6/21/26 “The Ark of Christ”
“The Ark of Christ”
Genesis 6:9-22; 1 Peter 3:18-22
(This Sermon was inserted into the 1 Corinthians series to compliment a Church Trip to the Ark Encounter & Creation Museum earlier in the week)
Perhaps no other biblical story has received more scrutiny & skepticism over the centuries than that of Noah’s Ark.
To some, the story of Noah’s Ark is simply a fairy tale....
...A fun story about cute little animals enjoying a Mediterranean cruise....
....or a theme in which to decorate a baby’s nursery...complete with bright-colored, friendly looking giraffes, elephants, and lions.
....or - to some worldly intellectuals – Noah's Ark is a complete violation of naturalistic & evolutionary processes here on earth....
To others (Including a number of professed Christians today) the story of Noah’s Ark is perhaps.... plausible....but not probable.
They view it – along with other miraculous events in the Bible – as allegorical....or metaphorical...
....descriptions designed to teach a lesson rather than describe an actual event...
...Even though Jesus describes the flood – and Noah’s Ark – in Matthew chapter 24 & Luke chapter 17 as literal events that actually occurred.
Looking at the Luke passage, Jesus says this: (Luke 17:26-27) “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the Ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.”
...and Jesus’ words in Matthew are almost identical.
So....if you believe the words of Jesus....you should believe that there was a real man named Noah...and that this real man built a real Ark.
Yet many people....even professed Christians.... still struggle with questions such as:
How did one man – or a few men – construct such an enormous vessel?
How did approximately 8,000 different “Kinds” of animals fit onto the Ark?
How did Noah and his family (8 people in all) care for all of these animals in the Ark for a year or more....
How did they have enough fresh water to drink?
How did they store – and preserve - enough food to eat?
How did they manage all of the....well....biologically processed water and food....if you get what I mean?
...All of these are good questions...questions that Bible-believing Christians who hold to in a literal interpretation of Noah’s Ark need to be prepared to answer...
What I like about the Ark Encounter – and the folks at ‘Answers in Genesis’ in general - is how they don’t shy away from challenging questions....
Rather....they honestly present these questions....then provide answers to them in a very scholarly and biblical way.
When walking through this Attraction – which really is a life-size, scripturally-accurate replica of the biblical Ark....
....one gets a sense of how the Ark would have accommodated the people and animals contained within it....
And....how it would have accommodated water, food, waste, and many other potential challenges....
Personally...I prefer to call the true story of Noah’s Ark a miracle...
...because like other miracles in the Bible (Such as the days of creation in Genesis chapter 1....or the plagues in Egypt...or the virgin birth of Jesus)
....Noah’s Ark is miraculous because Noah could not have accomplished all that happened without divine assistance along the way...
God provided Noah with the exact materials for constructing the Ark....
...And He gave him the precise specifications as to what size the Ark needed to be...
God miraculously brought the animals to the Ark on embarkation day....
God miraculously closed the door of the Ark when Noah and his family were safely inside...
During the flood...God miraculously brought up water from within the Earth....
And He brough torrential rain from the sky...things that would not have naturally happened on their own.
And finally, God miraculously brought the Ark to a safe landing spot high atop a middle-eastern mountain....
....And...God set a Rainbow in the sky (Something people had never been seen before) to remind Noah – and the rest of mankind - of His covenant to refrain from ever again flooding the earth with water...
So....even though the Ark Encounter attraction does a great job of providing scientific support as to how the Ark was built and performed its duty of accommodating life within its walls....
...We must remember that it was God who miraculously brought the entire process of the Ark through to its fruition....
....From beginning to end, it was God who delivered Noah’s family and animals to safety...
I was reminded of this deliverance on Wednesday when we came upon a cage with two sheep-like animal figurines within it....
The presence of sheep within a vessel of deliverance from God’s wrath is especially poignant....and very moving.
It brings to mind the true lamb.....the Lamb of God – Jesus Christ – through whom the believer also finds deliverance from God’s wrath.
Just as God delivered the faithful remnant of Noah and his family through a physical Ark....
He now spiritually delivers the faithful remnant who are in Jesus Christ - through the blood of the lamb...
The parallels are strikingly beautiful....and also strikingly sobering.
Both are reminders of God’s love and mercy....
And both are reminders of the ramifications of sin....and just how devastating sin really is.
