"An Ark to Preserve Us from Destruction" (Sermon on Genesis 6:9-22)

Now the whole earth was corrupt in God’s sight. The earth was filled with violence. All flesh had corrupted their way. The world was ripe for destruction. But there was this one man, Noah, who found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Noah was a righteous man--oh, not that he was without sin, but Noah trusted in the Lord, and his life reflected it. Noah walked with God.

So God determined that he was going to wipe out the earth, give it a good scouring. He was going to do a divine restart. Build back better. And God decided he would spare Noah and his family to start all over with.

Destruction was going to come upon the earth and all its inhabitants. But for Noah there would be a means of escape. The destruction would come in the form of a worldwide flood. The means of escape would be a giant floating ark to carry Noah and family, plus a representative menagerie of animals--enough humans and animals to keep the earth going once the flood would cease.

God provided very specific instructions to Noah to build this ark, and enough time to build it. The ark will be made of gopher wood and sealed with pitch to make it waterproof. Noah, you’re gonna need a bigger boat. Get out your cubits conversion chart, ’cause here goes. . . . You see, the ark will need to be big enough to house the eight humans, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Proto-Dog, Mr. and Mrs. Proto-Cat, a couple of baby elephants, two turtle doves, and--well, as long as you have a pair of each kind of creature, the resulting wide variety of that type of animal can come from them. And of course, you’ll need food to keep these creatures alive for their stay on the boat. Maybe God had some of the species hibernate while on board, to cut down on the food storage space.

“Everything that is on the earth shall die,” God said to Noah. “But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.” God had a plan for preserving humanity when the destruction came upon the earth. God wasn’t finished with the human race just yet. He still had some things he wanted to do. And God provided just what was needed to save Noah and his crew: an ark to preserve them from destruction.

“Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.” As it says in Hebrews: “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”

Friends, take a look at our world today. It is quite a mess. Corrupt in its morals. Filled with violence. The wickedness of man is great in the earth, and every intention of the thoughts of his heart is only evil continually. Our world is ripe for destruction.

And that destruction will come. It will come; we just don’t know when. But as in the days of Noah, God has provided a means of escape. How will you escape the judgment that is coming on the earth? Get in the ark that God has provided. It’s called the church. Here in the church, God has provided everything we need to be saved.

Take a look at this ark, the church. It’s a big enough boat. There’s room for people from every tribe and language and people and nation. Instead of gopher wood, this ark is made of the wood of the cross. This is the cross on which Christ Jesus your Savior died. There on that wood, Jesus, the holy Son of God, died for the sins of the world, for your sins and mine. God would not have us be swept away in death but rather be saved for life, eternal life, even as Jesus rose victorious over death.

The ark of Noah was sealed with pitch. The ark of the church is sealed with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit works through the means of grace, Word and Sacrament, to feed you and keep you strong in the faith until the day when Christ returns. That day will be a day of both judgment and salvation: judgment for the unbelieving world; salvation for you who trust in Christ and are looking forward to his return.

In 2 Peter, it says that if God “did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah . . . when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly . . . then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly.” Brothers and sisters in Christ, this world is heading for destruction. Judgment Day is coming. But God has provided an ark to preserve us from destruction. This ark is the church of Christ, in which we have the greatest ark encounter of them all. For in this ark, we meet the one who will save us from destruction and save us for eternity, namely, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory. Amen.

Genesis 6:9-22 (ESV)

These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.” Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.

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