In spite of ANY human experience

Hebrews 11: [3] Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

[4] By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

Abel, in spite of all the excellence of Cain and all the reputation of Cain, all the excellence of human good and what man can accomplish, Abel said, “I’ll just trust God’s Word,” explains Richard Jordan.

[5] By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

Enoch walked with God in a world that Cain produced. In spite of all of the value and the wisdom and the advancement that Cain’s world was producing, Enoch said, “I’m going to trust what God said.”

Then you come to Noah, and he’s going to walk with God in spite of the fact he doesn’t see any evidence for what God says is going to happen. God says, “It’s going to rain, and the water’s going to come up and cover everything,” and Noah scratches his head and says, “That ain’t ever happened before. I don’t even know what rain is!”

In spite of all of the experience he had and that ANYBODY had ever had, and the opinions of the world, Noah said, “I’ll just trust what God said.” His faith is going to trust God in spite of there being ANY human experience that would validate what God said.

[7] By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

That’s the whole story of Noah’s life in one verse. You can go to Genesis and read more about it, but most of what you read there is about what the world’s doing.

Notice the verse begins and ends with the words “by faith.” That’s an interesting thing. There’s not many verses in the Bible that begin with the same two words they end with.

You have to appreciate Noah’s an important figure in human history. If it wasn’t for Noah and his faith, there wouldn’t be any human race. You’d have been exterminated in the Flood. Except for the faith of Noah your ancestors would have been drowned out.

So there’s a special aspect of attention in Noah’s faith, in trusting God despite a lack of human experience. You see how he says in the verse, “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet"?

In other words, the seeing is going to come later. He’s believing God’s Word now so that later on what God says he’ll see.

Noah is mentioned eight times in the New Testament. In Matthew 24 is a passage that most people think about when they think about Noah. Christ has given the second sermon on the mount, the Olivet Discourse, and talks about His Second Coming.

Matthew 24: [36] But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
[37] But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
[38] For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
[39] And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

If you want to know what life is going to be like on the earth before Christ comes back, it will be like the days of Noah. The days of Noah are telling you, “Be ready for Christ’s coming because you’re not going to know when it happens.”

When we think about the days of Noah we’re thinking about a picture of the days before the Second Coming of Christ.

(to be continued tomorrow for certain. haven’t been feeling well at all today and hope I’m not coming down with something)