Noah - and God's End Game

Monday, June 2, 2014

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The real Noah really stirred things up when he was here. And guess what? He's done it again recently. Well, on the big screen this time. Noah and his ark - the movie version - had a big launch when it came out. And actually Captain Noah proved that he still has the ability to be controversial. Except this time, mostly among Bible people.

Some are objecting to all that the movie adds and subtracts from the original account. And then others have expressed hope that it would interest some un-Bible people in the real Story. And, in fact, that is what happened. There was a sudden spike in Bible reading and Bible websites. That's a good thing.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Noah - and God's End Game."

What is interesting is that thousands of years later, Jesus was talking about Noah. And He actually was suggesting that when people are thinking about Noah, they should be looking for Him.

Here's what He said in our word for today from the Word of God. In Luke 17:26-27, "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man."

So what we've got here is Jesus establishing this linkage between Noah and the time Jesus is going to come back to earth. It's worth thinking about. Jesus used the story of Noah as a picture of what the world would look like on the eve of the climactic event of all human history - His return. When He said, "They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30). Bottom line? The world isn't done with Jesus Christ. Jesus is our future. Actually, Jesus is your future.

See, He will come to a world that, basically using the Noah example that He did, will be busy ignoring Him; too busy to have time for Him, living for their appetites, caught up in the gerbil wheel of their lives, spinning and spinning, doing whatever they feel like and oblivious to the flood of God that's coming.

But at the same time, there will be an ark where they can be rescued. His name is Jesus. But see, nobody took Noah seriously. Nobody took his message seriously, so none of them were in the ark. So Jesus is going to write final chapter of human history. It won't be some president or prime minister or powerful nation. No, it will be Jesus.

By the way, Jesus will write the final chapter of your personal history. See, the Bible says, "How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?" Salvation is a rescue word isn't it? Jesus came here to pay the price for the sin that carries a death penalty. I was on death row spiritually, except for the fact that Jesus came and became my substitute on the cross; paid my death penalty for my sin. Then He walked out of His grave to prove that if I would let Him walk into my life He could give me the eternal life that He has demonstrated He has that first Easter morning.

He said one thing about His return. He said, "You must be ready" (Matthew 24:44). I wonder if you're ready to meet Him, either when He comes back or when your last breath is taken. Because the Bible says, "It is appointed to man to die once, and after this the judgment." The judgment that Jesus took on the cross; the judgment that you can have cancelled by your decision this very day to say, "Jesus, I am Yours."

If you've never done that, I would love to help you do that. And our website is there for that express purpose. I invite you to go to ANewStory.com right away and let's get this settled. See, Jesus isn't just the future of this world. He's my future. He's your future. Be ready.