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Origins- The substance of faith.

Review: Sin has broken our relationship with God and with each other.  With God we now feel shame, we hide, we blame, we excuse, we rebel.  With each other, we argue, we deceive, we reject, and we harm each other even unto death.

Things have progressively gotten worse and now God is fed up with the condition of man.

God regrets and grieves the condition of mankind.  Genesis 6:5-13

• Inclination of the mind was evil all the time. (5)
  
  
• Violence was intensifying. (11)
  
  
• Corruption was abundant. (12)
  
  
• Living it up with no acknowledgement of God.

Matthew 24:38 “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;”

God looked upon Noah with favor. (9)

1. Righteous.

• A declaration by God over Noah.
• Noah trusted and obeyed the Word of the Lord.
• Living in a way that pleases the Lord.
• First time anyone is referred to as righteous.
• Declared as a “a preacher of righteousness.” 2 Peter 2:5

 2. Blameless.

• The fruit of Noah’s life evidenced his fear of the Lord.
• He was not perfect, but he was not accusable by his peers.
• He lived by a different code of conduct.

 3. Faithful.

• He is the second man to be described as faithful- Enoch, his great grandfather. Genesis 5:22
• He stayed the course despite severe moral decay around him.
• Noah had the track record of trusting and obeying the Word of the Lord.

Hebrews 11:7 “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.” 

God brings his judgment upon all living things.  Genesis 6:13-17

• [Picture by Glen Eshelman]
  
  
• One year and 10 days Noah and his family were in the ark.
  
  
• The Dove delivers the news that God’s promise was fulfilled. Genesis 8:11

God establishes a covenant with Noah—you and your family will live. Genesis 6:18

Adamic Covenant- Don’t eat of the tree and live.
Noahic Covenant- You will survive and live and never will I destroy life by water again.
Abrahamic Covenant- You will be the father of many nations.
Mosaic Covenant- Follow the law and be blessed.
Davidic Covenant- Your throne will be established forever.
New Covenant- By faith, the blood of Jesus Christ is sufficient in sanctifying a people for God’s Kingdom.

God sealed His covenant with Noah by the sign of the Rainbow.  Genesis 9:13

• When you see a rainbow, remember it is a sign that God is faithful and judgment over the earth will not come by water ever again.

To all of those who the Lord gives the gift of faith, He declares them righteous!

Romans 5:8, 18-19 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us…Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. ¹⁹ For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” 

Restoring our relationship with God.

1. Trust that God’s promises are true and that He is faithful.
   
   
2. Fear the Word of the Lord by obedience.
   
   
3. Stay faithful regardless of the ridicule or difficulty it may cause you.
   
   
4. Give thanks to God for the faith and the righteous identity given to you under the New Covenant.

Benediction:

By faith we approach God in confidence of Christ’s work.  The wrath of God is satisfied in his work.  By faith we approach in confidence that we are seen as righteous.