Sermon Preached by Pastor Joe Stoppelbein at Sonrise Baptist Church
Hebrews 11:7 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.
No matter what happens in life you need to have faith. The Bible is not a science book, history book, it is a book about faith. The Hebrews 11:7 reference is sometimes referred to as the Hall of Faith.
Romans 10:17 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
The Beginning of Noah’s Faith is first described in earlier in the chapter (Hebrews 11:1-3). We see that Noah followed the Word of God. Faith comes from the Word of God. This is also known as biblical authority. Faith isn’t some hopeful outlook often misquoted, “well you just have to have faith.”We also see the Character of Noah. Faith operates in the world unseen. Noah had a test which reminds us of the story of Abraham. We also see the action of Noah. He had a reverential respect of God and his actions were moved with fear.
The Work in Noah’s Faith can be described by two main points. Primarily, true faith results in hard work. Taking the next step of faith requires work and it isn’t easy. Secondly, true faith results in detailed work as shown in Genesis 6:14, 22. As Christians we should strive to build our own Ark for a visual testimony to others.
Noah’s Faith had completely taken the world by surprise. The whole world mocked him. They thought he was crazy. Noah was the object of scorn. This is similar to the rejection and tribulations that Christians see today. The world thinks that we’ve lost it. They mock the promise of Jesus’s second coming. The condemnation of the world was one of many trials that Noah faced while building the Ark. It is better to be rejected by the world than to be rejected by God. Noah’s visual testimony showed that he believed in God. By believing in God he lived a Holy Life.
The Reward of Noah’s faith was twofold: his actions caused his family to be saved (Genesis 7:7) and his soul was saved. The greatest result of his faith is that what he believed had saved him. Faith starts and produces works. Belief dictates behavior. Living by Faith causes homes and marriages to be sanctified.