Yesterday we opened the third toledot section of Genesis—”the generations of Noah”—and met a man described in three remarkable ways: righteous, blameless, and walking with God. None of these descriptions mean that Noah was sinless. Rather, they tell us that he was a man who, by God’s grace, conformed to the moral standard God had set, devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Lord, and lived in the close fellowship with God that every believer is called to share. Against that portrait, Moses draws a stark contrast: the world of Noah’s day was corrupt and filled with violence—a world that had taken the good creation God declared “very good” and thoroughly ruined it.
Into that darkness, God spoke to Noah with both warning and grace. He forewarned him of the coming flood—a global de-creation event that would undo what sin had corrupted—and commanded him to build an ark. We looked carefully at the ark itself: its dimensions (450 feet long, built not as a ship but as a supremely stable floating box), its three decks, its pitched roof with a ventilation window, and its single door. We noted that the ark is far more than a boat—it is a temple, sharing striking parallels with the later tabernacle, and ultimately pointing beyond itself to Jesus Christ and to his body, the church.
We spent time in 2 Peter 3, where Peter reminds his readers—and us—that just as God warned Noah’s generation before bringing the flood, so he has warned this generation before bringing the fire. The way to come to Christ is still open by faith. But there is a day when that door will be shut. The sermon closed with the searching question: Do we live like we believe that warning? And do we warn others?
Main Points
- Noah Described: Righteous, Blameless, Walking with God (vv. 9–10)
- These qualities were not unique to Noah—Paul exhorts every believer to “walk” with God throughout his letters.
- The World Contrasted: Corrupt and Full of Violence (vv. 11–12)
- Three uses of the word “corrupt” in two verses—mankind had ruined what God made very good.
- God Forewarns Noah: Judgment Is Coming (vv. 13, 17)
- Noah’s ark-building was itself a public sermon; he was a “herald of righteousness” (2 Peter 2).
- God Commands Noah: Build the Ark (vv. 14–16)
- The ark’s dimensions are poor for a ship but perfect for a stable, floating dwelling—a temple.
- God Covenants with Noah: The Covenant of Grace Confirmed (vv. 18–21)
- God “establishes” (confirms) his covenant—the same covenant of grace first preached in Genesis 3:15.
- Noah’s Response: He Did All That God Commanded Him (v. 22)
- Faith expressed in total obedience—no excuses, no footnotes, no conditions.
Key line to remember: “When it feels like the very foundations of the world are being destroyed, what matters most is whether or not you believe the Lord enough to do what he says.”
Reflection & Preparation
Use these readings and questions each day this week to stay in the Word, to reflect on what we heard last Lord’s Day, and to prepare your heart for what we will hear next.
Day 1 (Monday) — Righteous, Blameless, Walking with God
Read: Genesis 6:9–10; Romans 8:1–11
For Adults:
- Noah is called righteous and blameless in a corrupt generation. In what ways does Romans 8 describe the same kind of life—walking not by the flesh but by the Spirit? What does it look like practically to “walk with God” today?
- Noah’s character is presented as the fruit of grace (he “found favour” in Genesis 6:8). How does that order—grace first, then godliness—protect us from both self-righteousness and despair?
- Paul uses “walk” to describe the Christian life repeatedly. Pick one of the passages mentioned in the sermon (Romans 6:4; 8:4; 13:13; Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 2:10; 4:1). What does that verse tell you about what it means to walk with God?
For Children:
- What three things does the Bible say about Noah in Genesis 6:9? Can you say them from memory?
- Noah walked with God every day, even when the people around him were being wicked. Who helps you try to do what is right even when other people aren’t?
Day 2 (Tuesday) — A World Corrupted
Read: Genesis 6:11–12; Romans 1:18–25
For Adults:
- Moses uses the word “corrupt” three times in two verses. Romans 1 traces how the world became corrupt. What is the root cause Paul identifies? How does that root connect to what we see in Noah’s day?
- God had declared creation “very good.” By Noah’s day mankind had ruined it—not ecologically but morally. How do you see that same pattern in our own world? What does it feel like to live in the middle of it?
- One commentator said that Noah stands as pure white against pitch black of the world. Where does the Lord call his people to stand out in contrast to the culture around them—without withdrawing from it altogether?
For Children:
- God said his creation was “very good” in Genesis 1. What does the word “corrupt” mean? What had people done to God’s good world by Noah’s time?
- Noah was different from everyone around him. Can you think of a time when you tried to do the right thing even though others around you weren’t?
