Sunday 13 January 2013

GENESIS 6:8


 “ But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD."
Genesis 6:8


Today is the 9th day of our 90 days of Bible reading. It is my prayer that we will approach our reading together, not to just read The Book, but to see ourselves changed though God’s grace.

The story of Noah is one that many people are familiar with. I always enjoy reading it. It is a popular one to share with children. There have been many fun children’s books and games published around the theme of Noah and the ark. I had a look through the App store on my iPad and was presently  surprised by the number of Apps that are related to Noah and the Ark. Sometimes we talk about the animals on the ark and how they could all fit. Other times we may think about how there could have been enough water to cover the whole surface of the earth. Sometimes our thoughts may even focus on Noah following God and building the ark. Those are all interesting things to think and talk about but they are all secondary to the foundational point of the story of Noah and the ark.

So what is the point of the story of Noah and the ark? Earlier in the chapter the Bible explains that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. Our verse for today tells us that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. This is a story of God’s grace. God’s grace is the point. God’s grace is God’s unmerited favour. It was because of God’s grace that Noah and His family were spared from God’s judgement. 

The story of Noah and the Ark is a foreshadowing of God’s grace shown to us through His Son Jesus Christ. God, just as he did for Noah with the ark, has provided us with a place of safety from judgement in Jesus Christ. It is because of what Jesus has done on the cross that we can be spared from God’s judgement. Only those who were closed up safely inside the ark survived the flood. Only those who are are resting safely in Jesus will escape the coming judgement.

Pastor Chris Miller

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