Genesis 6:11 reminds us of how evil the world had become in Noah’s day...
It was completely corrupt...men were full of violence toward one another...
Back in verse 5 (Genesis 6:5) of chapter six, we are told that every inclination of man’s heart was bent towards evil....ALL the Time!
In verse 13 (Genesis 6:13) God informs Noah that – because of man’s deplorably sinful disposition....He would put an end to all mankind...
...including the ‘Sons of God’ mentioned in the first 4 verses of Genesis chapter 6....
What I believe to be a group of fallen angels who apparently inhabited men....and then cohabitated with women....
There were also the Nephilim....a mysterious line of large human warriors who were sinfully antagonistic towards God and other people....
The earth had become saturated with evil ....and God had had enough.
He would put an end to all life with breath in its lungs - all except for Noah and His family....and the animals with them in the Ark...they would be saved
In verses 14 through 16, God teaches Noah how to build the Ark....and the size that it needed to be.
The Ark was to be 450 feet long....75 feet wide....and 45 feet high....with three decks to house the animals and living quarters for Noah and his family.
For reference...it was about half the size of the Titanic.
It’s also interesting how the Ark Encounter interprets the way in which Noah and his family would have stored food....
....How they would have harnessed drinking water....
...and how they most likely would have utilized light in order to provide a viable plant habitat for a year’s worth of life at sea....
In verse 22 (Genesis 6:22) ....we see that Noah is obedient to God.
The righteousness of Noah described back in verse 9 (Genesis 6:9) is made evident through Noah’s obedience here in verse 22 (Genesis 6:22)
The text tells us that “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”
Noah was not only described as having a righteous disposition...but he also proved the description to be true through his actions...
This needs to be true for us today as well.
If others describe you as a Christian....and you take on that label of Christian....there ought to be tangible, convincing evidence in your life that you are indeed a follower of Jesus Christ....
On our trip this past week, we had a wonderful bus driver...his name was Ron. I enjoyed getting to know Ron and his story a bit.
Ron not only wore the uniform of a bus driver....but he proved through his competent driving and handling of the vehicle....that he was – indeed – a bus driver.
Sometimes people accept – or proclaim - the description of ‘Christian’....but their disobedient actions simply don’t line up with who they claim to be....
Obedience to Jesus is proof of having an authentic relationship with him....a relationship based in love....
Jesus himself says in John 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
A few verses later he says this (John 14:23-24) “...If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching....”
The genuine Christian will always yield consistent obedience to the 2 commands that Jesus said encapsulate the entire law:
1) loving God with all of your heart, soul, mind & strength....
....and 2) that of loving others as yourself....
If this kind of self-less love manifests itself in your life as consistent, obedient behavior....it points to a genuine and authentic faith.
However....if your life is not one of consistent obedience....
If it is not one of regular victory over sin....
If you do not have a desire to be in God’s Word.....to be in prayer....to be around other believers....to please your Savior through your conduct....
If this does not describe you....then - no matter what you call yourself – it means you are something other than a Christian.
This being Father’s Day – men....let me speak to you directly for a moment this morning.
Guys....God has given you an immense responsibility to lead your families....to be the spiritual head of the household...
We’ll cover this in more detail next week when we return to 1 Corinthians....
But genuine submission and obedience to Jesus is essential in leading a household that will be filled with peace...with harmony...with hope...with love.
But we as men must remain focused on our relationship with Jesus....and - also - focused on the spiritual needs of our family...
This isn’t always easy to do...right?.....
If you’re like me...there’s always potential distractions around every corner...
Think about it....fellas....what commands most of your attention every day?
....or....maybe to put it a better way...what do you allow to command your attention the most every day?
...Is it your job?....Is it a busy schedule?....Is it a hobby?....Is it exercise?....Is it a sport?....Is it food?....Is it some self-gratifying activity?....
...Maybe its giving your family things rather than giving them your time....?
No matter what that idolatrous distraction may look like in your life...
...if it comes before a humble submission to Jesus Christ....it will neutralize your effectiveness to lead your family....
....and your wife...your children...even your grandchildren...
....they will suffer spiritually because you’ve prioritized something other than Christ in your life....and, by extension....their spiritual well-being.
Your family NEEDS your leadership....your sacrifice....your honesty...your gentleness...your discipline....your kindness....your TIME...and your Love.
