Overview:
Decade after decade after decade, Noah faithfully obeyed God by building an ark and keeping himself unstained by the depraved culture surrounding him. Sometimes, integrity requires enduring obedience even when no one else is willing to follow God. Gain strength and conviction from Pastor Chuck Swindoll’s sermon based on the amazing life of Noah in Genesis 6. Learn how Christ is the ark of our time and about God’s call for all to enter before the door of salvation is closed.
Message Summary:
In a world increasingly marked by moral compromise and universal corruption, Chuck Swindoll turns to the ancient story of Noah to demonstrate the power of “enduring obedience.” This message contrasts the total depravity of the antediluvian world with the singular integrity of one man who “walked in close fellowship with God.” Chuck emphasizes that integrity is not a one-time choice but a lifelong commitment to stay the course even when surrounded by mockery, violence, and a culture that has completely lost its way.
The sermon delves into the “backstory” of Noah, moving beyond the familiar image of a wooden ark to examine the 120 years of faithful labor and preaching that yielded not a single convert outside of Noah’s own family. Chuck highlights the staggering reality of Noah’s persistence: building a massive vessel in a place that had never seen rain and delivering a message of rescue that was met only with skepticism. The message serves as a sobering reminder that God’s patience has a limit, and while the “door” remains open today through Christ, there will eventually come a day when that door is closed forever.
Message Key Facts:
- The Backstory Principle: Chuck explains that every biblical heading (like “Noah and the Ark”) has a deeper backstory involving people, events, and great truths that give the story its true meaning.
- Universal Human Depravity: A look at Genesis 6, where God observes that human thoughts were “consistently and totally evil,” leading to a divine grief that “broke His heart.”
- The Scale of the Ark: Chuck provides a visual of the Ark’s dimensions—roughly 450 feet long (one and a half football fields) and four and a half stories high, with a capacity equivalent to 522 railroad stock cars.
- The Preacher of Righteousness: Despite 120 years of building and preaching, Noah had zero converts outside his family, illustrating that success in God’s eyes is measured by obedience, not numbers.
- The Modern Mockery: Chuck connects the ancient scoffers of Noah’s day to modern skeptics described by Peter, who ask “Where is the promise of His coming?” while ignoring the historical reality of the flood (2 Peter 3).
Message References:
- Genesis 6:5–22: The primary account of the world’s corruption, God’s grief, and the specific instructions given to Noah for the Ark.
- Genesis 7:16: The significant moment when God Himself “closed the door” of the Ark.
- 2 Peter 3:3–14: Peter’s warning about scoffers in the last days and the reminder that God’s patience is intended to give people time to be saved.
- Hebrews 11:7: The New Testament affirmation of Noah’s faith and holy fear.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21: A reference to the “one door” of salvation, where He who knew no sin was made sin for us.
