 

~Enoch walked with the Lord and God took him! Again, this is what the Lord wants for us- for us to walk with the Lord daily.

Hebrews 11:7: Noah believed the Lord and his life revealed his belief through him building the ark and entering into the ark. Faith led to action!

~Genesis 6:5-22: Noah walked with God as Enoch did. The things that the Lord was asking of Noah were things that were not in Noah’s daily "vocabulary" (he lived in the desert and had probably not even heard of a flood). Yet Noah obeyed. It took over 100 years for him to build this ark. Noah's faith had led him to set his heart to obey God and he followed through with it. 

Q: Have there been things in your life that have not totally made sense to you that you have been asked to obey? How did you respond to His calling? What did you learn from that situation?

~Genesis 6:11: Why did the Lord not just completely destroy the human race? God had made a covenant with Adam and Eve that through their descendants a Savior would come. The Lord’s faithfulness was what kept the Lord from completely destroying the whole earth. God had made a promise and He went to elaborate measures to keep His word. He still goes to elaborate measures to keep His promises. Let us find those promises in His Word and cling to them because He who promised is faithful!! 

Q: Read Philippians 1:6. The Lord will complete what He has began . Read Romans 8:1. There is no condemnation for those that are in Christ! Let us cling to these promises of God. What promises of the Lord have you seen lately that we can cling to?

~Genesis 6:18: God called Noah to enter the ark after he had built it. God had seen Noah’s works which revealed his faith. Noah believed God and his life showed that belief. He spent years building the ark and then continued to act in faith as he boarded the ark and prepared for the flood.

~Genesis 7:16: God closed the door behind the ark, not Noah. Other people could have responded to the Lord’s warning of the coming flood but no one else wanted to come. Then the Lord closed the door! From this we can see that the Lord is patient and not quick to anger. It would have taken around 100 years for Noah to build the ark, giving people time to hear of the Lord's coming wrath and respond in faith.

~2 Peter 3:10-16: Just as in the days of Noah, The Day of the Lord is coming. We are told that it will come like a thief in the night and that we must be ready. Since these things are coming, how ought we to live? Each day that we live is another day of the Lord’s patience where He is waiting to destroy this world until all of His children have come to faith in Him. We are called to be His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) and warn people of His wrath that is coming. 

Q: Read Revelation 21. Are we sharing His truth with others that they might escape that wrath? What changes do you feel the Lord calling you to since you know that the day of the Lord is coming soon? Remember that we are called to be displaying His name to those around us.

~James 2:14: From the life of Noah we can see some great truths. What use is it if someone says that he has faith but has no works? Faith without works is dead! If Noah would have just said he believed and did not obey- would he have been saved? Actions reveal faith! Faith without works is DEAD and will not save. Yes, faith is what saves but faith is not just a mental exercise. Faith is expressed through action. 

Q: If people just looked at how you live, not what you say, would they say that you are living for an eternal kingdom or for this life only?

~Genesis 9: It is also encouraging for us to remember that even though Noah had great faith in the Lord, he still struggled. He did not always behave righteously. We all still struggle (which is why Paul says that he has not already obtained perfection- Philippians 3:12) with acting foolishly at times but the Lord still calls us righteous once and for all if we have faith in the blood of Christ on our behalf. Jesus saves us! Let us live lives of faith knowing His great love for us!

Q: Think about a few ways that you have acted in rebellion to the Lord in the past month. Now, think about the FACT that if you have trusted in Christ there is NO condemnation for you because Christ took the condemnation that you deserved. How does this make you feel? What changes do you feel the Lord calling you to make so that you do not return to that rebellion?

Dear students,

We are always so encouraged to see what the Lord is doing in your lives. We love seeing how you all love one another and strive together for the glory of the Lord. We pray that this week you would believe in the Lord Jesus and that His ways are better. We hope that your lives will shout to this world that Jesus is Lord and that we are living for an eternal kingdom that will never be shaken. We love you all. Remember the life of Noah this week. Faith led to action! Let us follow his example in this.

With hope,

~Sonny and Casi