God’s salvation is a gift to man. In order for man to receive this gift, he has to turn to God and receive it. The Bible calls that repentance. The repentant sinner trusts in God’s provision for salvation. The repentant sinner does not come to God with anything to offer. He does not try to make a bargain with God. There have been accounts of soldiers during war that have tried to make a deal with God. They say they promised to serve God if He would protect them from enemy fire. Most of those who made such promises, never meant it. It was a ploy they thought they could use with God.
Noah was already a believer in God when God confided in him with His concern and His plan. Noah trusted God and he built an ark just as God told him to. He entered that ark and God shut him in. After more than a year on board that ark, God told Noah he could leave. Noah did not get claustrophobic during that time in the ark. He did not grow restless. He simply took life one day at a time and trusted God to lead him through this very unusual time. When he opened that door and stepped out of the ark, he walked into a different world. His family saw things they had never seen before. The world was different.
Noah was in awe of God and we read that he builded an altar unto the LORD. Noah knew the right thing to do was to worship God for His goodness to him. The animals were not afraid of Noah. He took of every clean beast and fowl and offered a burnt offering on that altar. Noah knew that God had provided for him for over a year on that ark. He would also provide for him now that he was leaving that ark. He was not concerned with what he would eat if he killed a number of the animals.
In verse 21 we see that God was pleased with Noah’s offering. Unlike Cain from chapter 4, Noah offered that which was pleasing to the LORD. God smelled a sweet savour. The LORD made a promise to Noah at that time. He would never curse the ground for man’s sake. We have storms of various types, but never again will the earth face a world-wide flood as at that time. The storm on the east coast right now is a limited storm. The damage will be extensive in that area, so we are told, but it will be limited.
God knew that what Noah and his family had just come through was not enough to change their hearts. Experiences are not enough. Man needs to make the right response to what he faces. Noah was already a God-fearing man. He made an acceptable sacrifice to God upon leaving the ark.
Every child born to Noah’s family after the flood would still be born a lost sinner. Each person would need to choose to know God and follow Him. The natural intent of man’s heart is evil. We can be thankful our children are not worse than they are. Parents should always pray and teach their children of the importance of knowing the true God. Each child will need to choose for themselves. Parents can set a godly environment, but the child needs to decide whether they will choose to follow God. It is a blessing when children choose to turn to God and know His forgiveness.
In verse 22 God promised Noah and his family that as long as the earth would remain, He would provide the right conditions for man to be able to live on this earth. There would always be a seedtime and harvest. There have been droughts in certain places. There still are at times. Some of those droughts are the result of man’s attempts to alter the climate. This is not due to driving cars or feeding cows. It is due to the evil actions of polluting the skies with materials that are supposed to keep the sun from shining through. Man is far too small to be able to know what his foolishness will do. God knows and He allows man to mess around where he does not belong. God shows man how foolish his plans are. The sad thing is that most people never learn to respect God and trust Him.
Even though the evidence is there that man is “seeding” the clouds with aluminum particles and other things, people think this is just a conspiracy theory and dismiss it. The fools that do these things lie about what they are doing. Man is messing around with things he should leave alone. Man should be seeking to know the true God rather than trying to play god.
God also promised that cold and heat would remain as long as the earth would stand. We are coming to the end of the heat for another year. Soon the snow will fly and we will need to heat our houses, at least in Canada. In some countries they never need to heat their houses. Summer and winter will also continue. We have four seasons, but sometimes they run into each other and are hard to differentiate. However, we can tell the difference between summer and winter.
We also know that day and night will continue as long as the earth remains. The Bible tells us that this earth will be destroyed by fire one day in the future. We have had fires in various parts of Canada and other parts of the world this year again. This is another curious thing that seems to be different this year from other years. Some of the stories that have been reported of what the officials have done and what people witnessed should alert us that things are not as they should be. However, many people are sleeping. One day God is going to set the entire earth on fire as well as the heavens. That fire will be hotter than any fire this earth has ever known. Then He will create new heavens and a new earth. Only the saved will dwell on that earth and heavens. It will be something beautiful for those who are saved. Those who are lost will spend eternity in the lake of fire.
There are many people who live so carelessly. They assume all will be good even though they do not know the true God. They do not bother to read their Bibles or follow God’s leading to a good church. They just slip from one day into the next. They try to tough it through the difficulties of life, but they refuse to turn to God. We live in an area that is quite cold and hard toward the Gospel. We can talk to some people about the Word of God, but most are just not interested. Even when tragedy strikes, they just want to believe everything will be alright.
We continue to pray and reach out and trust that a few will turn to God eventually. Sometimes it can take years before a person finally listens to God’s drawing on their heart. For many it will be too late.
Today is the Lord’s Day. I trust that each person reading this will listen to God and attend a good church today. If you do not have one in your area, you need to be praying for God to either raise up a good work in your area, or you need to move to a place where there is a good church. You need to know the truth. Don’t ignore the importance of being in a good church.
Listen to God and be blessed.
Pastor Bartel