“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,” verse 7.

Noah was the great grandson of Enoch. It is believed that at the command of God, he began to build the ark some 1556 years after the creation of the world, that is some 4500 years ago.

1. Because he believed God, he built the ark.

He acted as he did because of his ‘faith’! “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark . . .”

The Lord had revealed to him that judgment was coming. “And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth,” Genesis 6:13. God revealed to him “things not seen as yet.” God is doing this for you through the gospel! There is the warning of ‘wrath to come’!

2. Believing God’s Word we will act very differently from the world.

He believed God and feared what He had revealed. He built an ark and warned of a coming universal flood. There was no such thing as rain in those days (Gen 2:5) so what he said was treated as foolish! The gospel is deemed foolish today, 1 Cor 1:18-21. It speaks of that which sinful men cannot imagine to be true. That which men have not seen or imagined will one day take place.

3. His witnessing condemned the world in his day.

Little heed or value is placed upon the witnessing of true Christians today, but one day the significance of their testimony will be understood. Hear the Saviour: “Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust,” John 5:45. God will present the testimony of His people as evidence against sinners at their judgment.

4. What Noah did in belief of God’s Word, saved him and his family from judgment.

Girls and boys, here is what comes of believing the gospel. Paul said: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house,” Acts 16:31. That was Noah’s experience regarding the flood!

5. Those who believe God becomes ‘heirs’.

An heir is one who has possessions bestowed upon him because he is favoured. Noah became an “heir of the righteousness which is by faith”. That is, his deliverance from the flood was a token of the eternal deliverance he would enjoy when he entered into “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time,” 1 Peter 1:4-5.

Boys and girls does this glorious inheritance await you? Believe God and it will. Obey the call of the gospel today if you have not yet done so.