Society tells us that Father’s Day is a day to honor all dads...and on a basic level...that’s true.....
....you should be thankful to the man who God used to give you life.
but - scripturally speaking - dads who are truly worthy of honor....are those fathers who lead their families in the Lord....
Be that humble servant-leader in your home....
Choose to genuinely Sacrifice for your family...and watch God honor that decision by repairing the brokenness that may have crept in over the years...
....watch God bring harmony...peace...hope...faith...and love to a home starving for real - godly - leadership.
Be that man, guys.....Be that man....and God will honor that decision.
Lastly...let’s look at a few verses in 1 Peter chapter 3 that summarize the way in which the saving Ark of Noah points forward in time toward the saving sacrifice of Jesus.
....and the strong connection between the two.
In verse 18 (1 Peter 3:18) Peter describes how Jesus died for our sins....once and for all....
...there would no longer be any need to sacrifice sheep and goats and birds to temporarily cover sins....
The one, perfect, unblemished, eternal lamb of God has now been sacrificed for every soul who submits to His Lordship in their lives...
If you recall...while on the cross, Jesus uttered the words: “It is Finished”
In other words....Every sin has been atoned for – past, present, and future.
...That is – for those who have placed their faith and trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Then, in verses 19 & 20 (1 Peter 3:19-20) Peter references how Jesus – after being put to death in the body – was still very much alive in Spirit...
Peter describes how – between his death and resurrection – Jesus appears to some of the imprisoned demons locked away since the days of Noah...
...Jesus literally appears in their midst to proclaim victory over them.
Not to release these fallen angels...or give them an opportunity to redeem themselves....but to provide a message of their eternal damnation...
Personally, I believe these were the ‘Sons of God’ mentioned in Genesis 6 who had sinned egregiously against God in the days of Noah....
...And Jesus was now announcing their condemning sentence directly to their faces...
It is within this context of fallen angels and condemnation that Peter begins to compare the saving properties of the Ark...with the saving properties of Christ.
Just as Noah’s Ark was a physical vessel of saving grace, shielding Noah and his family from the watery tomb all around them...
So – too - is the Ark of Jesus Christ...
...spiritually shielding those who have placed their faith & trust in Him, from the wrath of a Holy & Righteous God....
...wrath toward sin that was directed upon...and satisfied through... Jesus on the cross.
In verse 21 (1 Peter 3:21) Peter compares the waters of the flood....with the waters of baptism.
....water itself will result in death if a person is underneath it for too long...
But just as Noah and his family were saved through the flood waters while in the Ark...
Believers in Jesus – visually demonstrated in the ordinance of baptism – Are symbolically brought up out of the waters of death...into new life in Christ....
The old self dies....and the new self is born anew through the resurrecting power of the Holy Spirit...
As Peter writes in verse 21 (1 Peter 3:21) going through the waters of baptism “....saves you through the resurrection of Jesus Christ...”
...We are not saved by the act of baptism....or the water used in baptism....
we are saved by submitting our lives to the one who passed through the grave....and came out victorious on the other side.
I’ll end with this illustration involving sheep...just like the ones we saw at the Ark Encounter on Wednesday.
In case you didn’t know it....Sheep have very special blood.
If a sheep is bitten by a venomous snake...it’s blood will begin doing something very unique...
It will begin to make antibodies to the venom that was introduced into the blood stream...
These antibodies will go to war against the venom...encapsulate it....and neutralize its destructive power before it ever has a chance to negatively affect the sheep.
What a beautiful illustration from nature as to how the lamb has defeated the serpent...
...How Jesus has secured victory over that ancient serpent...the Devil....
....And to make this illustration even more captivating...
Today....most snake-bite anti-venom for human beings is derived from the blood of....sheep.
Did you catch that?
We are protected from the serpent through the blood of the lamb....
Physically AND – more importantly – Spiritually.
Satan will try his best to strike you down....
....but if your life has the blood of the lamb flowing through it....
....then the Devil’s attempts to infect you with his poisonous toxins will be a complete exercise in futility...
...because your blood contains the spiritual antidote to the adversary...
...The vaccination that brings victory over sin and death...
And now....With the apostle Paul, you can also say, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55)
What a beautiful picture of deliverance....of redemption...of justification...
Of Salvation....
And we owe it all to the saving ‘Ark” of Jesus Christ.
Let’s Pray.