Day 3 (Wednesday) — The Ark as Temple—and What It Points To
Read: Exodus 25:8–9; Ephesians 2:19–22
For Adults:
- We noted several parallels between Noah’s ark and Moses’ tabernacle: both given by God to one man, both three-tiered, both covered. What other similarities are there between the ark and the tabernacle?
- Paul tells the Ephesians that believers are being “built” into a holy temple with Christ as the cornerstone. In what practical ways does the church serve as a place of refuge—as the ark did for Noah’s family?
- The sermon closed with the question: “Do you believe the church is a refuge, or do you think it’s a nice addition to the rest of your life?” Sit with that question honestly. What does your weekly pattern tell you about what you actually believe?
For Children:
- Noah and his family were safe inside the ark while the flood came. The ark protected them from God’s judgment. Can you think of someone in the New Testament who protects us from God’s judgment? How is Jesus like the ark?
- Pastor Mike said the ark was pointing forward to Jesus himself. Jesus went through God’s judgment so that everyone who trusts in him can be safe. If Jesus is our ark, what do we need to do to be ‘inside’ him?
Day 4 (Thursday) — God’s Warning and Our Warning
Read: 2 Peter 3:1–13; Matthew 24:36–44
For Adults:
- Peter says that scoffers “deliberately overlook” the flood. What’s the difference between ignorance and deliberate overlooking? How does that distinction challenge comfortable unbelief in our day?
- God is “not slow” but “patient, not wishing that any should perish.” How do you hold together God’s patience and the certainty of coming judgment? Does one tend to crowd out the other in your own thinking?
- Noah warned his generation for roughly 70–100 years, and they ignored him. How willing are you to share the warning of coming judgment with people around you, knowing many will dismiss it? What makes that hard?
For Children:
- Peter says God waited a long time before sending the flood because he was being patient. Why was God being patient? What was he giving people time to do?
- Pastor Mike said we have been given a warning too—not about a flood, but about a fire. Who gave us that warning? (Hint: 2 Peter 3:10.) What should we do with it?
Day 5 (Friday/Saturday) — The Covenant Confirmed—and the Door Still Open
Read: Genesis 6:18–22; Hebrews 11:7
For Adults:
- We noted that God uses the word “establish” (not “cut”) for his covenant with Noah, suggesting it is a confirmation of an existing covenant—the covenant of grace first announced in Genesis 3:15. How does tracing that thread from Eden to Noah to Christ shape the way you read the Old Testament?
- Hebrews 11:7 says that “by faith Noah… constructed an ark for the saving of his household.” What risks did Noah take in obedience? What are the risks and costs of obedient faith in your own life right now?
- The sermon ended with a door: open now, but not forever. Is there someone in your life—a family member, a neighbor, a colleague—whom you have been hesitating to invite to church or to speak to about the gospel? Use this week to pray for them by name.
For Children:
- God promised to keep Noah safe. Noah believed God and built the ark—even though it took a very long time and people probably laughed at him. What does Hebrews 11:7 tell us about why Noah built it?
- The door of the ark was open for people to come in before the flood. What does it mean to “come in” to Jesus?
Next Lord’s Day Preview
The De-Creation of the Flood | Genesis 7:1–24
This Lord’s Day we enter the flood itself. Genesis 7 is the fulfilment of everything God warned and commanded in chapter 6. Noah and his family go through the door; the Lord shuts it behind them; and the waters come. Moses describes what happens in terms that deliberately echo the opening of Genesis 1—the windows of heaven open, the fountains of the deep burst forth, and the ordered world that God built in six days is unmade. The flood is not merely a disaster; it is a judicial act of God, a cosmic un-creation visited upon a world that had filled itself with violence rather than righteousness.
Yet chapter 7 is also a chapter of covenant faithfulness. As the world outside perishes, the seed of the woman is preserved. Noah—righteous, blameless, walking with God—passes through the waters of judgment and emerges on the other side. That pattern will echo across the whole of Scripture: through the Red Sea, through the Jordan, and ultimately through the death and resurrection of the one who is greater than Noah.
Come ready to consider…
- …what it means that the flood is described as a reversal of creation—and what that says about the seriousness of human sin.
- …why God preserves Noah through the flood rather than simply taking him to heaven, and what that tells us about God’s purposes for his people in the world.
- …how the waters of the flood prefigure baptism (1 Peter 3:20–21) and point forward to Christ’s own passage through judgment on our behalf.
Hymns for Next Lord’s Day
- 40 Stand Up and Bless the Lord
- 371 It Is Well With My Soul
- 22 Great is Thy Faithfulness
- 342 When This Passing World Is Done
Blessings,
Pastor Mike